5 Tips for Expressing Appreciation to Your Clients and Employees
Staples believes some of the best advice on running a small business comes from business owners just like you. In this series, we feature different small business owners that have mastered a particular area of running a company. Here we highlight Centanni Trattoria, a company that has taken its business to the next level through client and employee appreciation.
Nestled in the quaint neighborhood of Venice, California, Centanni Trattoria is entering its sixth holiday season. Partners Alex Paez, Helen Wassell-Paez and Marin Santos take a very personal approach to appreciation, treating everyone who walks through the doors of Centanni like family. In an industry riddled with high turnover and unknown client bases, this team has turned the tides on convention with its simple but powerful approach. Consequently, they see many of the same faces at the restaurant on a weekly basis. Below, Paez shares five tips for employee and client appreciation that can be applied to any business any time of year.
1. Showcase Your Community
After Thanksgiving, holiday cards with well wishes for the season are displayed on the restaurant’s bar, and throughout the year, drawings from children of their regulars get prominent placement. These are personal displays of appreciation that come naturally to the team at Centanni and make an impression on the customers. “In this life, you get what you give,” Paez says. “We put that personable vibe out there, and it comes back.”
2. Get to Know Your Clientele
Asking clients’ names and even engaging in a little small talk can go a long way toward making them feel comfortable and at home. At Centanni, remembering little things like someone’s favorite sports team or the fact that a diner prefers whole wheat pasta has helped the team build an unmatched rapport with its customers that keeps them coming back.
3. Establish Traditions
During their first holiday season in 2009, the partners decided to give each employee a panettone cake and prosecco. Since then, these simple items have become cherished gifts that the employees look forward to. “The gifts are Italian traditions,” says server Carol Wilson, who has been with the restaurant since it opened. “The fact that they make sure to do it every year, like we are family, just reinforces the genuine affection they have for their employees.”
4. Allow For Flexible Schedules
Although Wilson beams when she mentions the traditional Italian gifts, the ability to take time off during one of the restaurant’s busiest seasons is what makes her feel most appreciated. “Helen and Alex do everything in their power to help us take time off during the holidays,” Wilson says. “There are so many of us that have family in other states, and they always make sure we are able to get home for the holidays.”
5. Treat Your Team Members With Respect and Allow Them to Grow
Paez believes that much of the restaurant’s overall success with its employees stems from the fact that the management team truly respects the staff and allows employees to do their jobs with little interference. “I try not to micromanage them,” Paez says. “I’m not constantly looking over someone’s shoulder. I’d rather have someone make a mistake and learn from it.”
Thanks to the success of Centanni’s Venice location, due in large part to their loyal customers, the team opened its second location in Burbank, California in March 2015. With a strong and supportive team and clientele, Centanni proves that a little appreciation can go a long way to help build a thriving small business.
