The bar and restaurant experience is cherished by guests, used as a getaway from home life or a way to enjoy a meal with friends. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic stirred things up in the industry, we have to ask ourselves: What makes a great bar and restaurant customer experience and how can we continue to reintroduce sit-down dining into people’s lives post-pandemic?
Here are some tips and advice.
Focus on Positive Reviews and a Stellar Online Presence
The decision to go to a specific restaurant comes from a few different factors – like familiarity, word of mouth, positive reviews and a strong online presence. These days, customers don’t walk into the first restaurant or bar they see on the side of the road; no, they spend a few minutes researching the best spot before making their final decision. Because of this, it’s important to have a stellar online presence and positive reviews to make your restaurant stand out amongst the crowd. Indeed, having a good online presence means having a well-designed online menu and website too, allowing customers to easily view your options beforehand while simultaneously getting a vibe for your brand.
Negative reviews will quickly steer customers away from your restaurant, so encourage your customers to leave positive ones after their excellent experience. Having good reviews and a good online presence starts the restaurant experience off right, with high hopes. However, you can also use your negative reviews to build a better bar or restaurant. How? Learn from what people have to say and use it to make the experience better for all!
Of course, while all of these things are familiar to the average restaurant or bar operator, it’s critical to make these areas a key focus on an on-going basis. This – in the end – will ensure success.
Create Delicious Food and Drinks You Can’t Get Anywhere Else
Once you’ve got the customers in the door, you have to hook them up with the best food and drinks out there. Give them a reason to stick around. If they can get food and drinks like yours at another establishment, why wouldn’t they choose to go there? Make your food and drinks unique and unequivocally yours, and always offer signature dishes and cocktails that will bring customers back. If you can make those signature items “experiences” in some way, then even better!
Changing up your menu is a great way to keep things fresh. Offer a few staples in rotation, but change up the specials every week or so to introduce enticing new options while still giving customers something to come back to if they find their favorite meal.
When it comes to drinks, you should always offer the standard array of cocktails as well as a shortlist of your own personalized options. If you’re going to stick to the basics, make sure you make the best old-fashioned around, and the same is true for food. Serving up something simple like a steak or a sandwich? Make sure it’s absolutely perfect or add your own twist to make it interesting.
These specialties will help to fully envelop your customers in the restaurant experience, making the experience they have at your place different from any others – thus, making it special.
Present a Stunning Menu
A quality menu will not only showcase your delicious menu options but act as a guide through the restaurant experience. Menus should be professional and match your brand. If you use any other materials – like table tents, dessert menus or cocktail menus – they should be designed consistently to make your brand feel more put together.
Your menu is a handy tool for your guests, but it’s also a marketing tool. You can highlight high-margin items or seasonal dishes you’re hoping to sell more of and include pictures where necessary or stylistically.
By having a menu that matches your brand and showcases your food, drinks and dessert options in an easy-to-read and understandable way, customers will be able to easily choose their meal without too much trouble. Complex or overly complicated menus that are hard to read, scattered or just plain ugly can take customers out of the experience altogether.
Instead, opt for clean designs, simple text and menu options that aren’t cluttered. With a spaced-out, clean concept that matches your brand, customers will have an easier time digesting your menu.
Ensure High-Quality Service
Some people say that the best servers are the ones that you barely notice, but that’s really up to the guest. Some guests love talking to their servers, getting recommendations and making small talk. While there are some that prefer to be left alone, it’s best to train your staff so they’re knowledgeable and can answer any questions your guests may have about your menu.
To create the best experience for your customers, servers should be able to recommend good dishes, wine pairings and more. Having a server that can answer any question just helps to make the entire experience much smoother, and having one that your customers can laugh with is the cherry on top.
Always instruct your staff so they’re able to provide expert suggestions wherever possible (like upselling items, adding a cocktail or other alcoholic beverage that would match) or just help the customer choose an entree. All these helpful suggestions can help to improve a customer’s experience in your space.
Build the Right Atmosphere
One part of the dining experience that’s really important is the atmosphere. You want to craft an atmosphere that fits your restaurant and the experience that people are hoping to have as patrons. For example, if you operate a fine dining restaurant, you’ll likely want to have mellow tunes playing and an atmosphere that isn’t too loud. If you run a more vibrant restaurant, the atmosphere might be a bit nosier.
Another great way to craft your atmosphere is to think about how your customers interact with your restaurant and what they’re looking for. For example, if a lot of people come to have intimate conversations, you might want to think about incorporating more intimate seating arrangements, like booths and properly spaced tables. If a lot of people come to your restaurant in big groups, obviously you’ll need bigger tables and more space.
Improve the Overall Bar and Restaurant Experience for Your Guests
If your restaurant or bar is receiving bad reviews or you’re unsure if your guests are enjoying their experience to the fullest (instead of treating your place as a stop-eat-and-go kind of establishment) it’s time to start thinking about where you can improve.Use the information listed above to make improvements wherever possible. For example, train your staff if you feel like they’re lacking, or improve your seating arrangements and music selection if the atmosphere isn’t right.
The options are endless, but in the end, the most important thing is making sure your customers enjoy their time in your restaurant and leave with a smile on their faces.
Megan Prevost is a senior writer for MustHaveMenus. When she’s not writing about restaurant marketing, she’s hanging out with her four cats and binging the latest television shows. Her work has appeared in App Institute, Bar Business, BevSpot, CLH News, FanSided, FSR, International Bowling Industry, Miss Details, Modern Restaurant Management, PMQ, QSR, RestoBiz, RestoHub, Site Social SEO, Small Business Currents, The Daily Fandom, Total Food Service and Wisk. MustHaveMenus creates high-quality templates for restaurants to make the design process easier and more affordable. To learn more, visit MustHaveMenus.com.
Plan to Attend or Participate in
Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023
To learn 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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