{"id":25374,"date":"2022-12-12T14:12:42","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T19:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-gordon-food-service-canada.pantheonsite.io\/ideas\/body-language-actions-mean-more-than-words\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T12:22:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:22:57","slug":"body-language-actions-mean-more-than-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/body-language-actions-mean-more-than-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Body language: Actions mean more than words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-non-verbal-cues-speak-volumes-when-it-comes-to-the-dining-experience\">Non-verbal cues speak volumes when it comes to the dining experience.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Companionship and chatter around the table are at the heart of happy meal memories. Social interactions also are a part of serving food, and your team\u2019s bad body language can spoil the dining experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For servers, sometimes it\u2019s not what you say, but how you say it. Training your healthcare, long-term care and senior living team to be aware that body language, posture and tone of voice can carry more meaning than words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-maintain-positive-body-language\">Maintain positive body language<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some simple things that influence guest satisfaction:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Smile whenever appropriate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep your head up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Face the guest when communicating.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maintain eye contact, but don\u2019t stare.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nod occasionally when guests are talking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stand with good posture, relax your shoulders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep a positive attitude.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-avoid-common-mistakes\">Avoid common mistakes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Eaten several times a day, meals should be <a href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/mind-your-manners-positive-dining-room-experience\">fun and engaging<\/a>. Don\u2019t let these little gestures ruin the guest experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of eye contact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Staring.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Arm-crossing.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eye-rolling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frowning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poor posture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Touching the face.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fidgeting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-look-sharp\">Look sharp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Personal appearance and hygiene also affect the meal experience. Write out a personal appearance and hygiene policy to reflect your desired image and brand. Train your team and enforce the standards you set. Some guidelines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Uniforms must be neat and clean (discuss questions with a supervisor).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Name tags should be clearly displayed.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jewelry is best kept to a minimum (to avoid hazards and contaminants).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employees should be clean and well-groomed.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Team members should make one final check before serving.<br>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Non-verbal cues speak volumes when it comes to the dining experience. Companionship and chatter around the table are at the heart of happy meal memories. Social interactions also are a part of serving food, and your team\u2019s bad body language can spoil the dining experience. For servers, sometimes it\u2019s not what you say, but how [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":26660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,123,112,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Body language: Actions mean more than words | Gordon Food Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Improve your guest experience by mastering restaurant staff body language. Discover nonverbal communication tips and service strategies.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/body-language-actions-mean-more-than-words\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Body language: Actions mean more than words\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Improve your guest experience by mastering restaurant staff body language. Discover nonverbal communication tips and service strategies.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/body-language-actions-mean-more-than-words\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gordon Food Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GordonFoodService\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-12T19:12:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-12T17:22:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/5-WOW-Little-Things-760x400_0.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cody Rivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cody.rivers@gfs.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GFSDelivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cody Rivers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Body language: Actions mean more than words | Gordon Food Service","description":"Improve your guest experience by mastering restaurant staff body language. 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