When I speak to bar and restaurant owners, I am often asked the fateful question of how to attract more quality business. In a time where competition is at an all-time high – after the industry has taken some of the hardest hits in decades – the demand from consumers for amazing and unique experiences is greater than ever.
Bar and restaurant owners across the country are clamoring to find ways to find and retain guests, while many are just trying to keep the doors open. Some want to improve their dwindling bottom lines with each cost increase that’s thrown their way. Still, others are seeking to realize their dream of growing and scaling their brand.
Regardless of the stage that we restaurateurs find ourselves in, one thing rings true: We are all facing unprecedented challenges in our industry. But what can be done to ensure that we are, in fact, growing our businesses and protecting our precious bottom lines
Five Ideas to Inspire You and Your Business, to Get Butts in Seats
Whenever I am leading a team meeting, I always share with the staff this simple truth: If every guest within several miles of our restaurant comes to visit once and only once, we may be good for a short period of time. But if only a small portion of those guests come back again and again, we will have a thriving, growing business. Our guests will be ambassadors for our brand, spreading the good news of their love for what we do, and they’ll continually bring others into the fold.
Here are a few powerful ideas that are proven to put more butts in seats, more often:
1. Create a Culture of Genuine Hospitality
I place this step at No. 1. Why? Because if you read no further – and you’re able to successfully create systems that are squarely focused on making sure every guest wants to come back again and again – then you’re more than halfway there.I can tell you that having worked with hundreds of restaurant owners and managers over the years, this mission or tactic is the most powerful and necessary ingredient in consistently putting butts in seats at bars and restaurants.
It is also a strategy that takes the most constant and consistent effort on the part of the management team. In fact, a culture is born from leaders that exude exemplary qualities and is supported by policies and systems that are aligned with the company’s highest vision. Indeed, it takes a sincere commitment and a lot of work to successfully create a culture of genuine hospitality.
And make no mistake – your company will have a culture. The question is, is it one that makes all of your guests want to come back again and again, or is it one that will lead them to your competition?
In the end, when we are putting in the work to operate our businesses as an extension of our best selves, the characteristics of hospitality will naturally flourish. This is when the magic happens! Guests will feel a genuine sense of trust and welcome when they step into our establishments, and they will be delighted to invest their time, their energy, their emotions and, yes, their money into us. And, once hospitality is truly a part of our culture, we will begin to see the compounded results of these efforts in dividends that take many forms, including, but not limited to, pure profit.
2. Mind the Shop
A smoothly operating restaurant is one that creates a frictionless experience for both team members and guests. When the operational systems are running soundly and effectively, it allows everyone to focus less on putting out fires and more on the mission of creating regular guests.
It’s always baffling to me how many bars and restaurants lack the essential operational systems that could easily make the restaurant run more smoothly, combat waste, improve the guest experience and maximize profitability.
Some of these valuable systems include inventory and waste management, recipe costing, labor forecasting and management, and in-house marketing and promotional initiatives, to name a very select but important few. Spending the time to install, implement and train crucial operational systems will position your restaurant for growth and allow your teams to stick to the business of getting more butts in seats.
3. Live the Mission
Hopefully your bar or restaurant brand has a simple, purpose driven mission that is completely focused on the guests that you serve – one that embodies the company’s core values, has emotional appeal, puts service first and has the capacity to make a real impact.
One of my restaurant brand’s missions is simply this: “Make Every Guest a Regular. Make Every Dish with Love.” Not only do we have this mission posted in all work areas of our restaurant, we insist that every team member knows, understands and executes on this mission each and every shift.
This mission is what guides every decision and every action that we take. In my experience, while most businesses have taken the time to create a mission statement, it is most often left buried in the company literature, rarely trained and never fully actualized.
The most successful bars and restaurants understand that when every team member executes on the mission effectively, the results show consistently. As you can see in the mission statement listed above, when we are successful in accomplishing those two simple goals, we will continue to grow and thrive for years to come.
