Bonus: Fine Dining in Fast Casual
Lesson 4 of 9
Eye Contact at the Five Handoffs
+25 XP
Greeting, order, payment, food drop, goodbye. Eye contact every time.
Five moments per visit demand eye contact. Miss any one and the visit feels transactional. Hit all five and the visit feels personal. These are the Five Handoffs.
| 1. Greeting | Eye contact at the door (within 4 seconds), eye contact at the counter (within 6 seconds). Lift head, smile, name yourself if you have time: I am [name], what can I get started? |
| 2. Order | Eye contact when they speak. Not eyes on the screen, not eyes on the menu. The screen and the menu wait. The does not. Look up between every line item. |
| 3. Payment | Eye contact when you hand back the card. Read the last name on the card, address them: thank you, Mr. Patel. The receipt-name move. It works on every credit card transaction. (Bonus: it tells regulars you noticed them.) |
| 4. Food drop | Eye contact when you say enjoy. Place the plate, look up, lock eyes for half a second, name the dish, smile, move. The plate-down stare is the most common mistake. Avoid it. |
| 5. Goodbye | Eye contact at the door. Not over the shoulder. Stop, turn, face them, smile, say it. See the goodbye script later in this section. |
What kills eye contact: phones, screens, coworker chatter, walking with eyes down, being mid-bite. The first three are choices you make. Make better ones.