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Best Practices and up to the minute news on Customer Experience Management and Service Excellence
Best Practices and up to the minute news on Customer Experience Management and Service Excellence
No matter how delicious your restaurant’s appetizers, entrees and cocktails are, guests expect more than just a meal when they walk through the doors.
Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of survey respondents say that a positive guest experience is important when choosing restaurants, according to “Experience is Everything: Here’s How to Get it Right,” a report from PwC, an accounting, assurance and tax services company.
According to restaurant payment and software company Paystone, customers visit your restaurant with high expectations about several factors that go beyond food quality and price points, including:
“Ensuring your restaurant guests enjoy an amazing customer experience goes a long way towards running a successful business,” according to Paystone. A great guest experience also gives your restaurant an edge over competitors.
“If you’re not doing everything you can to offer not merely a five-star service but an 11-star service, you’ll start to see potential patrons choose your competitors down the street over your establishment,” says Paystone. “Restaurant customer experience is important because it increases profits, encourages repeat visits and helps attract new patrons through word-of-mouth and reviews.”
“When guests visit your restaurant, they are looking for more than great food,” according to restaurant platform software company Toast. “They are also expecting to have an enjoyable, stress-free experience.”
Looking for ways to improve the guest experience in your restaurant? Read on for six easy ways to offer guests an experience they’ll want to repeat with more visits.
Training your staff on the importance of friendliness, eye contact, smiling and greeting guests when they arrive is essential to setting the initial tone and overall positive guest experience, according to Toast.
“Managers should pay close attention to how each staff member interacts with guests and make a point of reiterating certain customer care objectives during pre-shift meetings,” says Toast.
“Bringing extra napkins, an extra plate for sharing dishes, promptly refilling water glasses – all of these things require very little effort and only a general level of attentiveness, but they can vastly improve the guest experience,” says Toast.
“When your staff is attentive to guests’ needs, guests can focus on the food and their company rather than on tracking down the server.”
You’ll stand out from many other restaurants when you offer online ordering and reservations, according to Paystone. “When you enable your customers to make reservations and place orders online, it makes life a lot easier for your guests and will keep them coming back. It’s all about the convenience factor.”
Allowing guests to order online can also increase sales. About 34 percent of survey respondents said they typically spend up to $50 per food order when ordering online, according to Statista.
Mastering the art of customer service is key to offering a positive guest experience and receiving great online reviews, according to Paystone.
“Be patient and attentive with your restaurant guests, offer recommendations & pairings if possible and learn to upsell without being pushy,” recommends Paystone. “Even little things like remembering your regulars’ names or favorite dishes will make them feel like you’re going the extra mile for them.
“The better you delight your customers, the more likely they’ll leave you a review to help improve your restaurant’s digital presence and attract referral revenue.”
Dirty restrooms and smudged windows and doors all send a message that cleanliness and hygiene isn’t all that important to restaurant staff and management, according to Toast:
“If the restaurant doesn’t pay attention to aspects of their establishment’s general cleanliness, what does that say to guests about the kitchen area and the staff? Pay attention to the little details as they can make a big difference in the way guests perceive the quality of food and experience.
If your customers are willing to wait for a table during the dinner rush, make sure you do as much as possible to ensure their comfort and make the wait fly by.
“Seating should be available in the waiting area,” says Toast. “Update guests on the status of their table. Consider having the hostess take drink orders while guests are waiting and provide complimentary water in the waiting area.”
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