building a restaurant guest experience: what guests want from your restaurant
TRANSCRIPT
Building A Restaurant Guest ExperienceWhat Guests Want From Your Restaurant
Today’s presenters
Hannah Harrington Mike Taberski Nicole Theohary
Chat us using the Q+A panel to your right
Questions?
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The Storyteller
Hannah believes that a great restaurant goes beyond food, drink and space - it’s all about creating the best experiences for guests. She joined the Upserve marketing team with a focus on content marketing, spending her days sharing customer’s stories through video, case studies, and webinars.
Content Specialist, Upserve
Hannah Harrington
The Operations Guru
Mikes path to a career in Marketing Operations was definitely not a planned one. He spent most of his early career in and around restaurants either as staff, management, or consulting. His passion for the restaurant industry along with my background in military intelligence lead him to pursue a something a little more strategic.
Marketing Operations Analyst,Upserve
Mike Taberski
The Guest Whisperer
As an Account Manager at Upserve, Nicole dedicates her time to nurturing relationships with restaurateurs to help optimize their business. With eight years of industry experience and a bachelor’s in Restaurant Management from Johnson & Wales University, it’s the perfect recipe for success.
Senior Account Manager, Upserve
Nicole Theohary
Why we are talking about improving your guest communications.
The full service restaurant segment will show 3.5% growth over the next year, compared to the original projection of 4.3%.
Millennials are now the biggest generation on the planet. In April 2016, this group of people made up 75.4 million of people on earth, whereas the Baby Boomers made up 74.9
million.
The industry has been facing a downturn over the past few months.
Today’s Agenda1: What guests want from a dining experience.
2: What is your current brand, and how to adapt it to improve guest
communications.
3: What you should do today to improve your guest experience.
What guests want. From a dining experience in 2017.
If the industry is growing at a slower rate than anticipated, how your restaurant
stay successful?
Lets start here: Who are your
guests?
Enter - the millennials.
1. Aged: 16-34 2. More ethnically and racially diverse than older adults 3. ¾ of them have a profile on a social networking site 4. ⅕ have posted a video of themselves online 5. They are the most educated generation in American history
the biggest group of people on the planet.
In April 2016, this group of people made
up 75.4 million of people on
earth, whereas the Baby
Boomers made up 74.9 million.
The key takeaway from all of this data: differences in lifestyle, upbringing ,and attitude contribute to taste preferences
based on generation. Just as each generation has its set of culture and trends associated with it, each generation also has
a unique palate.
1. Health and sustainability focused restaurants.
It’s all about education.
Menu buzzwords.
Unique flavors expected.
1.2.
3.
According to NPD’s 2017 outlook, restaurants that fail to innovate, risk being
overlooked but a large portion of their guests.
2. Technology integrations.
They know your menu before
going through the door.
Online ordering integrations.
Updated social media accounts and websites.
1.2.
3.
How’s it going today?Assessing your restaurant’s current guest communications.
Start from square 1: Who are YOU?
Serve well an you will succeed
Mantra 1:
Mantra 2:
If you cook it - they will come
I have built my foundation - now, how do
I cater to my guests?
What you can do to show guests that you care.
Be there! Care about your guests.
Try something new.
It’s a busy Friday night at 7:00. Your restaurant is swamped, and there are people
waiting to be seated. It’s all hands on deck. The question is, will your guest experience
falter?
Your turn:
1. A couple walks in with no reservation around 7:15. Your hostess…
Sighs and gives an exasperated look,
before answering talks to their
colleague, and just says “No
reservation on a Friday? We’re
booked.” States, do you have a reservation? When prompted no, looks up with a stale expression stating, “um, well, then it's about a 45 minute wait tonight.”Greets them with a warm smile, explains how the restaurant is a little backed up, but will do best to seat within 45 minutes, and ushers them to the bar.
1.2.
3.
2. As you wait for your table, you have to run to the restroom. You see…
Paper towels spilling over the trash
bin, and you don't even want to look
at the state of the toilet, and wow,
this flickering light makes you think
you’re an extra in Carrie.Toilet paper on the ground, running low on paper towels and a line because one stall is broken, giving you flashbacks to middle school. That they spent money on the paper towels, and the aroma of a well placed candle.
1.2.
3.
3. After 50 minutes of hearing your stomach rumble, you’re finally seated and handed the menu. As you’re settling in, your server…
Disappears for 20 minutes as your
water glass empties.
Asks if you’re ready to order, slightly rushed, but hey, you are starving.
Describes the specials as you browse the menu, and asks if you would like more time before you order.
