Restaurant Marketing: If you think, in an air of self-righteousness, that a guest or two hasn't fired you (your restaurant) this week, no matter how great you think your restaurant is, then you're most likely living on another planet. So, if you want your restaurant to win the election in your trading area and get the most votes, here's my platform—
Please, please don’t take your guests for granted.
Expect them to
have high expectations. Talk to them and listen to their comments,
complaints and suggestions. Value them as a "dues-paying member" of your "temple of food." And, when something goes awry, then apologize and
don't pass the buck; make a commitment to right the wrong. This is one
of the best times ever to convert a disgruntled guest into a believer of
your restaurant.
Now, if we could assume that, in terms of your guest, you're only as good as their last dining experience with you, then how many of your guests are firing you because of a mediocre experience that doesn’t live up to their expectations? And, more importantly, how many are firing you without even letting you know about it?
Wouldn't it then be helpful to "get to them" before they fire you and prevent that from happening? Wouldn't it then be advisable to get to as many guests as possible to enhance their dining experience and prevent them from possibly firing you? You see, (here's the million dollar statement) a guest experience isn't all about the food. Many elements go into the shaping of a guest experience.
Research shows that if a customer goes into a retail store and can't find what he/she is looking for, then that customer is unhappy at the experience and may not ever return. But, in the same scenario, if the customer goes to the store, can't find the product and a sales rep at least helps the customer to find it and then explains why it's not there, and gets it ordered, and promises to call that customer when the product arrives, then that customer will leave that store with a very positive experience, even though the product wasn't on the shelf.
Marketing your restaurant is not about promotions. It's about making your guest feel good and important. And, the best way to make a guest feel good is with genuine human interaction. It's the feeling good that builds customer frequency. And it includes an automatic by-product in that it may prevent a guest from firing your restaurant.
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Spot on, Joel! Marketing isn't only about "promotion" . It is also about "emotion". As we are into Restaurant Week here in the DC area, how many restaurants would do well to heed your advice!
Managing the customer's emotional well being for a positive ROI is as important as their physical well being- and, as you pointed out, mostly dead easy to do if attention is paid to the details of the moment.
Thanks for the reminder!
Posted by: Jonelle Hilleary | 01/30/2013 at 02:10 PM
This is also true when restaurants use social media. Restaurant owners are often scared of social media because people might post negative comments ... but if they do then this is an opportunity for the restaurant to show everyone just how good they are at reacting to customer feedback and resolving the problem.
Posted by: Lucy | 01/28/2013 at 09:43 AM
A customer defection can often be an opportunity to win back that guest. Joel's observation is supported by research indicating that the EFFORT to rectify a service issue can be as important as the result, in terms of retaining guest loyalty. A guest loyalty or engagement program can enable a retailer, restaurant or other marketer to track and unerstand guest behavior, and proactively follow up when visits decline. And of course, the kind of face-to-face interaction Joel mentions is the best loyalty tool of all.
Posted by: Howard Schneider | 01/21/2013 at 12:54 PM