5 Restaurant Customer Service Tips
Excellent customer service is crucial to your success as a restaurant owner. How does your restaurant provide top-notch customer service? Let’s start by defining it: customer service is the help and guidance you offer to your diners.
Communication and sincere consideration for your customers go hand in hand. (Tweet this) You want customers to feel at home when they visit your restaurant. They’ll frequent your restaurant repeatedly if you treat them well and with respect while serving a delicious meal.
Customer satisfaction is crucial to the success of your organization. Starbucks conducted a study at Harvard Business School and found that customer satisfaction has a significant effect on earnings. The average Starbucks customer comes in 4.3 times each month, spends $4.06, and stays a client for 4.4 years. They discovered that a really happy client comes in 7.2 times each month, spends $4.42, and stays a client for 8.3 years.
That’s great, but what happens if a consumer isn’t happy? According to a Customer Experience Report, subpar and unfriendly customer service is the number one cause of brand churn. 18% more people identified these issues than sluggish or inconsistent service.
With its vibrant colors and stylish fonts, this bakery menu template ensures that everyone will glance at it. You need contemporary menu design ideas like this one if you have launched a bakery or cafe or if you want to upgrade your dessert menu. For anyone who enjoys dessert, it’s one of the best restaurant menu designs.
Together, these two studies highlight the value of top-notch customer service. They claim that offering excellent customer service can either make or ruin a restaurant. Therefore, we’ll cover five strategies in this blog article for providing top-notch customer service in a restaurant setting.
1. Start off by doing it correctly
Even if the quality of the cuisine is crucial, it’s the entire dining experience—from the moment customers come through the door until they leave—that matters. In every customer experience, restaurants should keep the demands of patrons in mind. Here are some pointers for doing this:
Speak politely.
- Greet your diners as soon as they enter the restaurant.
- Use polite pronouns; sir, ma’am, and miss are suitable.
- Avoid interjecting.
- Pay close attention to what they say and listen carefully.
- Know every item on your menu by heart. To make sure you follow their instructions, ask them questions and repeat them.
Why manners matter
While proper decorum may be upheld in both pizza parlors and fine-dining establishments, it depends on the type of business.
- Who do you initially serve? If there is an honored visitor, serve them. If not, start with the ladies, then the men, and lastly the kids.
- From the left of the table, serve and clear the food. Be kind if you must reach in or interrupt.
- Drinks are served, poured, and refilled from the right.
- Have a system in place while serving meals so you know which plates belong to which diners. If at all possible, avoid calling out entrées.
- Always tell them that you want them to leave. The comfort of the customers comes first, not the server’s tip.
- Keep diners from having to ask for the check. Let’s clear the table, bring the check, and process it quickly.
2. Don’t keep them waiting
It really won’t matter to your customers whether your bartender produces the finest martini or the chef prepares the nicest steak if they have to wait too long for their initial round of drinks, an appetizer, or a meal. Already agitated and hungry, your diner.
This is the “negative turning point,” if you will. Keep in mind that it may be challenging to win back a dissatisfied client. At all costs, avoid disappointing them. So that clients never have to wait too long, make sure you have adequate employees on hand. Inform your diners in advance if they request a dish that will take a little longer to prepare. Be frank and instructive.
Probably, you’ve heard the phrase “speed of service.” Your policies may even include a speed of service objective. Regardless of the style of the restaurant, quick service is essential for a satisfying eating experience. Your customers may have ideas about how long they anticipate waiting. Are tacos on the menu? They’ll anticipate those right away. Providing steaks? They could psychologically give you more time to get things ready.
Your objective should be to provide your customers with consistently excellent food and service throughout the day.
3. Resolve issues quickly
Your skill at handling client issues and complaints is the third step in providing first-rate customer service. No matter how hard you try, something will always go wrong at some point. Your goal is to satisfy the consumer, no matter the issue.
It is imperative that you address issues as soon as they arise. While he climbs the managerial ladder, does not allow your customer’s ire to fester. Here are some pointers for handling client issues:
- Without interjecting, pay close attention to their concerns.
- Own your error. Recognize that there is an issue, certainly. Let them know how sorry you are.
- Even if you disagree with your consumer, maintain your composure.
- Keep your eyes in contact and be aware of your body language. Make sure your actions don’t contradict what you say by checking your body language.
- What does your consumer want? Try to come to an agreement that will satisfy both of you.
- Never place blame; always show empathy.
- Again, I apologize!
- Solve the issue immediately and amicably.
4. Utilize customer feedback forms
Ensure your diners know you respect their feedback. Restaurants with an exceptional success value their patrons’ feedback, both positive and negative.
By allowing customers to do so, you demonstrate to them that you value their feedback and are constantly searching for ways to make your food and service better. You might discover opportunities for improvement by reading your customers’ reviews. Feedback might also highlight your areas of strength. You’ll be able to give them even greater service since you’ll be able to see what they’re seeing.
Better customer connections will be developed as your restaurant is improved.
5. Utilize technology
Finally, we’ll talk about a novel strategy for providing first-rate patron service at your restaurant. Technology integration will, of course, depend on the type of restaurant you have, but many restaurant business models can accommodate some sort of technology.
Online purchasing
Customers may easily access your menu by placing an order right away from your website. It enables them to easily browse your menu and place orders. They frequently spend more money when they purchase online since they are enticed to try more things. Use clear calls to action to promote a broader, more substantial
Don’t forget about a responsive, mobile-friendly website. A redesign is needed if your customers can’t easily place online orders on their mobile devices.
Ordering at a Table and/or Kiosk
This ordering process will be quick and simple for your casual dining patrons. They’ll also like the quickness and convenience.
Provide free WiFi
In 2014, 65% of consumers anticipated quick-service restaurants to provide free Wi-Fi in their establishments, according to research from industry data and analysis company Technomic Inc.
At the table, games
After a long day at work, parents of small children are frequently worn out. While keeping the kids occupied, give the parents a rest. Think of kids’ TVs and media rooms, portable gaming gadgets at the table, etc (and the old stand-by – coloring books).
