How to Improve Customer Experience in Restaurant

Your job as a restaurant owner or manager is to ensure your customers have the best experience possible. The customer experience will make or break a successful restaurant. If your customer has a good experience, they will come back. If their experience is bad, they will not return, and they will tell everyone they come across to avoid your place of business. The good news is that there are definite ways to improve the customer experience so you can remove the guesswork from the equation.

• Customer Service is King
• Incorporate Technology
• Listen to Customer Feedback
• Acknowledge & Reward Your Regulars
• Keep Quality Restaurant Supplies

Unique Manufacturing has over thirty years of experience in the restaurant industry. We want to share that experience so you can figure out how to improve the customer experience in a restaurant.

Customer Service is King

Good customer service is the bread and butter of a positive customer experience. There are several components to good customer service, but none matter if you and your employees aren’t consistent. Consistency is key to good customer service in the same way that good customer service is key to a better customer experience. If you want to know how to improve the customer experience in a restaurant, you start by improving your customer service.

Staff Training

At the end of the day, there is only so much you can do to improve customer experience in a restaurant. You can’t be everywhere at once, so most of the responsibility will fall on your employees’ shoulders. As a result, proper staff training is the only way to guarantee good customer service and a positive customer experience.

Address Complaints Quickly

Customer service is all about making sure the customer feels heard and appreciated. Your staff should be willing to go above and beyond to address any customer complaints in a timely and orderly fashion. Yes, even the customers that are clearly in the wrong.

Cleanliness is Critical

Food service demands a higher standard of cleanliness. A dirty kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and parking lot will have a markedly negative impact on the customer experience. The best way to keep a clean restaurant is to assign opening and closing cleaning duties and upkeep throughout the day. It helps to designate a position for specific cleaning tasks to ensure they always get done without too much responsibility falling on one person.

Incorporate Technology

Have an online menu and reservation schedule. Make sure your online business listings are accurate, including daily hours and any suspected wait times. Reach out to customers on social media to inform them about new items, deals, and specials.

Technology is critical to successful businesses, and restaurants are no different. Your existing and potential customers will likely use the internet to view your menu, address, hours, and more. You are missing out on business if your online information is incorrect. A customer will not feel compelled to visit if they can’t even see what type of food you serve. You should also utilize social media to keep your customers updated on deals, specials, and new items.

Another thing that improves customer experience in a restaurant is incorporating an online reservation system. Online reservations also have the added benefit of making the hostess’s job easier because it frees them from answering the phone and scheduling reservations manually.

Listen to Customer Feedback

The customer can be the most telling source for finding ways to improve customer experience in a restaurant. They know what they want from a restaurant visit, so you should ask them. In addition to asking the customers directly, you should stay up to date with online reviews and note the positive and negative trends. If you notice something that several people like, then do more of that. Conversely, if you see a recurring complaint, you should address it.

Acknowledge & Reward Your Regulars

If you have people that come in regularly either by themselves or with their families, get to know them personally and give them the incentive to keep coming back. Personalizing your relationship with regulars will make them feel welcome and appreciated, which goes a long way in improving the customer experience.

Keep Quality Restaurant Supplies

Quality restaurant supplies are one of the best ways you can improve customer experience in a restaurant. Customers notice high-quality supplies, and they take it as a sign that you take pride in your restaurant and appreciate their business.

Unique Manufacturing specializes in quality disposable restaurant products. We carry everything from straws and napkins to bamboo and wooden products. If you really want to improve the customer experience in a restaurant, contact us to order customized disposable restaurant products today.