What could be more pleasant than guests who come back regularly and thus secure a fair share of sales in the long term? Not to forget, regular guests are usually the best multipliers: They are the ones who recommend your restaurant most often. So it is obvious that it makes sense to increase the loyalty of your own guests and turn one-time visitors into regular guests.
Stand out from the crowd with service
Sure: You will impress restaurant visitors with a good cuisine. However, what is more likely to make your guests want to come back is your service. Good service is above all based on friendliness, professionalism and efficiency. This is not just about your service staff taking orders and serving, but much more about the overall experience guests have in the restaurant.
Creating experiences through service
Therefore, it is especially important to invest a lot of time and effort in training your employees to ensure the best possible quality of service. To build long-term customer loyalty, your staff should consider the following:
- Friendly welcome: Upon arrival, your guests should be greeted in a friendly manner and shown to their table. For larger restaurants, it is a good idea to set up a reception area to coordinate reservations and provide a place ( perhaps even an appetizer) for waiting customers.
- Knowledge of the menu: Your staff should always be able to answer any questions about the dishes and ingredients, and thus cater to special requests, allergies, intolerances, etc.
- Recommendations: Personal recommendations for dishes, side dishes, wines and other beverages are key to providing the perfect experience for indecisive guests.
- Greeting from the kitchen: Arrange for a "greeting from the kitchen" to be brought to your guests during the course of a meal. For you, the effort and cost are acceptable, but for your guests, the appreciation is enormous.
- Timing: Your service staff should make sure that the food is served without delay and that the timing is coordinated with the rhythm of the guests.
- Inquiries: Your employees should be there for the guests, even if nothing is being ordered or served. The simple question of whether everything is okay should be standard.
- Cleanliness and tidiness: Staff should ensure that tables are always clean and tidy and that dishes are cleared in a timely manner.
- Goodbye and thanks: When saying goodbye, your staff should sincerely thank your guests for their visit and invite them to visit again.
Conclusion: Attracting regular guests with excellent service in the restaurant
Excellent service is a key factor when turning guests into regular visitors. The service staff plays a crucial role in this. They should be knowledgeable about the dishes, friendly, attentive, and create a pleasant overall experience for the guests.
