Dining out is a valuable way for people to connect with friends and family. 63% of all U.S. diners stating that they enjoy the social aspect of restaurants.
Today, millennial diners are looking for a restaurant experience that allows them to socialize and try new things. More emphasis is placed on the overall experience of the restaurant as opposed to just the food.
If you’re looking to capture the attention of these millennial diners by providing a one of a kind restaurant experience, look no further. This article has eight sumptuous new ways that you can create the best restaurant experience for millennials and all of your customers.
Read on!
1. Stay on-Brand
Whether you are an authentic Mexican restaurant or guests rave that you have the best burgers in town, it is important to stay on-brand. Each different restaurant concept gives guests an opportunity for a different overall experience.
But this experience can be ruined by a restauranter trying to be all things to all people by going off-brand. There are so many different and unique restaurant concepts out there but once you choose one it is important to stick with it till you decide to change concepts.
Hone in on the things that you do best and choose a restaurant concept that will work well in the surrounding market. You don’t want to put a fancy steak house in the middle of a blue-collar shipyard scene and vice versa.
To achieve the best restaurant experience, take a look at your neighborhood and what is currently trending, and then figure out what concepts play with these trends. What can you do differently? What can you do better?
Some of the most fun restaurant experiences are a little off-beat or quirky so don’t be afraid to try something that no one else is doing.
Once you’ve picked your brand, stick to it. Implement it in the decorating, the menu, the uniforms. Everything the customers see and experience in the restaurant should reflect your personal brand.
If you are a homestyle restaurant, make people feel like they are welcome and dining at their grandma’s home. If you are in a french cafe, play music that has guests feeling like they just stepped off the plane and are now in Paris.
2. Don’t Blend In
Now that you’ve established your brand you know what makes your restaurant unique from other concepts. This is the starting point. Now you need to stand out from the competition.
What makes your Mexican restaurant different from all the other Mexican restaurants in town? Why should people choose to dine at your restaurant?
Customer experience in restaurants enhances food in new ways. There are many restaurants that go all out with service or to set the mood. There are other restaurants that allow the guests to cook or have the chef cook your meal to your custom specifications.
Whatever you can do to bring the guests in and get them more involved in the experience will definitely help your restaurant.
Your marketing for restaurants strategy should show your unique concept and how your guest experience is different from other restaurants. Highlight your ties to the community of charity work your restaurant and employees do. Bring in local musical talent for music during dinner service.
3. Design an Instagram Worthy Restaurant
It seems just about every time we scroll through our Instagram feeds we see pictures of plates of food or people dining out. Why? Because these restaurants have created an aesthetically pleasing environment that just begs guests to take pictures during their experience.
This is free advertising for you and a great way to get the guests involved. Restaurants who post guest created content to their social media pages are bringing the guests in even more.
So, how do you create an Instagramable worthy restaurant?
From color schemes, lighting, and furniture choices, there are many things you should consider when decorating your restaurant. Each choice can help you create your experience.
The tables you choose will play a role in how people socialize in your restaurant. Community tables invite large gatherings of people whereas booths are more closed off and private. Whatever you choose, make sure it reflects the character of your brand.
Choose colors that reflect the mood you are trying to impart to guests. Remember when McDonald’s used to have red painted walls? Why did they paint the walls that bright red? Because studies found that the red walls encouraged diners to eat more quickly.
That was the message McDonald’s was imparting to its guest. This is a quick stop for a meal, not a place to socialize.
The colors you choose have an impact on the overall guest experience. They can lead to a bad experience in a restaurant from the start.
4. Always Put Guests First
In a big city where there is competition literally next door, one bad review or bad restaurant experience can have guests going next door for dinner instead. Think about things from the customer perspective when you are designing your restaurant and your processes. Always put the guest first.
This is important with your digital experiences too like your website. It should also be applied to the front desk team who answers the phone, the hostess who seats the guests, the aviators who take the orders, and the chefs who prepare the meal.
Think about the customer experience from the point of view of the customer to help you identify bottlenecks in service. Fixing these areas will improve the overall experience and make the guest’s evening even grander.
If getting the check and paying on time has been a problem, think about some different ways or technology that you can implement to help guests have a better experience. If special orders become too tedious, brainstorm some ways that the chiefs can complete these special requests without allowing the other orders to back up.
So Much Goes Into the Best Restaurant Experience
There is so much work that goes into creating the perfect restaurant experience for your guests. From the decor, the branding concept, to the marketing and how the payment is collected. Leave no leaf unturned if you are striving to create the best restaurant experience in your city.
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