Happy Friday, Hospitality Heroes!

This week, Brandon’s breaking down one of the most underrated — and most powerful — service upgrades in the game:

👉 Changing how your team talks to guests.

It sounds simple.

But it’s one of the hardest shifts to actually make stick.

✅ More natural upsells
✅ Better first impressions
✅ Higher guest satisfaction

Watch the full video here 👇

🎥 Master Your Team’s Verbiage

You can watch the full video training on YouTube, or keep scrolling for a breakdown of Brandon’s lessons below.

🍸 Brandon’s No-BS Service Lesson:
How To Master Verbiage Without Sounding Scripted

Let’s be real:

Most attempts to “polish” server language totally backfire.

❌ They sound robotic.
❌ The staff resists.
❌ Nothing actually sticks.

Brandon’s take?

🍸 Start With This:

✅ 1 - Ditch yes/no questions.

Instead of “Are you ready to order?”

Try: “What questions do you have for me?”

Or even: “What may I describe for you?”

✅ 2 - Let it sound like them.

It should feel authentic to each server’s personality.

Some might say, “Questions for me? What do we got?”

That’s fine — as long as it serves the same purpose.

✅ Don’t just suggest the change. Set the expectation.

Make it black-and-white:

“We’re all working on this starting tomorrow. You’re not expected to be perfect, but you are expected to try.”

🍸 3 Quick Wins You Can Try Tonight:

1️⃣ Coach through questions.

Not: “Stop saying ‘Are you ready.’”

Instead: “Hey, what’s another way you could ask that?”

This creates buy-in and makes the change stick.

2️⃣ Give them a list — and a reason.

Don’t just hand over a script.

Curate 10 verbiage swaps and explain why they matter.

When servers understand the goal, they’ll own the change.

3️⃣ Remind them: Chick-fil-A took 2 years to say 2 words.

“My Pleasure.”

Real culture change doesn’t happen overnight.

But if you stay consistent (or better yet, get your coaches to), it will happen.

Verbiage is the lens your guests experience everything through.

Want to sound like a premium restaurant?

Then your team has to talk like one.

✅ Better phrasing
✅ More confidence
✅ Higher checks

🚀 Tactical Reminders:

Our Last Three Lessons:

• You’re Doing Your Pre-Shifts Wrong: Read More.

• How To Get Your Team To Actually Listen: Read More.

• Stop Making This Training Mistake: Read More.

You can read the rest of the past lessons here.

Mike Romaine

Chief Email Ninja at The Restaurant Launch (TRL)