Building a Better Guest Experience in your Restaurant

For a restaurant to be truly successful it should offer incredible food and excellent service to its customers enticing them to come back again and again. A guest experience can be enhanced simply by employing a mix of training exercises along with gathering customer input.

Involving Restaurant Guests to Improve Customer Service

Comment Cards

A restaurant relies on repeat customers as well as new arrivals. It’s important to involve them in order to help improve the overall experience. That can be achieved simply by giving your guest comment cards to fill out. Questions on the comment card should be varied, giving them an opportunity to voice their opinions about the quality of service they received.

Was the food served promptly?

Did your food server take care of all your needs?

Was your food server courteous and attentive?

Did your food server offer suggestions for advertised specials?

It’s important for restaurants to know how their guests feel about the service they received.

Additional Customer Service Tips

1) Comprehensive and Ongoing Training

A good restaurant should develop a sound orientation program designed to give new members of its wait staff comprehensive training on food service. For established wait staff, it’s also important for restaurants to implement an ongoing training program so that the quality of customer service can be maintained and improved. The comment cards turned in by guests can go a long way in helping to determine the type of training required to better serve the needs of guests.

2) Hire the Correct Wait Staff

Being a good waiter/food server is more than just delivering food to restaurant guests. It’s about being able to multi-task. Having a clean look, a courteous attitude and the ability to give customers exactly what they want and need are attributes that go a long way in improving the overall guest experience.

3) Acknowledge Each and Every Guest

It shouldn’t only be the wait staff that’s ensuring that each guest is receiving quality customer service. It should be a shared responsibility. A good front-of-house manager should be invested in their guests’ quality of service as well. They need to be checking in at each table to ensure their experience has been enjoyable. On-duty managers and chefs likewise should be actively engaging guests, making them feel welcome. A good manager will be able to gauge how much attention guests want as some like to be left in peace.

4) Word of Mouth is the Best Advertisement

Restaurants rely heavily on word of mouth in terms of its reputation. If a guest has enjoyed their experience, they’ll share that with others. However, they’re also far more likely to share a bad experience than a good one.

 It becomes incumbent upon any restaurant to utilize whatever tools and resources available to help improve the quality of customer service. By employing the right training solutions to reach that goal, restaurants can easily improve the overall guest experience and avoid the stigma that a bad customer service ranking can bring.

One final tip, be sure to monitor social media so that you can quickly respond to compliments, and even more importantly to complaints.

What strategies does your restaurant employ to build a better guest experience? Leave a comment below.

For more info on Ideal Software’s Inventory Management system follow the link IdealStockControl

Top 5 Tech Tools for Restaurants [INFOGRAPHIC]

Restaurant operators have to work harder these days to keep up with the most successful chain restaurants. While large restaurant chains enjoy the benefits of broad customer bases, independent restaurant owners are using a variety of new technologies in order to get ahead. 

The following five tech tools are the used in the hospitality and foodservice industries today:

Which of these tools does your restaurant employ and what success have you achieved? Leave a comment below.

For more info on Ideal Software’s Inventory Management system  IdealStockControl

7 Tips for Handling Customer Complaints in your Restaurant

If you are going to work in the food service industry one thing you are bound to be faced with are customer complaints.As the old saying goes, “. . . you can’t please all the people all the time”. Eventually no matter how good the food or how good the service someone is going to be unhappy. This doesn’t have to be a major event and it doesn’t have to ruin your day. By following these seven simple suggestions, the majority of customer complaints can be handled to the satisfaction of all concerned.

1) Be Patient

You may or may not believe the customer is always right but the customer is always the customer. They pay the bills and provide your income. Right or wrong they deserve to have you listen patiently to what they have to say.

2) Be Courteous

Regardless of how the customer acts, short of physical violence there is no excuse for behaving in a less than courteous manner. This can be very difficult, especially if the customer becomes abusive but remember that other people including other customers will more than likely be observers to everything you say and do. Be sure they only have good things to say and that no one can lay any blame on your actions if the situation should escalate.

3) Listen Attentively

In a great majority of situations a customer will be satisfied just knowing that you care enough to take an active interest in what they are saying. Give them your full attention. Don’t look away, don’t look bored and don’t act like you have somewhere else “important” to be. Whether you feel it or not, make the customer feel like the centre of your world.

4) Don't Contradict

A customer with a complaint may not always have a valid complaint. Displaced aggression or perceived slights can often lead to a complaining customer. Contradicting them or trying to inject reality into the situation will only make matters worse. Never expect unreasonable people to act reasonably.

