Defining excellent customer service in your restaurant can be difficult. You wouldn’t expect the same level of service from a fast food restaurant as you would a fine dining establishment. However, as the restaurant industry continues to expand and evolve, the segments are not always clearly defined. With the rise of family-owned and small business restaurants, it’s not always clear what to expect when it comes to service level as a diner. So just how can restaurant owners define excellent customer service given all of these challenges presented to them?
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Set Expectations Carefully
This is the most important step when it comes to defining excellent customer service. What can the customer expect? What are the basic service expectations for both your employees and your customers? When you don’t have clearly defined expectations it’s impossible to hold your restaurant to any type of set standard. This is a recipe for disaster.
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Provide Consistent Products
There’s nothing worse than never knowing what you’re going to get at a restaurant. Mystery should not be the secret ingredient. Customers return to restaurants for very specific food items, and can be disappointed when things change often. Remember, word of mouth about a bad experience travels faster than a good one.
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Provide Consistent Service
Again, consistency is key. Your diners should know exactly what kind of service they are going to get every time they come in. The ability to provide consistent service is all about the training you provide your staff with. Your staff should be prepared and trained for the most common situations.
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Managing Wait Times
Whether your restaurant is fast food, fast casual, or fine dining, no one wants to wait an eternity for their food. While the wait time expectations do increase with each type of restaurant, the underlying attitude stays the same. People want their food and they want it faster than they could have cooked it at home.
Restaurant customer service has many different layers to it. It’s no surprise that leaders and managers can get easily sidetracked with daily operational tasks and administrative tasks. If you’re curious about how your restaurant stacks up against other local competitors, consider how restaurant mystery shopping can help be your eyes and ears. Reality Based Group offers a comprehensive restaurant mystery shopping program for restaurant owners who want to improve their customer service experience.
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