How to understand your guests and tailor their experience.
‘When the customer comes first, the customer will last.’
Robert Half
The kitchen brigade is prepped and ready, the cutlery is gleaming, the table cloths are pristine, everyone is in place and the scene is set for another night of dining excellence.
The first guests arrive- they are locals and big fans of the restaurant, dining here regularly for everything from the smaller midweek meals to the big celebrations with friends and family. You know the type… so dedicated to your restaurant that they’re almost part of the team by now. This level of loyalty from your guests is wonderful but didn’t happen by a twist of fate- what exactly is it that keeps them coming back?
We’d expect exquisite food or drink to be a factor alongside attentive service and a fantastic atmosphere. But it’s more than that- behind every frequently returning guest, there is a personalised experience that makes them feel a sense of loyalty and belonging in turn.
Simply put, getting to know our guests means that we can tailor to them. We are in the service industry- we always remember that the guest is the reason why we do what we do and with such passion. We want every mouthful or sip to go beyond the sensory.
The guests in the earlier example have already been tailored to in this way- it is obvious that the team used the art of customised service to turn them from first-time diners into super-fans. But how?
Here are three touchpoints to help you build your arsenal of information to turn the most irregular of guests into a card-carrying superfan.
1. Booking platform & POS
The wonderful thing about booking platforms like Opentable or Resy is that they store the ‘history’ of your guests, essentially integrating contact details with visit frequency, previous orders, dietary requirements, celebratory dates and even any complaints or particular preferences.
This alone gives you an incredible one-stop overview of your guest, allowing you to personalise the experience before they’ve even set foot in the door. A known gluten allergy? You can have gluten-free bread ready ahead of time without the diner even having to ask. Anniversary on the booked date? Maybe ‘upgrade’ them to one of the nicest tables with a glass of their preferred bubbles on arrival. Know their taste is for gin-based cocktails? You can begin mixing them something delightful on sight.
2. Social Media Platforms
Love it or hate it, social media has been revolutionary for the ways F&B outlets can
communicate with the guest.
Everyone expects the younger demographics to utilise these platforms to discover new places to eat and drink but did you know that even as early as 2017, 53% of 56-65 year-olds also said they would check a location out on social media before booking?
This is your chance to get personal and speak to your guests with regular updates, recent menus, beautiful imagery or video content and unprecedented access to what you offer. But this is also an opportunity to crowdsource opinions. To find out more about the people that follow you/dine with you- competitions, polls, question stickers and comments can open up a dialogue between restaurant or bar and guests that would have been impossible before.
Whilst this may not be the individual customisation we discussed in the last section, it’s a chance to find out what the superfans think collectively, providing you with the info to provide exceptional service to them again and again. Well worth the time investment!
3. Person to person
Leaving the most obvious to last, the in-person interaction- after all, this is where most of your communication will take place.
Great service is at the heart of what we do, of course, but we can take this further. Show interest in the experience of the guest- don’t just tell, ask! The feedback from your guests can be gold for refining and elevating their experience a little more each time, making it more personal with each visit. Both positive and negative feedback can be an incredible resource for the business- this kind of natural, organic interaction is still the most valuable of all.
Boiling it down to the bare bones, the fact is this- the most surefire method for ensuring the loyalty of your guests is to deliver genuinely genuine service. To forge a real human connection beyond the simple act of ferrying delicious food to the table. Once you figure out how that looks, you have truly nailed the art of service and giving it will become like breathing air.
However, honing all three of these key strategies can help turn the infrequent guest into the frequent which in turn, will help you acquire new custom from their contacts as they become true advocates for your bar or restaurant. It’s the little things that make the big difference after all…
Drop us a comment over at @wired.fnd on Instagram and let us know your personal top tips for understanding your customers and creating a memorable, personal experience for them.
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