Insights
No-one wants to leave a restaurant feeling disappointed which is why twice as many guests will tell friends and family about bad service, because a good experience is expected.
Ultimately, you never want your guests to leave thinking their experience just wasn’t good enough, or simply satisfactory. You want to ensure their experience is so memorable that they come away feeling compelled to tell everyone how great your restaurant is by writing an online review – that’s when you really know you’re doing something right.
Provide more than just good food
Dining isn’t just about the food that’s served up – it’s the story behind it. Guests appetite for sustainable and responsibly resourced products is growing. Yet, in a survey we ran this summer, 92% of our guests said that restaurants aren’t doing enough when it comes to sustainability.
There’s clearly room for improvement here as sustainability is definitely a point of differentiation for operators. From reducing waste and cutting down on single-use plastic to aligning with preferred local suppliers, impress your guests with your commitment.
Get creative with your menu
Gluten free, dairy free, organic… food sensitivities are on the rise but so too are the number of diners choosing to eat healthy and nutritional food when they eat out.
The days of offering diners with restrictive diets a simple salad substitution are long gone. Today’s diners want to see menu’s packed full of tasty and appealing foods that don’t just cater for their requirements but provide food that is memorable.
Provide your guests with creative and extensive menus and you will grow your restaurant by appealing to a wider audience.
Knowledgeable staff
In order to create an experience, staff need to do more that take an order and deliver food. They need to be able to answer any questions about your menu, recommend dishes and very importantly being able to confirm in full, all of the ingredients contained within a dish when asked.
Staff that aren’t able to answer questions will inevitably lead to a poor impression of the restaurant. Provide regular training on seasonal menu items, specials and cooking methods and not only will your team feel supported and confident, your guest will be impressed and reassured.
Service that surprises
From the moment your guests enter, they will have an expectation of your service. Encourage your team to look for opportunities to nudge them outside of this expectation. Sometimes it can be the little things that make the difference – a gesture here, an engaging conversation there – but if they build up to a point where the guest is surprised, they’ll almost certainly share details with others, either in conversation or online.
Personalisation, loyalty
Social media has created new ways for you to impress your guests before they have even entered your restaurants. How you promote yourself online is now a major part of the guest experience, too.
From responding to comments on social media to sharing new dishes, you need to ensure the guest experience is outstanding at every touchpoint.
How HGEM can help you ‘treat’ your guest to an exceptional experience
We offer a range of guest experience measures, including online reviews, feedback surveys and mystery guest assessments, that will enable you to measure your entire guest experience. Our guest experience management platform, The Hub will provide you and your managers with a complete view of where you are ‘treating’ and importantly where you are ‘tricking’ your guests.
With so much competition can you afford for your guest to vote with their wallets when they encounter sub-par service? Get in touch today to see how we can help you create an outstanding guest experience. 01225 470999 or email enquiries@hgem.com.
