What do customers think of?

Have you ever gone into a restaurant and immediately formed an impression, good or bad, simply by walking in the front door?

No matter what reviews you have had or what ratings you may receive on any Social Media sites the very fact that you want customers to connect with you and then they walk in and it's a disaster, well listen up!

Upon entering an establishment, your first impression was formed by a scene of dirty floors, stained ceiling tiles, no greeting and in his words, "an overall bad vibe". The manager or owner was seemingly oblivious to their customer's true perception of the restaurant. As a result, this guest made the decision to never return - before ever sitting down.

The atmosphere, staff behavior, appeal, food quality, cleanliness and general first impressions typically reflect the quality of ownership or management for the restaurant. The restaurant business is a breeding ground for the unexpected such as incomplete deliveries, staff no-shows, cash crunches, unruly guests, equipment failures and the list goes on. All too often owners and managers take on the reactive role of a fireman putting out fires and are unable to - or become oblivious to "their guests" impression of their restaurant. The stain on the ceiling tile becomes increasingly bigger, the onion rings lose some of their crispiness and their staff gradually becomes apathetic to customer service. In other words the business is running you, not you running the business. 

Successful operators are able to spend less time fighting fires and more time creating positive impressions by implementing systems and controls to keep their restaurant running smoothly, clean and in good repair. To minimize the unexpected, they place heavy emphasis on staff training, have a "Steps of Service" policy to insure adherence to service standards and use quality control and readiness checklists daily.

When the restaurant is running like a well-oiled machine, managers and owners have more time to focus on seeing their restaurant through their customer's eyes - and then make adjustments accordingly. Lighting and music are always at the perfect level; if a table is dirty it gets bussed; when something breaks it gets fixed; and when a guest walks in they are warmly greeted. By making a great first impression, you increase your chances for an opportunity to make a second.

This is a checklist item that needs to be reviewed weekly by yourself. Appoint a staff member to make certain that everything has a feel of a successful operation. From the windows being kept clean to the bathrooms being spotless every hour of every day. This is your house and customers are your guest, would you treat your guest at your home the way your treating your customers that come into your business the same way?