THE GUEST EXPERIENCE
Customers matter. Just ask them!
Building your brand starts with your customers. Their overall experience can determine whether you’ll get repeat business or a poor review. That experience goes beyond just the food, too. An inviting atmosphere goes a long way to make your guests feel comfortable and enjoy their visit. Find out how you can build a successful brand by providing your guests with a positive experience.
Should you be concerned about guests bringing harmful germs into your restaurant?
Dave Shumaker, Microbiologist
FOODSERVICE ARTICLES:
What Customers Don’t Like About Your Restaurant
Walking into a restaurant can be a complete sensory experience for your customers, and if the sights, sounds – and smells – of your restaurant don’t meet expectations, your brand is in for an uphill struggle to regain its standing with that particular person. Keeping things looking clean and organized can reduce the appearance of dirt, and give your business a leg up in the first impression department.
Source: RestaurantNews.com
Six Reasons Why Restaurants Lose Customers
With all the variables affecting the success of a restaurant these days, one of the things owners and operators can control is customer service. Aside from just being good business, it’s also one of the most important things you can do to keep customers happy and coming back. You may think that a friendly staff is all you need, but there’s more to customer service than meets the eye.
Source: RMagazine
How Cleanliness Affects Your Restaurant Ambience
From food and paint colors to music and lighting, the atmosphere and ambience you create in your restaurant determines how successful your brand will be. Keeping things clean and organized goes a long way toward winning customers’ hearts and minds, and by doing so, you’ll also be setting higher standards for your employees – and your business.
Source: Toast, Inc.
5 Reasons Cleanliness Affects Your Business
How clean your business is reflects on the care you put into it. An unkempt dining room and kitchen are signals to a customer that you don’t have it all together, and they’re running the risk of a bad experience – or worse, contracting a foodborne illness. Establishing and maintaining cleaning standards for both food products and the building itself are a crucial first step toward creating lasting customers.
Source: Entity Creative
The Top 4 Most Common Online Cleanliness Complaints
In today’s connected world, everyone is a critic. Social media, online review sites – and even your own website can be outlets for unhappy customers to vent their frustrations about the food, service or cleanliness of your restaurant. Cleanliness complaints are one of the most common items that customers find to review, and putting your best – or cleanest – foot forward is a great way to avoid an embarrassing online review.
Source: Cintas Corporation
Dining Out: The Powerful Drivers Behind Consumers’ Restaurant Choices
According to a recent survey of consumers, regarding their habits when dining out, and what they looked for in a positive experience, it was determined that many restaurants are focusing on doing things that don’t really improve the guest experience. A surprise to many, cleanliness scored higher than service quality and hospitality – a clear indicator that customers care about more than just food and service.
Source: Steritech
5 Signs that a Restaurant Could Give You Food Poisoning
In today’s world, dining out is less of a luxury and more a way of life for a lot of consumers. The increased amount of restaurant business means greater opportunities for foodborne illness outbreaks. In fact, each year, around 128,000 people are hospitalized because of food poisoning. Knowing the signs of a dirty restaurant can help customers identify which places are worth visiting and which aren’t. And just like knowing what customers want to eat, knowing how they identify a clean restaurant is a key to a successful business.
Source: The Cheat Sheet
Creating the Next-Generation Customer Experience for Restaurant Companies
A new generation of restaurant customers is coming of age, and innovation is king. Everything from menu options and creative recipes to multiple payment options and free WiFi, the food is just a part of the equation now. Finding out and keeping tabs on what today’s consumers want, and what tomorrows expect will continue to be important for restaurant owners and operators.
Source: RestaurantNews.com
5 Restaurant Areas that Need to Be Clean Other than the Kitchen and Why
Cleanliness is becoming more and more of a concern, in terms of consumers’ priorities at a restaurant. Food safety continues to be a priority for everyone, but more and more, areas outside the kitchen are being scrutinized. Everything from windows and sidewalks to dumpster pads and menus is an opportunity for restaurants to make a poor impression – and customers will let their wallets tell you when you’re not keeping up.
