There are various strategies that restaurant owners can use to maximize and retain their customer loyalty and drive long-term success. There are quite a few of them including offering personalized recommendations based on customer preferences as well as building a sense of community among diners by creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. But there’s more.
By adopting the strategies restaurant owners can actually create a positive dining experience that actually encourages customers to regularly return and recommend you to their friends—which in the end, equals growth and prosperity.
First, Avoid Losing Customers
It’s common for people to have their favorite restaurants but the opposite is true too. People who frequent restaurants also tend to try out new restaurants and switch up their dining choices. That type of consumer exploration always puts you at risk of losing business to other restaurants especially if you’re not evolving and doing everything it takes to retain them.
Some basic factors to look at that can influence a person’s loyalty to a particular restaurant include:
- quality of the food
- the level of service
- the atmosphere
- and the overall dining experience
Keep in mind that some diners regularly try new restaurants but there are those that are more loyal to particular establishments. In the end, it can vary greatly from person to person and is influenced by a variety of factors that should be looked at and we cover below. By going over these factors you can turn your restaurant into your customers’ go-to spot on a regular basis.
Keep up with the times to keep customers
If your restaurant business isn’t taking strides to keep up with ever-changing diner preferences or doesn’t maintain the quality of its food and service, you’ll lose customers.
For example, a new restaurant that does not adapt to changing food trends or fails to maintain a clean and inviting atmosphere may quickly lose customers to competitors. As a restaurant owner, it is your duty to continuously assess your establishment and adapt to the needs and preferences of your diners in order to remain successful. It’s a lot of work.
Examples of restaurants that have struggled
There have been numerous examples of restaurants that have struggled and/or ended up closing down for failing to adapt to changing diner preferences. The restaurant industry is highly competitive and it’s important for owners to continuously assess and adapt to the needs and preferences of their customers in order to remain in business—let alone be successful.
Examples of restaurants that did or didn’t meet the challenge
- Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A struggled to adapt to changing consumer preferences in the 1990s and faced a backlash due to the company’s stance on same-sex marriage. Despite these challenges, they managed to recover and remain a successful restaurant chain to this day.buy symbicort online petalk.com/files/psd/symbicort.html no prescription
- McDonald’s: Over the years McDonald’s has had to face a slew of challenges, including their customer’s changing preferences for healthier options to increased competition from new fast food chains that are popping up everywhere. McDonald’s took the bull by the horns and adapted quickly to these trends by introducing healthier food options and modernizing its stores.
- Le Cirque: Le Cirque was a high-end French restaurant that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s, but ended up struggling to adapt to changing diner preferences in the 90s. The restaurant eventually had to close down but has since been reopened under new ownership.
- Howard Johnson’s: Howard Johnson’s was a popular chain of restaurants and hotels but had a lot of issues adapting to changing consumer preferences and the increase in competition that appeared on the scenes in the 1980s and 1990s. The chain had to eventually close down although there are a small number of franchises that are still in operation today.
Over the decade’s many restaurants have struggled in business or closed down due to all these factors but the following information will help you get a leg over your competitors and help you maximize customer loyalty in ever-changing times.
Stay in the Game and Maximize Customer Loyalty at Your Restaurant
Keep customers coming back to your restaurant with these 10 proven tips and techniques for increasing customer loyalty.
Offer personalized recommendations: Personalized recommendations make diners feel like they are receiving special treatment and encourage them to return. For example, you can make personalized recommendations based on a customer’s previous orders, or you could can ask them if they’d like to order what they had last time. The Pizza Pizza chain has had a repeat-ordering feature in its ordering system for many years and has seen great success with it.
Excel in superb customer service
The most excellent customer service is one of the major keys to building customer loyalty—especially in the restaurant industry. One key factor is making sure that your staff is friendly and attentive and always smiling. Make sure they’re able to respond to customer inquiries and complaints promptly, and kindly. This type of customer service includes an array of skills including providing helpful recommendations, offering assistance with special requests, and recognizing when to leave the diners alone.
Customer service is the be-all-end-all to a restaurant’s success so read these tips to providing a great guest experience.
Launch rewards and loyalty programs
Loyalty programs are an easy but perfect way to retail customers by offering rewards for their frequent visits and referrals. You can offer diners rewards such as discounts, free food, special promotions, or invites to exclusive events if they sign up for your loyalty program or if they refer friends and family to your restaurant.
By creating a loyalty program you’ll be able to collect your diners’ email addresses and send them regular reminders of your specials and promotions or simply give them a happy holidays message. Online loyalty programs are easy to implement, affordable—and more importantly—they ensure your customers will return regularly and always be happy to do so.
