Most people want to find a restaurant that can fulfill all their needs for great food, at a decent price. Customers are more likely to shop at a restaurant that has an established reputation for providing good customer service. This is where the idea of creating an atmosphere of hospitality and warmth comes into play.
The key to ensuring your restaurant’s success comes from offering quality dishes backed with great customer service over time. Keep your customers happy and they will keep coming back, if not hopefully, you’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way!
How to Make Your Customers Happy
Stay focused on the customer and service
The hospitality industry has seen dramatic changes over the past several years. The shift to a more casual dining experience, paired with food that tastes better than ever is attracting new customers to restaurants in record numbers.
If you can’t keep up, move out of the way – as fast as you can!
There is no excuse for poor service at a restaurant. If a staff member is continually not meeting a standard of quality or timeliness that YOU (the owner) have set, then they need to be replaced.
Train your wait staff to focus on the customer
The dining experience should be memorable for all the right reasons, from start to finish. A new customer’s first impression starts when the host or hostess greets him or her at the door. From there, the server is often the next person a customer sees — and that is always a chance to make a good first impression. The server should spend time chatting with diners about their day, knowing what they had for lunch and their favorite pastime.
A simple tip of the hat goes a long way
After you take their order, say “thank you” and make sure that you at least give them the time of day – when they come in and leave. The simple gesture of a simple nod or a brief greeting lets diners know that their waiter is on top of things and attentive to them during their visit.
A smile goes a long way
Laughing with someone is an easy way to brighten anyone’s day. A smile also implies that the person receiving it is being valued as an individual — not just another item to move through an assembly line.
Show your appreciation for business
Appreciation is the key to achieving customer loyalty at any business, including restaurants. Speak with your customers and make it personal. Let them know that you value them as people, rather than just patrons of your restaurant. Take out time to write a personalized thank-you note or card to both new and longtime customers letting them know that they are important to you. The more genuine the gesture, the better it will be received by the recipient and the more likely he or she will return in the future!
Take the time to get to know your guests – as a person
Remember that most of your guests will be visiting more than once. Take the time to introduce yourself personally to each one – and make it a point to find out something about them, their interests, how they came to have dinner with you, and what their dining experience was like. If you can make it happen, ask them for feedback on how they enjoyed their meal at your restaurant.
Restaurant Website’s Customer Support
Extend your excellent customer service through your restaurant’s website. Give your customers an opportunity to see what you are offering them and make sure that they are satisfied with the information that you have gathered about them.
Split the review intake:
Post signs asking for reviews to Yelp and Google. On the same sign state if they have any issues to send them directly to you so you can fix the issue. While you can’t ask for positive reviews on Yelp, you can certainly try and filter them by having them send you the bad stuff and giving you the opportunity to resolve issues before they get posted publicly.
Did this post help you?
These are a few of our favorite tips from the list. We will add more in the future, so keep this post bookmarked for later use. Please feel free to add some if you would like to share!
If not, pick one or two ideas from this list and implement them. For more information, contact us now!