Happy customers are the lifeblood of any restaurant. At the end of the day, keeping a customer happy is about giving them something they want, and integrating those desires into your operational practices. Below are three ways you can keep your customers happy, and how you can integrate those tricks into your business.
- Create convenient takeout and online delivery platforms
One key to success in the restaurant industry is to diversify your customer base. Appealing to a younger demographic gives you a leg up on other restaurants. Did you know that 50 percent of millennials and 38 percent of adults eat more restaurant food now than they did two years ago? If not, that’s a great statistic to keep in mind while you mull how to best implement an online takeout and delivery platform.
To-go sales are driving growth in the restaurant industry. In order to capitalize on this trend, make sure you have online ordering capabilities built into your website. Once you perfect that option, move onto an app where you can reward loyal customers and offer surprise deals to attract new ones. The National Restaurant Association’s 2019 State of the Industry report found that 58 percent of millennials ordered food from a mobile app last year.
Pro tip: make sure your website platform and app are synched to your POS system. Otherwise you are looking at a logistical nightmare that can cause rising food and labor costs.
- Make your technology work for you and your customers
Technology should enhance how your customers experience your restaurant, not hinder it. Customers want technology to be incorporated into their dining experience as long as it makes on-site dining experiences easier, according to the NRA report. Self-serve kiosks and tableside tablets are two of the quickest growing technological solutions for restaurants of all kinds.
But, how do you know when your technology is giving your business a boost and when it’s holding your business back? Simple. Watch the reactions of your customers. How often do they ask your employees for help ordering from as self-serve kiosk? Are they waiting anxiously for their food after a server takes their order from a tableside tablet? How long does it take your staff to turn a table? If you answered any of these questions unfavorably, it might be time to reconsider which technology you use.
- Live Green
More customers are demanding environmental stability from the business they support. 58 percent of customers are likely to choose a restaurant because of its environmentally sustainable foods, according to the NRA report. On top of that, 60 percent of millennials want those restaurants to have technology that provides detailed information about the nutrition, allergens, and sourcing for the food they’re ordering.
Nowadays, you can’t just say you’re a green business. You need to live like you are. Most importantly, make sure your customers know whatever steps you take in that direction.
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