If you take a drive through a large city, you would see how successful some restaurants seem to be, and how others are on the verge of closing down. Poor decision making and management skills are the downfall of restaurants closing down in the first year of operation. With grueling hours and tough multi-tasking, this is a common story. With such a high failure rate, how can restaurateurs make their restaurant a success story?
The setting and location should be able to pull in people
The environment must be a success for a restaurant to be successful. It is key that you find an attractive spot. The setting must be vibrant and stimulating. For instance, if your restaurant caters to children it should be filled with colour and fun. If it is a high end intimate setting, it should be able to attract people with its dim lights, ambiance and well cushioned booths. The style must make guests feel comfortable. Remember, it is not only the food that brings people out of their houses. It is the entire dining out experience. Guests want to indulge in something that is fun, relaxing, stress free or intimate. And it is up to the restaurant to provide it.
Yes, food is the face of your restaurant
Food is the determining factor of how successful your restaurant will become. The food should be worth the money you pay. If it is a four star quality restaurant, the food must match it. If it is fast food, customers will not expect four star qualities. But, what they will expect is clean, tasty and a filling meal. There is no excuse for poorly prepared food, just because you operate a small bistro. People still have expectations even if it is a small scale joint.
We cannot reiterate enough on the importance of customer service
The employees and manager must perform at the highest level and ensure customer service is outstanding. As much as food and environment play a major role, so does customer service. Support staff is the meeting point between the restaurant and service. It is up to the employees to satisfy customers by meeting their every demand. Customers come not just to munch on a few goodies, but to experience dining out. Support staff needs to make it a memorable experience for customers, ensuring it motivates them to return time and again.
How you price each dish matter
Make prices seem attractive for the food they buy. Remember, when prices seem worthy of the dish, customers will clamour to order it again and again. Here’s a restaurant trick; price your dish at $9.95 instead of $10 and you will see what we are talking about. When prices seem less than what they really are, the trend is towards ordering it. And this is something many restaurateurs are seemingly unaware of.