5) Apologise and Ask for a Solution

Kind words and perceived remorse on the part of the establishment makes a customer feel cared for and will greatly reduce any emotional energy the complainer may be carrying. Rather than trying to figure out what the customer wants, it is often much quicker and simpler to ask the customer what will make them happy.

6) Give

Always give more than is required. If the customer wants their meal to be complimentary, give it and offer their next meal to be free as well.

7) Give Up

At some point you find a customer that is just not a nice person. There is nothing you can do or say that is going to make them happy. Sad, but it is a fact of life, some people aren’t happy and have no intention of being happy. With these people the best you can do is simply ask them to leave. Don’t worry about them giving you a bad name. These people either don’t have friends to tell or their friends are like them and you don’t need the headaches. 

Now it’s your turn. What has been your experience in your restaurant and how was it handled? Leave a comment below.

For more info on Ideal Software’s Inventory Management system for controlling restaurant food cost IdealStockControl 

5 Tips for Building Customer Loyalty [INFOGRAPHIC]

Owning and operating a restaurant in today’s economy can be a challenging proposition, which is why it is so important to build customer loyalty.  In truth repeat customers make up the bulk of any restaurant’s customer base and word-of-mouth advertising can do wonders for building up your clientele.  

But how do you go about building customer loyalty in the restaurant industry?

While any one of the following five suggestions will help to increase your business, implementing all of them is highly recommended and definitely possible given a little time and planning.

Which of these strategies does your restaurant employ? Leave a comment below.

For more info on Ideal Software’s Inventory Management system follow the link IdealStockControl

Top 6 Tips for Managing your Restaurant Effectively

The restaurant business is one that only thrives with the help of good management and professional employees. When dining out you know how easy it is to become annoyed with poor service and bad food. As a manager, you must always be on the lookout for ways to improve the quality of the food and employee performance to keep customers happy. Below are the top six tips for managing your restaurant effectively.

1) Lead By Example

In order to be an effective manager, you must show your employees what good customer service looks like. Have them observe you interacting with customers. Ask the customers if they are having a good experience and thank them for coming. This shows your employees what you expect them to provide in order to ensure customer satisfaction.

2) Quality Service

There should be a standard operating procedure in place so that each employee knows your standard for providing service. Someone should greet the customer immediately upon entering the restaurant. Their drinks order should be taken no later than two minutes after being seated. The waiter or waitress should check in on their customers every few minutes to ensure their glasses are full and they are enjoying their meal. Be sure not to overdo this though; a good server will be able to judge how much interaction a client is comfortable with. Going above and beyond will keep the customers coming back. Make quality service a priority.

3) Friendly Environment

Every manger should be aware of their work atmosphere. It is your job to make it pleasant for both the customer and your employees. Look for ways to continually improve on communications with your employees and let them know you are available to talk if they have any issues. Hire the best employees you can find and treat them with respect. This will ensure that they are content with their work, which will make the customer experience that much better.

4) Keep Costs Down

One of the biggest problems that you may face is keeping the cost of running your business within your budget. Keep accurate records by tracking the costs of food, labour, and other expenses. Ensure that you review your expenses periodically to ensure that you are meeting your goals and keeping costs down.

5) Discipline and Reward

Taking care of your employees sometimes requires discipline. In accordance with your employee handbook ensure that when rules are broken, the employee responsible is disciplined quickly and properly. This let’s everyone know that you mean business and following the rules is mandatory. The same goes for rewards. When an employee does something great, be sure to recognize them and let their peers know as well. This goes a long way in letting the employees know you are paying attention to their hard work.

6) Exceptional Food

No restaurant can survive by serving bad, cold, or otherwise unacceptable food. Make sure that every plate served to your customer is of the highest quality. If, there is a problem with a customer’s meal, work to replace it immediately. The customer will be happy you will get repeat business.

Being a good manager is more than just showing up. Taking care of the customers and employees keeps the restaurant running smoothly and keeps you in business.

For more info on Ideal Software’s Inventory Management system for controlling food cost IdealStockControl

More of Less Suppliers: Which is Better for your Restaurant?

In the foodservice industry a vast number of critical decisions have to be made. One of those decisions owners must decide on is how many suppliers they are going to utilize for their restaurants. Is it better to have a few, select suppliers or a vast number of them? 

The following points will assist in answering this question:

1) Very Specific Ingredients

Looking at the ingredients used in recipes is one of the biggest steps that need to be taken into account when making this decision. If your restaurant uses very exotic ingredients or spices that are difficult to find, it might be difficult to have multiple suppliers. Only a select few suppliers in the area may have these items in stock. On the other hand, it could be helpful to have a few backups in case one of the suppliers eventually decides to stop selling the item altogether.

