A fine dining restaurant promises its customers an experience worth cherishing and coming back to. People tend to calculate their experience vis-a-vis its cost and if they feel that the food and service being offered are at par with their monetary value, they are likely to come back for such an experience. Every restaurant has a distinct personality and a unique approach. That unique personality needs to be highlighted to the customers to create an identity. If you are a restaurateur who cares about your customers, here are some tips to offer a perfect fine dining experience to customers so they keep coming back again and recommend the same to the rest of the lot:
1. Well-Informed staff
It's a must that your staff is well-versed with the services your restaurant renders with the menu on their fingertips. They should even be aware of the preparation of various dishes, health information, and alcohol pairings. It leaves a positive impression on your guests if they're told about the food and experience they're going to have a little in advance as it builds curiosity. Make sure your staff is updated with every information of the restaurant regarding the table management, serving food and step-by-step ways to handle a customer. Nothing can stop your restaurant to grow if the staff is managed well - they are your real key to success as they represent you from the very moment a customer enters the restaurant. Remember to update them with the latest trends, every dish on the menu, specialties of the restaurant and every important detail.
2. Customer Service
This is an absolute basic pointer but undoubtedly, a crucial one as your customers take notice of the kind of service being rendered right from the moment they walk into your restaurant. Make sure they are welcomed and served by friendly, courteous and approachable staff. It's important to take note of their needs, likes, and dislikes. After all, 'the first impression is the last impression'. The focus is always to impress the customers this would help in building trust in the restaurant. So, talking about the impression we need to take steps that go in the right direction. Consistent service and well-trained staff are more important than you think. If your employees greet your customers well, provide an efficient and a fast service, customers take notice and spread the word out there. It’s up to you to do what it takes to keep them talking about how great your restaurant is, how good the food is, how memorable the experience is, etc. If you keep the staff happy, they will keep your customers happy. And a positive warm welcome and instant food delivery will make sure customers visit you again and again.
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3. Sincerity
Despite the rush, make sure all your customers are being paid equal attention. Servers need to keep a check on empty plates and glasses of water if any. Additionally, it personalizes the experience for a customer if their name and favorite dishes are being remembered if they are your regulars. Being intuitive is very important for the staff if one pays careful attention then you can totally understand a customer's behaviour, check every time if you missed out on something or if you can go an extra mile to serve that person in a better way. Trust us, they will actually acknowledge every extra effort.
4. Value Time
Everyone's time is precious and it's always better if you're a step ahead in valuing the time of your guests or customers who expect to be greeted at the door, seated within minutes and served in the shortest time possible. Keep reservation service available for holidays and rush hours so as not to keep your customers waiting. If at all they're made to wait, make sure you give them a proper waiting space so that they don't mind waiting for a while.
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5. Feedback Mechanism To Follow The New Trends
It's essential to put a systematic feedback mechanism in place which could allow you to work on your shortcomings. A restaurant can only be successful if it's backed by constant support and feedback from its customers. It helps them recognize the expectations of customers, which may include the addition of new dishes, new cuisines, or even changes in the service.
6. Choice Of Music
Since the intention is to offer a fine dining experience and not a pub one, it's necessary to create a soothing and relaxing ambiance by choosing background music as light as possible. It should not become a disruption in a way which makes it difficult for your customers to indulge in conversations. If you can allot days according to themes and different genres of music, doing that is perfect because you will attract a different target audience each day and expand the diversity of your customers.
7. Own Your Mistakes
One of the factors which define an excellent customer service is your finesse at dealing with customer problems and complaints. You can't avoid mistakes at times. They are bound to happen but what makes all the difference in the world is the grace with which they are being owned up to by the staff and how effectively and efficiently they're being rectified. The 3 A’s is the golden rule of handling bad reviews. Follow the 3 A’s rule to always be on point, it stands for "Acknowledge", "Accept" and "Apologize". Acknowledge if you encounter any bad review and prioritize which one is important to tackle first, Accept and make desired changes to fulfill customer's expectation and Apologies as it's the best solution to most of the problems.
8. Worth The Reservations
Running a fine dining restaurant is a big deal in itself which comes with a great responsibility. To make your restaurant look more exclusive and class worthy, do have reservations. Make the customer realize that people genuinely make an effort to book a table way before to dine at your beautiful restaurant. Make it worth their expectations while reserving the best for them.
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FAQ:
Q: Which social media platforms are necessary to market your restaurant online?
A: Instagram, Facebook, Food Delivery Websites, High Ranking Food Blogs
Q: What are the best ideas to write on your restaurant blog?
A: Secret recipes, Meal Of The Month, Best Reviews, Employee Of The Month and Restaurant Of The Week