4. Create Experiences That Drive Sales
Your bar or restaurant has a happy hour. You’ve sent menus out to the community with discounts and you post on Facebook and Instagram. Congratulations! You have done the minimum it takes to check the boxes of promoting your spot.
So, why are these things not driving people through the doors consistently?
Think about how many ads, coupons, mailers and “Taco Tuesdays” are out there. There is so much chatter in the marketplace that it is difficult to stand out from the crowd – even when you really do have the best banana pancakes on the planet. In order to set yourself part, you must locate, connect with and serve your tribe better than anyone else. As it turns out, it is much easier than you may think to accomplish this.
Assuming you know who your target audience is and where you can find them, you must connect with them regularly in ways that they will value. Yes, this could be a discount or coupon in some cases, but having worked with some of the most successful restaurant groups in the country, I have found that the most impactful promotions involve creating experiences that people will remember and want to be part of. This can simply start by posting regular content that your guests care about – like favorite recipes, how to create the most popular dishes on your menu, or introducing favorite team members. It can also include creating and promoting regular events like wine dinners or a weekly date night that guests can get excited about.
In order to be the most effective, it is most important to grow a database of guests through loyalty programs or lists that promote special offerings or give insightful info that they care about. One restaurant group I work with regularly sells out ticketed themed events at $100 per person – simply by emailing their database quarterly.
Regardless of the methods that you employ, it is important to resist blindly promoting and hoping for the best. Always keep the guest engagement and customer experience in mind and, over time, your promotions will do more than provide a discount; it’ll provide an experience that guests will rave about. Thus, putting more butts in seats!
5. Pay Attention to and Use Negative Feedback
I still find myself with my hand on my face and one eye peeking between my fingers as I open up Yelp to check reviews for that day. It never feels good to receive negative feedback or to feel criticized, especially when we’ve worked really hard to create a wonderful environment for our guests. Perhaps this is why many bar and restaurant owners and managers stick their heads in the sand rather than try to recover the guest that expressed their displeasure.Having a program of customer recovery is one of the most important things that we can do to win guest loyalty. In fact, some of my favorite regulars over the years have been ones that had a not-so-favorable experience the first time we had met.By regularly checking online reviews and actively seeking feedback from our guests and team members, we can be sure to address issues quickly and effectively. By also using mistakes to train our teams to improve, we will turn negatives into positives and win loyalty from those who otherwise may have never returned.
Greg Provance is the owner of GP Hospitality Partners LLC, a full-service restaurant and hospitality consulting firm, and the author of Butts in Seats: How to Create Raving Fans Who Come Back Again and Again. In addition to being a consulting partner for Everbowl, Southern California’s fastest growing fast casual chain, Provance owns several restaurants in the San Diego area and serves as a principal consultant and advisor for restaurants across the country. His career has taken him from short-order cook to hosting parties and events for celebrities like Janet Jackson, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Eve, Stevie Wonder and DL Hughley, to name a select few. He’s served food and beverages in atmospheres that range from dive bars to the Oscars, from Suffolk, Virginia, to Beverly Hills, and pretty much everything in between. He lives in San Marcos, Calif. with his wife, two strapping young lads and a cat. And he’s committed his career to serving the bar and restaurant community and businesses of San Diego and beyond. Visit GPHospitalityPartners.com to learn more.
Plan to Attend or Participate in
Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023
To learn more about the latest trends, issues and hot topics, and to experience and taste the best products within the bar, restaurant and hospitality industry, plan to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at Bar & Restaurant Expo, contact:
Veronica Gonnello
(for companies A to G)
e: [email protected]
p: 212-895-8244
Tim Schultz
(for companies H to Q)
e: [email protected]
p: (917) 258-8589
Fadi Alsayegh
(for companies R to Z)
e: [email protected]
p: 917-258-5174
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