Walt Disney had a great outlook on his customers. He said, “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”
Whatever line of business you are in, it is essential that your customers are happy. Without a good number of diners, your restaurant will find it difficult to keep functioning. This has therefore led to fierce competition among restaurants.
This massive competition is because there are so many restaurants and customers have such a wide choice that the ability to stand out and attract diners is very important. One way to stand out is customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is important is because of retention and satisfied customers are more likely to return to your restaurant.
As a restaurateur you must always bear in mind that retaining diners is as important as getting new diners to walk in. According to research, it is 6 to 7 times more expensive getting new customers than it is to retain an existing one. Additionally, diners who come back are likely to spend 25% more than new walk-ins, which of course boosts your profits as a mere increase of 5% in retention rate will likely boost your profits by up to 95%. Another key aspect of customer satisfaction is that happy customers give referrals.
So now why don’t we address the golden question: How do I keep my customers happy?
Here are 4 Tips on How To Keep Your Customers Happy When They Visit Your Restaurant Frequently.
1. Get your employees to practice excellent customer service
If you aren’t already paying attention to the quality of your customer service and allocating necessary resources to frequently train your staff, it is high time to make this an urgency. Studies have found that up to 89% of customers stop making purchases from a company after experiencing poor customer service. It has even been stated that your customer service is more important than the quality of your restaurant’s food. The truth is a diner wouldn’t like to come back to your restaurant if they are treated poorly. A question that keeps a lot of restaurateurs thinking is: Does great customer service begin with your table staff?
The answer is No. Good customer service commences the moment diners walk into your restaurant and concludes the moment the diners have exited the restaurant. Yes, it does sound like a lot of work, but trust us, it is one of, if not, the most important attributes of your restaurant. You will be able to please customers when your staff is super friendly and is always willing to go the extra mile to make the customers have a great experience at your restaurant. Employees who are happy with their jobs and work environments naturally try to provide a better experience to the diners. Hence, it is important that your staff are content with what they are doing. A few techniques you can use to train your staff are:
- Ask your staff to always converse with respect and use titles to address diners.
- Kindly ask your staff to be patient while taking customer orders.
- Request your staff to always smile.
- Fine-tune their listening skills so that they do not make errors when taking customer orders.
Your staff plays a major role in the success of your restaurant, so it is important to make sure that they are providing the best of their abilities.
2. Provide your diners with rewards
Earning yourself loyal customers is a really beneficial sales technique. A good method to earn loyal diners at your restaurant is with the use of a loyalty program. Your diners will be very pleased when you gift them something in return. A loyalty program in that case is a superb way to boost repeat business as well as word of mouth referrals. For example, say you own a café or a bakery, a great way to give back to your loyal customers would be in the form of ‘free croissant with every coffee’ they purchase. The use of such a technique will be appealing to many customers and will prompt their loyalty to your restaurant.
If you are unsure or unable to offer such a loyalty program at the moment, there are still some other techniques to gift your diners and make sure they leave your restaurant cheerier. You can surprise regular diners by giving them a free dessert or appetizer. It would be even better if the owner or the head chef were to hand this out to the diner as it gives them a feeling of importance. Additionally, you can also gift your regular diners with your restaurant branded merchandize such as mugs, caps or pens. It is good to know that people are always happy to be pleasantly surprised.
3. Turn bad experiences around as quickly as possible
A dispute with a diner can be one of the worst problems for a restaurant if they aren’t handled smoothly and efficiently. If a diner does have a problem, they will leave your restaurant much happier if you come up with an adequate solution. Additionally, you need to make sure that your staff is properly taught how to take care of disputes. When issues related to food or service arise, offering something free would go a long way as well. It can be in the form of a free meal right away or a gift certificate to prompt a revisit. It is very important to deal with problems the moment they arise. Never let your customers remain in anger while waiting for the problem to be dealt with upper level management.
Here are some tips you should remember when a dispute takes place:
Whenever there is a dispute in the diner, always pay close attention to what your diner has to say and refrain from interrupting him/her. Ensure that you accept the mistake and let the diner know that you are extremely sorry for the inconvenience. While the diner is telling you about the issue, always remain calm even if you disagree with what the diner says. After fully understanding the issue, make an effort to negotiate a win-win solution for the diner as well as for you. Remember that you should never blame the diner even if he or she is at fault. Lastly, it does not cost you a cent to apologize once again.
4. Reduce your customers wait times
Your diners will find it unpleasant to have to wait a long period of time for their appetizer, meal or first round of drinks. This has a substantial negative impact to your restaurant as it has been proven to be very hard to get back a customer who is disappointed with your service. Therefore, it is crucial that you have enough staff in your kitchen to make sure meals are prepared swiftly and enough table staff to quickly take your customers orders. If there might be a delay in the diners order, politely convey this to your customer in advance.
As a restaurateur, you are most likely aware of the term ‘speed of service’. This is always an important policy to consider in your restaurant as it really helps with the ‘great dining experience’ you wish to provide to your diners. Your diners most likely have anticipations about how long they have to wait to get their food. For instance, if your diners want burritos, they probably expect you to serve soon, if your diners on the other hand wish for steak or wellington, they might be willing to wait a bit longer. Your primal objective is to consistently and swiftly accommodate all diners at all times of the day.