2) Quality of Food

A major concern arises when we discuss the quality of the food. Having too many providers means that the quality could suffer from time to time. If you have a number of suppliers bringing in the meats, vegetables and so forth, it’s almost impossible to have products of all the same quality. In a more casual establishment, customers might not notice a slight variation in taste; however, no guarantee exists that the change in food will go unnoticed.

3) Supplier Stability

In today’s economic climate, it is difficult to tell whether a business is going to stay afloat for any length of time. As a result, having a number of suppliers in your network could be of major assistance to you. If, for example, one shuts its doors, you will still have others waiting in the wings. Still though, in order to keep their business, you will have to use them on a regular basis. Otherwise, they will go out in pursuit of more regular clients.

4) Financial Matters

One of the benefits associated with remaining loyal to a particular supplier is as your relationship grows and strengthens; the supplier might be inclined to give you deals on certain products. If you are constantly jumping around from supplier to supplier, no opportunity exists to build such a relationship. On the other side of the coin, having a network of suppliers means you can be more choosy with your price. In the event that one supplier is not giving you the price that you want, you can certainly negotiate a little by comparing the price to another supplier. If the initial supplier won’t give you the price you want you can move on.

5) In Conclusion

Having both more and less suppliers each has its own benefits. With fewer suppliers, you can possibly get a lower price in the long run, find specific ingredients and control the quality of food. With more suppliers, you have more negotiating power, an array of food choices and better economic stability. The route you choose is up to you and what is best for your particular business.

Whatever decision you make, try to select suppliers with knowledge and insight into your specific industry. This way they can advise you on new trends and products. The correct supplier will be able to help you with preparation and staff training. They will hopefully also assist you with product samples and demonstrations.

Now it’s your turn. How do you decide on the number of suppliers? Share with us below.

For more info on Ideal Software’s Inventory Management system for controlling food cost IdealStockControl

How to Drive Traffic to your Restaurant Website that gets Customers Through the Door

Your website is a virtual business card and it holds far more information about your business than a piece of paper or small card. In addition it can be accessed from any country, city or household in the world with an internet connection and computer.
Getting customers to your website is a little harder than handing out business cards. The best way of driving traffic to your site, and ultimately through the door, is to use the following multiple proven methods:

1) Print it

Perhaps, the simplest way to drive traffic to your restaurant’s website is through a printed card placed at each table. List your site and encourage visitors to go to it. Every piece of your marketing material should include your website address.

2) Social Media

Drive traffic to your website with social media. This can be achieved in multiple ways. For example, you can use social media to attract attention to a ‘scavenger hunt’ on your website to find the latest entree your restaurant will serve. You can jump on Twitter trending topics. If they like what you have to say, they may follow you and even visit your website. Moreover, social media promotion is only limited by your imagination. There are many ways to promote businesses and their products that have yet to be discovered.

3) Coupons

Coupons are an immensely successful tool to drive traffic to your restaurant’s website. Everyone loves free stuff! Coupons can be used for a free appetizer or dollars off. They do not have to have a high value amount. They only need to be high enough to encourage your customers to visit your restaurant instead of your competitors. Restaurants can make use of a PDF file or image placed on their website or a service, like coupons.com to make the coupons printable. Always place the coupon on your website to make that the first stop for prospective diners.

4) Giveaways

Giveaways do not need to be elaborate. A fabulous prize and an entry form is all that’s required. Make your website the only place where customers can enter. Combine social media marketing and print to make the giveaway more successful.

5) Blog About It

A restaurant’s website should utilize the blogosphere with a blog on their site and guest posting. A blog on your website keeps your site updated which satisfies the rules of search engines to maintain the site’s ranking in the search results. It also establishes the restaurant as an expert in its field and provides a reason for site visitors to keep coming back. Guest posting is when your restaurant (or a freelancer writer/ghostwriter hired by you) creates a blog post for another blog that promotes your business and establishes the restaurant further as an expert. Guest posts include a link back to the website, so readers can learn more about your restaurant.

6) Fill Your Site with Information

While filling your site with relevant and detailed information sounds a bit elementary, many restaurants forget that all sites need the basics; a detailed menu, ‘About Us’ page, promotions, and other personal details, for customers to read and obtain a better sense of your business. Without these, what exactly is the intent of getting people to your restaurant’s website? A website is a restaurant’s virtual business card and it should reflect the business’s image.

Driving traffic to your website begins with a good website and a marketing plan. A combination of the above methods will bring customers to your website and hook them into coming back. Continue with these efforts to keep traffic at optimal levels.

What methods do you use to get traffic to your website and subsequently through the door of your restaurant?