Brand affinity and customer loyalty can be difficult to achieve in a
restaurant setting. Here are six tips to help you be successful.
The sense of home and hospitality is a big reason why restaurant-goers choose to
dine out rather than have food delivered. However, seeing warm smiles at the
door and being well-received by staff members who know your name aren’t just
reasons why people go to restaurants, they’re also signs that a restaurant’s
foundation has been built on brand
affinity. When a customer feels at home in your restaurant, you’ve achieved
a level of loyalty that most restaurant owners can only imagine. So how can you
bring this warmth to your restaurant in a way that feels genuine and not
rehearsed or forced? Here are some helpful tips and tricks:
1. Keep Your Doors Open
If weather permits, keep your front doors propped open during operating hours.
Open doors are more inviting to prospective diners, and that initial feeling of
an invitation will make guests feel like they’re welcome and at home. For colder
seasons or locations where open doors aren’t practical, have your host team
ready to open the doors for every customer as they walk to the door. It’s small
gestures like this that will set you apart.
2. Train Your Team Well
When your staff knows the ins and outs of your business, they’ll feel more
personally invested. Keep them in the loop on big-picture things going on in
your restaurant, whether you’re a corporate chain or a single operating store.
Make sure they taste every dish and know every ingredient. Explain to them
exactly why things are the way they are, and accept feedback during appropriate
times, such as during a quarterly staff meeting. Letting your team feel like
they’re part of the process keeps the restaurant running smoothly.
3. Preset Your Tables
As silly or time-consuming as it may sound, having your tables preset before
your customers get there is a nice touch that gives your diners the feeling that
they’re about to eat a meal that’s been cooked with love by people who care
about them. If you accept reservations or have regular diners, this will be
easier for your team to achieve. For walk-in diners, have your host team member
remove any extra place settings after escorting customers to their table.
4. Remember Customers’
Names
Whether they’re first-time diners or regulars, your team should be trained to
refer to customers by name. During your initial interaction, make it a point to
ask a customer’s name, and then use it several times during their stay. By
calling a customer by name, you’ll not only make them smile but also make them
feel more connected to you and your team.
5. Make Your Rounds
As a manager, you’ll need to make sure your feet hit the floor, and that your
hands meet a few palms. Meeting a restaurant’s managers and owners is an
important part of building brand affinity between the business and the guests.
This helps to build relationships with customers to make sure they come back,
and it will help encourage them to spread the word about your business to their
friends and family.
6. Offer Incentives
Many restaurants are adopting the practice of giving out punch cards or similar
loyalty programs to encourage customers to come in regularly. With small
sacrifices — such as an appetizer here or a dessert there — your sales numbers
and reservations will soar. People want to feel like they’re getting a bargain
for being part of something. By giving them an incentive that has some
exclusivity to it, customers feel elite, which then encourages them to be loyal.
Brand affinity can be difficult to achieve in the food
service industry. What diners
want more than anything is a genuine, warm experience that’s surrounded by
smiling faces and workers who are happy to have them there. Follow these tips
and make it a priority to build a staff that’s dedicated to hospitality, and
your customers will keep coming back for more.