How do customers rate restaurant management? Only the food? Although the quality of the dishes is the point they value the most, there are also other aspects of the establishment that are very important to the hosts, these can even be decisive when they have to recommend. an institution.
If you have raised your arms to heaven thinking … “My food is delicious but my service is very slow” … “The dishes I offer are delicious, but my establishment lacks atmosphere” … It’s time to ” act, at least on these 5 aspects, which are those that customers take into account when it comes to restaurant management:
1- Cleanliness
Are customers more sensitive to cleanliness than to service in a restaurant?
This is confirmed by this report , drawn up by the company SCA, with restaurants in six European countries, where an eyetracking system analyzed the experience of guests from their own eyes .
One of the conclusions of the study was that the lack of hygiene is the second reason for dissatisfaction of restaurant customers after the poor quality of the cuisine . A clean toilet with the provision of toilet paper, soap and hand towels is highly appreciated.
The toilets are a small part of the establishment, but not the least, on the contrary on the opinion of customers about the management of the restaurant. The perception of customers is that if the toilets are clean, so will the kitchen, which makes them feel safe and reassured.
The Perfect Team In The Management Of A Restaurant
2- An open kitchen
Customers increasingly prefer the chef and cooks to be a full part of their restaurant experience. This is the reason why open kitchens have become trendy .
This atmosphere gives added value to the establishment, customers are sensitive to the fact of being able to see how their dishes are cooked while being witnesses of the hygiene of the kitchen. A live show that promotes loyalty and shows that there is good management of the restaurant.
The Ma Cocotte restaurant in Paros offers an open kitchen, long tables like a school canteen, all surrounded by market antiques and modern art. An atmosphere that allows customers to enjoy a multi-sensory experience.
3-The dishes
Customers love to display what they eat on social media , so it’s only natural that tableware has become more important than ever. Many restaurants are taking this aspect more and more seriously in their restaurant management. Examples ?
Chef René Redzepi, of the Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, is one of the first to embrace this trend. He uses dishes that play with the naturalistic style of his cooking. Indeed, when he opened a “pop-up” version of Noma in Tokyo for 5 weeks, he was so successful that he launched an online store in which he marketed a line of products , created in collaboration. with 14 Japanese artists .
The restaurant Le Bien Aimé in Paris, atmosphere of 18th century France, takes its guests into the past to relive the monarchy. In the management of his restaurant, his majestic, made-to-measure crockery is one of the essential elements.
Interesting fact: The dishes can modify the perception which one has of the food served. A study between the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, states that the color and material of dishes and cutlery can influence the flavor and aroma of food .
According to this study, for example chocolate would be best served in an orange-colored cup with a cream base and foods served in bowls give the illusion that they are denser and more nourishing.
4-A personalized welcome
It is important in the management of the restaurant to have a friendly, kind, fast waiter who seems happy to work. This is the profile desired by all customers. If we add to that a personalized welcome, we get the perfect employee.
Restaurants that have customer databases and use them to provide a privileged welcome to their guests, have experienced an increase in their turnover and growing loyalty.
Consider the case of Marcos, a good example of excellent restaurant management. When he arrives at the restaurant, the waiter already knows:
– That he likes white wine.
– That he’s used to coming with his wife and 2-year-old daughter.
– That the last two times he came, he ordered duck.
When he arrives, the waiter calls him by his first name and leads him to the table he has prepared with a special chair for his daughter. In the introduction he explains:
“I have a bottle of that wine you asked for last time, would you like to take some back? ”Or“ The duck is delicious today, do we prepare it for you or do you prefer something else? ”.
Will this client come back? What do you think ?
5- Quality / price ratio
The phrase “value for money” is one of the terms most used by customers in their reviews of restaurant management. Although this assessment may be subjective and vary depending on the means of the client, it is one of the most important aspects of catering establishments.
A good way to know if your prices correspond to the quality you offer is to observe in detail the rating of your establishment on sites such as TripAdvisor or TheFork in the “Value for money” tab.
In general, restaurants get a good rating on this point, so, in the event of a bad rating, this fact should be interpreted as a signal about the management of your restaurant and that you must adjust your prices: customers do not return to the list. restaurants where they felt ripped off.
Discover the weaknesses of your restaurant
Each restaurant has its own characteristics In order to know which points are taken into account for the customer who frequents your restaurant and which are the points to be improved, you can intervene at different levels:
- Send an email satisfaction survey to customers after they have visited your establishment. You can also do this on a regular basis in your emailing campaigns.
- Ask them directly about their culinary experience, their opinion on the management of the restaurant, through a natural and non-commercial exchange.
- Give a card on which appears the address of the site where they can post their opinion .
- Check the opinions posted by your customers on a daily basis, on the site, on the Facebook page, social network accounts and in particular on specialized sites.
I would like to send satisfaction surveys to my clients thanks to TheFork
Gone are the days when the dish was the crux of good or bad restaurant management. Besides eating, customers want to have an experience, so there are many aspects that restaurants need to work on to shine and stand out. Do you pay enough attention to these 5 elements in your establishment? It’s worth it !