1.2.
3.
4. You have decided on your order, and it’s finally go time. Your meal is here, and…
Your boyfriend’s steak is cold, and
your burger isn’t even a burger...it's
a grilled chicken sandwich.
Everything is cooked alright, and arrived in 20 minutes flat. But, you have been asking for ketchup and hotsauce with no luck. The manager stops by to check on you and everything is great. They even predicted the extra fixings before you even thought to ask.
1.2.
3.
5. You’re stuffed and are ready to enter a food coma on your couch. Time to pay…
No matter how many times you
signalled for the check, your
waitress keeps ignoring you.
Your check arrives promptly, however you never ordered a diet coke. Time to wait for a new check.
Your waitress asks if you plan on splitting before she presents your check, and does not leave you in card purgatory, waiting for her to come back
1.2.
3.
How’d you do?
Woah. It could have just been an off night, or
maybe you need to have a team wide meeting
to discuss what customer service means to
your restaurant. Don’t panic- that’s why you’re
listening today.
The devil is in the details. You’re at the 5 yard line, and you want to take it over the line. Time to assess what is
falling through the cracks - thankfully for you, it’s not very much.You have an A-team staff. It’s rare to find a restaurant with this caliber of customer service and care. Keep on keeping on, but knowing you, you won’t ever settle for less than the best.
Mostly 1’s:
Mostly 2’s:
Mostly 3’s:
What you can enact today.
Improve on your guest experience.
Loyal customers spend an average of 67% more at our restaurants than new ones do,
and studies have shown that it costs 6-7 times more to get a new customer, than it
does to service an old one.
It’s important to approach new guests the same way you’d approach loyal regulars –
like a close friend or family member.
- This allows you to build a relationship that is founded on trust. - When your guests feel like they can trust you, they are more likely to
be genuine and helpful with their responses and feedback.
Build a relationship.
5 things your guests want (and how to give it to them)
A Social Activity
To Talk About It 4.
To Leverage Technology
To Find You Easily
2.3.
5.
Customizable Meals1.
Customizable Meals1.
Let’s use millennials as our example. They are, after all, the largest group of people dining out (more than they’re cooking at home, in
fact).
Introduce a mix and match combination options of current entrees and sides or adding new shareable appetizers.
Allow guests to create a personalized, interactive dining experience will lead to higher levels of satisfaction and
enhanced dining experiences.
A Social Activity 2.The way different generations view going out to eat is very different. While
older generations at one point saw dining out at restaurants as a way to escape the dull realities of the day, millennials use it as something far
different.
With this in mind, think about how you can curate fun events that will add to their active social calendars. Several
restaurants have found major success in hosting weekly trivia nights or murder mystery dinners on a regular or rotating
basis.
To Leverage Technology 3.
It’s no secret everyone today is glued to their phones. This is especially true of millennials. Think about it, this group has grown up on technology and
social media.
Many restaurants are tapping into this obsessive technological need by providing free WiFi or charging
stations at booths and tables. Not only does this provide major value to guests, it can also bring your restaurant
social benefits.
To Talk About It 4.People love to share they got “Boston’s Best Ice Cream
Sandwich” or went to the coolest hidden gem in an up and coming neighborhood. The impact of social media has only
amplified this desire to share these experiences.
They like to talk about the experiences that they’re having—not only for their own benefit, satisfying their own taste
buds, or their need to be adventurous and try something new, but also a part of that social inclusion,
To Find You Easily 5.59% of Millennials say they review menus online often or very
often, and 19% do so using a mobile device. When this group hears about a new restaurant, their first instinct is to Google it.
Having a presence on social media and a website with a strong user experience creates a positive first impression
and makes prospective guests far more likely to walk through the door.
The Millennial generation is only one subset of restaurant consumers, but it is the largest
one, and a good example to reference when thinking about your full strategy.
The Bottom Line.
More resources for you.
Communicate with your guests better: Provide the best hospitality out there.
The more you know…
Restaurant marketing: the only guide you’ll ever need
Social media 101: getting started with your strategy today
Tackle Seasonality: one season at a time with this guide.
Staff management: hiring, training and retaining staff
Menu design: the psychology behind the menu
How Upserve Can Help.Your front of house and back of house know how to
communicate. Shouldn’t your tech?
The Upserve Restaurant Management Platform ensures that your point of sale, payments, and other integrations finally talk to each other. You get an easier to use system, intuitive insights that help you grow margins and revenue, and more of that one ingredient
you never seem to have enough of...time back in your day.