Source: MD Power Wash
Keep it Clean
It’s enough of a challenge attracting new customers to your restaurant, let alone keeping them as repeat customers. You’ve done the work to make sure your food is up to par, but what about the other areas of your restaurant? Cleanliness is an important factor in the guest experience, and it can make or break your reputation with patrons.
Source: QSR
7 Reasons Customers Aren’t Returning to Your Restaurant
People are eager to try new things – and coming to your restaurant to see what you have to offer is great for business. But what’s even greater for business is a repeat customer. You may know what got them in the door the first time, but do you know why didn’t come back? Everything from poor customer service to dirty or dingy conditions plays a part in their decision, and getting these things right can make all the difference.
Source: Restaurant Engine
Dirty Restaurant Restrooms Say Dirty Kitchen to Many Customers
For such a small space, your restrooms can make a big impression on your customers. In some ways, it’s like a window into the rest of your operation. According to research, the vast majority of guests who see a dirty restroom think it reflects the overall cleanliness of your restaurant. So while there may be protocols like a cleaning and maintenance schedule, keeping your restrooms neat and clean gives your guests the peace of mind they deserve.
Source: Tundra Restaurant Supply
5 Lessons for Restaurants
Preventing foodborne illnesses is arguably the most important thing a foodservice establishment can do to provide customers the service they expect. Along with preventing costly investigations and litigation, your reputation won’t suffer as a result of poor food safety practices. From proper hygiene to safe food handling practices, following the proper procedures can keep your restaurant operating, and your customers happy.
Source: Easy Ice
5 Strategies to Reassure Consumers about Food Safety
Consumer confidence is a hot-button issue in today’s foodservice industry, and as that trust begins to wane, companies need to act fast. Reassuring your guests that you’re doing what it takes to keep them safe is a great way to regain trust and prove you’re committed to delivering a great guest experience. From opening communication to increasing transparency and evaluating your supply chain, you can take the necessary steps to restoring faith in the foodservice industry.
Source: Pizza Marketplace
5 Ways Customers Judge Your Brand
From service to atmosphere, there are certain aspects of your business that keep guests coming back. Quality service, efficiency, consistency, cleanliness and atmosphere all determine whether or not someone will be a one-and-done customer, or a repeat visitor. For many guests, if your restaurant appears dirty, they won’t return. Both front and back-of-house staff members need to work hard to maintain an image of cleanliness, from cleaning and sanitizing tables to washing their hands regularly.
Source: Fast Casual
Enhancing Your Image & Increasing Customer Satisfaction
More and more studies are showing that a major factor in customer satisfaction in restaurants and retail establishments is the cleanliness of that particular facility. This research shows that companies who are committed to a cleaner atmosphere attract more customers, and a business that’s seen as clean has a stronger brand than one that doesn’t take it as seriously. Maintaining a clean establishment goes beyond just health codes and basic prevention. Going the extra mile can make all the difference.
Source: Contract Services Group, Inc.
Consumers Tell Fast-Casual Restaurants What They Want
Good food brings in the customers – that’s no secret in the restaurant business. But cleanliness keeps them coming back. According to recent research, 93 percent of customers rate the food as important or very important to their experience at a restaurant. That should come as no surprise, but what may be a shock to some is that cleanliness came in a close second with 91 percent of customers claiming that it’s important or very important.
Source: Technomic Inc.
12 Ways to Create an Awesome Atmosphere for Your Restaurant
Creating a strong brand for your restaurant can be a big job. Along with good food, a winning concept, a great location and a reliable staff, keeping your restaurant clean and inviting is high on the list things you can do to reinforce your brand. Bringing all the right elements to life can help you write your own success story, but the process is ongoing, and staying on top of things is key to keeping your doors open.
Source: Restaurant Branding Roadmap
