The restaurant industry is a fickle beast. Food and dining trends come and go, and new establishments open and close their doors constantly. So, how do you creatively build your restaurant’s brand and loyalty while maintaining sound business practices?
In today’s competitive restaurant landscape, standing out can be a struggle. From choosing flatware to choosing menu items, you’ve already made a thousand decisions about how to run your restaurant. But how do you know which ones will get diners excited? What can you do to keep your customers coming back again and again?
In order to figure out how to cater to today’s customers, let’s start by looking at a few quick facts about restaurant consumer behavior in a post-COVID world:
- Take-out and delivery service use remains high even after the pandemic.
- People are still very concerned with good sanitation and safety practices.
- Customers are looking for healthier food options.
- Eco-friendly practices, sustainability, and conscious business practices are up!
- The world is more online than ever.
In other words, today’s customers want easy access to safe, healthy, sustainable, and convenient food options they feel good about eating and supporting.
So here’s the big question: What can you, as a restaurant owner, do to provide that service while also offering a unique and interesting dining experience that customers will enjoy, that will stand out from the competition, and that will keep your finances in the black? Here are some strategies to get you started:
1. The Dilemma of Endless Service Options
If you’ve learned any lessons from the Coronavirus outbreak, one should be that customers appreciate options. Some patrons prefer dining in, but others prefer taking their food out. Since many customers prefer to stay home more often, delivery use is still sky-high. Many people hate automated service, while others prefer contactless ordering and pickup. And, of course, some always want to eat indoors, while others would happily take advantage of outdoor dining.
The key here is to remember that customers want a bespoke and personalized experience where they can choose their preferences. This is challenging in an age when automation is at an all-time high, but it is also probably the result of too much one-size-fits-all service and mass-produced food options.
Setting up a business with this many options can be tricky, but you have two choices in how you approach it:
- Embrace multiple options: Operating a business that incorporates many different dining and service options has advantages. If some of your customers use automated systems, it frees up your staff to provide better customer service experiences to other diners. Likewise, if some of your patrons are taking their food to go, you’ll have more space in your dining room to create a unique, not-too-crowded atmosphere.
- Pick one kind of service option and commit to it all the way: It is a rising trend these days to have cozy and intimate dining rooms that only seat a small number of people and serve chef’s choice menus with excellent service and at higher prices. If you go this route, diners are in for a unique and unforgettable experience, which means they’re willing to pay higher prices. It also means you have less overhead and fewer variables to contend with.
2. Get Connected
Regardless of your restaurant’s service or experience, staying connected and engaged with your customers is a great way to drum up business and generate customer excitement and loyalty. There are many ways you could do this:
Your Website
Your website is one of the first places prospective customers will look to find out what you’re all about and when you’re open. Feature information and photos that highlight your mission, values, service options, health and safety practices, and accessibility options. Being transparent about these facts helps build trust between you and your customers and will make them feel good about supporting you!
Remember: More customers are using restaurant websites for online ordering rather than turning to DoorDash or GrubHub, so make sure your online ordering system is firing on all cylinders!
Social Media
There’s no better way to keep your restaurant front and center in people’s minds than by cultivating an enticing and active social media presence. Promote your sales, merch, classes, menu, and special events everywhere you can. And don’t forget, people LOVE looking at beautiful photos of food, so keep those coming and watch the buzz around your menu build.
Community Engagement
If your customers see that you’re an active member of the community around you, they’re more likely to want to support you. Get out and set up stands at farmer’s markets, street fairs, and even local charity events. Remember, patrons want locally sourced and sustainable options, so show them you are real locals and members of your regular community.
Active Listening
One of the best ways to get people to support you is by supporting them first. If you hear customers or see reviews that fault you for lack of accessibility, less-than-ideal habits, or anything else, don’t be afraid to adapt your approach and share your updates online! Your reputation will thank you for it.
3. Go Green
Here are some interesting statistics published in this article from Hospitality Technology:
- Two out of three people (66%) feel it’s important that restaurants are open about their practices to limit food waste.
- 43% of consumers are willing to pay more to support sustainable restaurant practices, while 65% of survey respondents said they find healthy, sustainable eating more expensive.
- 47% would even consider changing what they order from the menu to be more sustainable.
- Over half (56%) of respondents would like restaurants to better share how they work to make takeaways/deliveries more sustainable.
- 56% also don’t think restaurants are very transparent about their sustainability practices.
- 66% feel it’s important that restaurants are open about their practices to limit food waste.
If you’re looking for an excellent way to increase community trust in your business, generate customer excitement, and build an outstanding reputation, beefing up your sustainable practices is an excellent way to do it. Plus, it’s a trend that’s just beginning! What better way to carve out your niche and stand out above the crowd than by running your business in a good way for you, your customers, and the planet?
4. Increase Visible Safety Measures
Very few of us remember the days of social distancing and mask-wearing fondly, but there are a few important lessons we can take away from those experiences:
During the pandemic, people learned the value of caring for others’ health and safety and how big of an impact good sanitation and safety practices can have. This will be vital information to remember if other crises hit in the future. When harsh weather, nasty cold and flu seasons, local crises, or even future pandemics hit, your customers will want to know they’re in good hands at your establishment.
Plus, even though we are past the pandemic, there are still many people out there who deal with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and other issues that make it difficult for them to dine out regularly. This is why having good safety and accessibility practices is so essential, even when we’re not in crisis time!
The most important tip for keeping customers comfortable and happy is to offer many visible safety measures. If you ask servers and kitchen staff to take specific safety measures, include this detail on your website and post a sign in your window. Customers will notice and appreciate disposable, single-use menus, paper goods, and other items that promote cleanliness.
Tell customers what measures you are taking for their safety. Be open about your cleaning and disinfecting process. Let customers see you going the extra mile to wipe down tables, chairs, and touchpoints regularly. Yes, it may be a “peek behind the curtain” that isn’t typically shared in the culinary industry, but transparency is an incredible way to ensure that your customers trust and value your presence in the community and will bring them through your doors over and over again for many years.
Reliable Water Services is Here for You
Excellent sanitation and hygiene practices will help set your restaurant apart from the rest. Instant access to water heated to at least 180° F is essential for adequately sanitizing your kitchen and equipment. That’s where Reliable Water Services comes in! We pride ourselves on ensuring you have the hot water you need to keep your doors open.
Our professional service technicians are available 24/7 to provide water heater services to our customers, so you never have to wait again for inconvenient repairs or costly replacements. Don’t hesitate to contact us 24/7 at 1-800-356-1444 whenever you need service!