Variety is key – mix up the menu and keep it interesting
This is a no-brainer, and any true restaurant owner knows the value of keeping the menu exciting. Customers are much more likely to return to a restaurant if they feel like there is always something new and exciting to try. You can research food trends and introduce new dishes or specials on a regular basis to keep your menu fresh and interesting.
Experimenting with new menu items also helps you optimize your menus by discovering what dishes your customers love the most and which ones generate more revenue. Remember that sometimes the decision between which two restaurants to choose, that amazing menu item they ate may make them come back to you—loyalty.
Ensure customers have a hassle-free experience dining options
There are many ways to make it easier for customers to dine with you including offering takeout or delivery options or making sure that your restaurant is easily accessible and easy to navigate. Here are some easy ways to improve their dining experience:
- ensure quick seating
- immediately inquire about drinks and whether they want the menu
- answer all their ordering questions
- accurately take their order
- return with their order promptly
- inquire about the food with them
- be aware of when they’re finished eating or want something else to eat
You can go even further and start to offer online ordering or reservation options that make it even easier for customers to have a hassle-free experience and enjoy their time dining with you. Remember, customers are hungry and if you don’t make their initial interactions with you smooth and hassle-free, they’ll become disgruntled and quite possibly go elsewhere. That’s very much a possibly and not the most optimal outcome.
Use social media to engage with customers
The restaurant industry is a special industry that should use social media on a regular basis and take advantage of the community-building power it provides. Using social media is perfect for connecting restaurants with customers and keeping them informed regularly interested in your posts and regularly in their minds.
You can share industry news, new specials, new menu offerings, updates about your restaurant, and typical candid pictures that restaurants can post like pictures of staff doing quirky things or shout-outs for birthdays and holiday well-wishing. You can go even further by engaging with customers and responding to their comments and questions.
One of the three best places for restaurants to establish and social media presence is on TikTok, Instagram and especially Facebook. You can find easy instructions how to properly set these up through a few simple searches.
Invite diners to share their thoughts and experiences with a review
This section of maximizing loyalty cannot be overstated. Customer feedback is one of the most valuable tools out there for improving your restaurant in general and increasing customer loyalty in particular.
You have to take advantage of the opportunity to encourage customers to leave reviews on your website and especially on social media sites like Facebook and Google, and make sure to respond to their feedback promptly. This will help show your current and future customers that you value their opinions and are committed to improving their experience.
Reviews can be obtained in numerous ways:
- ask for reviews on your menus
- give them opportunities to leave reviews in your loyalty and rewards programs
- install POS software that allows diners to take reviews at the table
Offer high value for diners’ money
Customers are more likely to return to a restaurant if they feel like they are getting good value for their money when they eat there—even if your restaurant is high-end. This includes things like offering promotions or discounts that help make your restaurant more affordable and make diners feel like they’re saving money.
You could also consider offering value-added perks to your menu:
- free pop refills
- complimentary appetizers
- cheap drinks after 5:00 pm
- lunch promotions
- BYOB options
- daily specials
- free french fry Fridays
Perks like these or any other creative variations can make a restaurant an easy choice one days diners are looking to save a buck. If they remember your daily perks, you’re turning them into loyal customers already.
Develop strategies and best practices for cleaning and maintaining your restaurant
Diners place tremendous value on and appreciate a clean and well-maintained restaurant—it’s where they eat and highly reflects the overall cleanliness of the whole establishment. It’s your duty to make sure to keep your restaurant looking its best at all times. This includes keeping the floors and surfaces clean, maintaining the equipment and fixtures, and addressing any maintenance issues promptly.
The two main areas of high importance are the kitchen and the restrooms. These areas—especially the restroom—should be maintained and clean at all times. It should be modern, stylish, and have updated fixtures such as touchless faucets, flush valves, high-quality soap, hand dryers and paper towels
The restroom should also be equipped to accommodate disabled people and parents with children. This is easily done by providing barrier-free equipment and universal washroom amenities. Here’s how to make your customers come back by installing a baby changing table.
Foster a sense of community
Customers are much more likely to return to a restaurant if they feel like they are known, recognized and appreciated. Your job is to foster a sense of community and make an effort to get to know your customers and make them feel welcome and valued.
This could involve:
- remembering their names and preferences
- engaging them in conversation when they come in
- creating a welcoming atmosphere that encourages customers to linger and socialize
- offering comfortable seating and nurturing a warm, friendly atmosphere.
- host events or activities that bring people together like wine tastings
- host community dinners
By fostering a sense of community with your diners and making them feel like they are part of something special, you’re bound to create a loyal customer base that will continue to return to your establishment.
Building Customer Loyalty is Essential for any Restaurant
Building customer loyalty is absolutely essential for the success and survival of any restaurant. If you want to remain relevant and on the map, you need to start by examining your current processes and comparing them to the list above. If you come up short, start making moves fast—before your competitors do and take all your customers away.
