1. Train your employees One of the simplest things you can do is to
train your employees in customer care. It is the responsibility of the restaurant owner to ensure the staff knows what it is they are supposed to be doing, and how they can do this effectively. Staff should wait on tables with the proper etiquette, they should be polite, and perform service with a smile. Drinks should be refilled during the length of the customers’ stay, and plates should be cleared away as soon as it is apparent the customers have finished with their meals. Remember to also train your employees on how to deal with difficult situations, as the way these are handled can determine whether a customer will return or not.
2. Ensure staff communication is accurate One of the main causes of customer dissatisfaction is orders that are delivered incorrectly. To eliminate this grievance, it is vital that the front-end and back-end staff communicate with each other effectively. Installing a
POS system for bar and restaurant can help to eliminate a lot of these problems, as the front-of-house staff can digitally send the orders to the kitchen as soon as they are placed. A POS system also negates any problems your kitchen may experience with poor handwriting.
3. Provide accurate wait times Another common customer grievance is delays in receiving their food. The easiest way to eliminate customer dissatisfaction is to be honest with them about how long their food will take. It is always better to suggest the wait time will be 30 minutes and then deliver in 20 than it is to promise 20 minutes and then deliver in 30. If you have certain dishes on your menu that take a longer time to prepare, train your wait staff on which dishes these are so they can inform the customer when ordering. You can also improve dissatisfaction by giving your customers something to do in the meantime. Provide free bread and oil on the table so they have something to nibble on, and allow them to access your Wi-Fi.
4. Use technology We mentioned how a POS system can improve the customer experience above, but technology has other uses too. For example, you could create a website and enable customers to book a table online – this will give you the added benefit of knowing how many customers you will need to serve and at what time. You could also implement a
tablet ordering system so that your customers can send their own orders to the kitchen. Finally, consider implementing a feedback app so that your customers can let you know what they enjoyed about the experience, and what they think you can improve.
Customer experience is vital in the restaurant industry so keep the above tips in mind.
