3 Ways to Elevate Restaurant Customer Experience [CX]
Are you paying attention to your customer’s changing needs? We hope the answer is a yes. Most owners would agree that a restaurant’s brand and success no longer depend on the food alone. The restaurant industry is more known for its service quality and taking care of its customers. Customer experience is the cornerstone of the business and is quickly evolving. Turn to any restaurant category; elevating customer experience is non-negotiable.
The insights from Deloitte also emphasize that quality, value, sanitary, location, and staff are table stakes—key elements that every restaurant should meet for customers to consider. The potential to deliver consistently engaging, memorable experiences that drive a connection to the brand at every touchpoint is more critical than ever. (Deloitte 2022)
Image Source – Deloitte Survey
Moreso, in the last few years, a lot has changed in the restaurant industry, and the competition is getting tighter. Quick-service restaurants like Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and others are amping up their game to ‘wow’ their customers. For long-term profit margins and customer loyalty, restaurant operators need a robust CX strategy that can be implemented across all locations and service channels.
Customer Experience at Restaurants
From the minute a guest enters the dine-in restaurant or the drive-thru lane, the experience begins. Let’s break down what makes customers come to your restaurant often and how you can continue attracting them.
- With People
Every restaurant customer likes the attention and personalized service given to them. Restaurant staff, servers, and employees play a significant role in customer engagement. Over time, its direct link with customer experience has become increasingly evident for restaurant owners.
Restaurant operators can build momentum by empowering their staff and fostering an ecosystem of learning, sharing, and growth. These motivated and engaged staffs are likely to perform better and deliver an elevated customer experience. A healthy competitive spirit can help the operators coach the team and provide new opportunities to celebrate their hard work. Like, HME’s Zoom Nitro allows the creation of a fun leadership board.
- With 3Cs – Consistency, Convenience, and Communication
Imagine a customer’s joy if the food delivery or payment wait time at a drive-thru restaurant is shorter than expected. You have heightened their idea of convenience.
It may sound like a simple task for a restaurant to serve good food. Consistency is the key, and the quality and delivery can go wholly wrong and tarnish the brand’s image if there is a miscommunication between restaurant staff and customers. Remember, customers, come back to enjoy the same taste and quality of the food every time.
Training your staff and installing robust communication systems, POS solutions, and more can help you maintain a consistent workflow and deliver the best service to your customers.
- With Modern Technology
Installing technology solutions at different touch points at the restaurant is a brilliant way to improve day-to-day decision-making and long-term business strategy.
New Oracle restaurant trends indicate that in 2022, restaurant operators will focus on putting transaction data to work to predict inventory demand better, maintain a healthy connection with their suppliers, reduce waste, control costs, and remain agile. Transaction data can also help inform staff scheduling and labor costs. (Adams 2022)
The restaurant owners need to shift their focus to intuitive technology, easily integrate with existing systems, and offer staff flexibility in managing shifts, swapping with peers, and freedom to work at different locations if feasible. (Adams 2022)
Extend The Customer Experience
Those were crucial ways to invest in customer experience, but it doesn’t here. It’s also important to be reachable on social media and review sites. A recent survey showed that 75 percent of consumers wouldn’t visit a restaurant with negative reviews about its cleanliness. (DMN Editorial Team 2022)
Every review matters and addressing complaints and issues will likely give you loyal customers.
Are You Ready to Serve Customers Beyond Expectations?
Consumers’ preferences and expectations are evolving as fast as modern technological innovations. Business Sound and Communications can help create more opportunities for your restaurants to strengthen your service.
BSC is your technology resource for a heightened customer experience providing personalization and convenience. It gives you a competitive edge in sales and service of drive-thru communications, digital menu boards, POS systems, timers, scent marketing, surveillance equipment, and more. We are family owned and operated and have served Houston and surrounding areas for over 25 years.
We are a long-term solution for drive-thru operations, quick-serve restaurants, fine dining, and hospitality industry businesses. We are here to help your operations run efficiently, accurately, and timely, resulting in delighted customers. We represent Panasonic, HME, PAR, MoodMedia, and ICRealtime. You can find us at www.bsctx.com or call us at (281) 590-3400.
Work Cited
Deloitte , Team. “Serving up a Great Restaurant Customer Experience Strategy: Deloitte US.” Deloitte United States, 2022, www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/restaurant-customer-experience-strategy.html.
Editorial Team, DMN. “Simple Ways to Elevate a Restaurant Customer’s Experience.” DMNews, 10 Mar. 2022, www.dmnews.com/restaurant-customer-experience/.
Adams, Chris. “How Technology Will Continue to Reshape the Restaurant Industry in 2022Chris Adams.” Blogs.oracle.com, 10 Jan. 2022, blogs.oracle.com/foodandbeverage/post/predicting-restaurant-trends-in-2022.
