Blogs
As we prepare for the year ahead, it’s time to look back and learn from the year gone by.
In January we looked at how best to welcome guests. “Welcoming”, it turns out, isn’t just a matter of greeting guests- 57% of our diners stated that it was ongoing engagement throughout the visit that made them feel most welcome.
In February, our focus was on staff training. 96% of guests said training has a direct impact on their spend.
In March, our research into shopping centre restaurants revealed 79% of guests think their quality has improved over the last few years. Areas to work on included- “interactions from the team” and “pace of service”.
Family dining was the focus in April, with our Founding Director Sally talking about how you can make your littlest diners happy, and our guests surveyed on how family friendly pubs are. 66% of guests want to see more health, calorie, and allergen information on children’s menus.
As the weather turned warmer in May, our survey revealed that fear of slow service puts guests off eating al fresco, but they can be tempted to dine outside with table service.
In June, we highlighted the top 10 dining grievances. Number 1 was disappointing food, though speed of service was also a common complaint.
In July, our research indicated that one in five guests select wine on how it pairs with their food, and 57% would be more adventurous if given more information by staff.
In August, we discovered how popular soft drinks are with guests aged 18-25 – 29% of them would choose a non-alcoholic drink to pair with their meals.
We studied last year’s Christmas calls in September, and learnt the 10 best ways to increase your phone bookings. “Answer the phone promptly” and “build rapport with the caller” topped the list.
We learnt why produce provenance needs to be highlighted on menus. In October 81% of diners agreed that they’re more likely to visit restaurants that use local ingredients in their dishes.
In November, we looked at where the pub sector might be heading. Micropubs, pop-ups, and the competition over coffee were all highlighted as trends to keep an eye on over the next few years.
In December, we discussed how to make NPS a useful measure of the guest experience by combining it with the 4 Ps of Guest Experience Management – People, Process, Product and Perception.
