Category: Customer / Guest Service
The Evolution of Restaurant Life
April 28th, 2011
|
Life as I know it... It's been 2 months since I last sent a newsletter - the last one being titled "Life as I know it (is about to change)." And I was right, restaurant ownership and management is my new reality - and pretty much whole world, at least for the time being. The insanity of remodeling and opening is now behind me, and I am now able to come up for air a bit. Gone are the 16 hour days, replaced with only 9 hour days! What are the most significant changes since I last owned a restaurant? (Sold the last one in 1990!) 1. WWW The world wide web has changed it all. I didn't even have a website the last time I owned a restaurant, and people still used the yellow pages. In this way, technology has made things much simpler. Websites are quick and easy to build and to update and the web make it much faster and easier for customers and potential customers to find you and easily get information.  2. TechnologyI had a cash register last time around - not a POS system! Now we use the new generation online POS, an iPad connected with the receipt printer, cash drawer, and card swipe. Revel software provides up to the minute reporting so we can track sales from any Internet browser in real time. There is no back of the house server or computer needed. They provide an online software platform in which our on-line store, iPhone app, and mobile website are all integrated in the POS. Also, Revel offers paperless receipts as well as printed receipts and if customers forget their wallet, they can pay via Google Checkout or PayPal. Pretty slick. Check them out at RevelSystems.com  3. Customer needs/desiresCustomers today are a whole new breed. The sheer amount and detail of modifiers needed to accommodate customers compared to 20 years ago is huge. It seems almost rare to have an entire party simply order stright off the menu. Allergies, special needs diets and personal preferences are sky-rocketing, making it more and more interesting (and complicated) for the industry. 4. Social media Of course social media has completely changed the landscape - both positive and negatively, for restauranteurs. Everyone is a critic, and the speed at which opinions and reviews are available to any and all is moving at a faster and faster pace. It certainly adds a fun component, adding a more interactive communication medium, although can certainly add stress as well, if not managed or if you feel unfairly attacked. As for us, we are just starting to peek our heads back out into the world (for 2 months our world was held between our 4 walls), so how all these things will work - or not - for us, remains to be seen. In the mean time, we're having fun with it! Visit Community Cafe at 875 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95476 (707) 938-7779, CCSonona.com or find us on:     t-align: center;">
 |
iv>
>
The Top 4 Trends in Customer Loyalty
December 1st, 2010
| So much talk about loyalty and loyalty programs, especially as everyone tries to stay afloat in these up and down times. Although more and more the talk is shifting from having a loyalty program to, as one recent restaurant blog post said, "86 your existing ‘loyalty’ programs (which are nothing more than frequency schemes) and create real loyalty through actual guest engagement programs." Now Loyalty 360, a loyalty marketer's association located in Cincinnati, Ohio, has released their "11 Key Customer Loyalty Trends for 2011." The four I found most important to the industry were: (for the entire article, click here) (1) Marketers will increasingly understand that loyalty is not a program --- it is a journey and a strategic business goal. While points programs have been around for a while, from a strategic marketing perspective building true loyalty based on a total customer experience is still relatively new and a burgeoning area most brands. Loyalty initiatives will focus on engagement and building long-term relationships. (3) Companies will increasingly look at how customer engagement and employee engagement work together to drive bottom line results. A 2009 Gallup quantified the impact of customer and employee engagement. They found that those in the upper half on customer engagement and the lower half on employee engagement, or vice versa, get a 70% boost in bottom-line results; those in the upper half on both customer and employee engagement get a 240% boost. (9) The Restaurant industry will be investing more in loyalty initiatives. Just-released research conducted by the National Restaurant Association in partnership with Loyalty 360 and rDialgue found that 84% of respondents plan to invest more in their loyalty initiatives because of their proven ability to drive business growth. (11) Marketers will integrate social gaming into their loyalty initiatives. Social gaming has become a widespread activity across practically all demographics, with AllFacebook.com reporting that there are now 200 million people playing games on Facebook every month, and 24 games have more than 10 million users per month. Traditional incentive-based marketing does not drive the level of consumer participation that can be achieved via gaming --- and it’s this sought-after participation that builds lasting relationships, engagement, brand affinity, and brand loyalty. What success are you having creating customer loyalty? Please let me know! -Margie |
No, Everything is Not OK!
November 3rd, 2010<
It happens everyday in restaurants all over the country, perhaps all over the world. A manager, or perhaps even a server stops by a table and asks, "Is everything OK?" 
Doggie Bag Dilemmas
October 6th, 2010
| Doggie Bag Dilemmas...  Doggie Bags aren't something that most people in the industry give much thought to. A guest has left overs and wants them wrapped, so you either take it and wrap it for them or provide them a container and let them wrap it themself. It seems to me that the higher end restaurants take the food and return it to you wrapped, and more casual places simply provide you with a container to do it yourself. Not too much thought given, and not any real make-or-break business transaction, right?However, it may have more impact than you think. I have two issues with doggie bags, and I find it does affect my decision on where to eat and who gets my money. Most likely people are making that decision regarding your business as well. The first issue I had was at a wine country location, in a resort's restaurant - and quite a fine one I might add. It was at a fairly large event where fixed menu dinner was served. I was not hungry and had a virtually untouched plate. I asked the server if it could be wrapped, and she immediately replied "of course" and whisked it away. About 10 minutes later it had not been returned, so I inquired. She reappeared a minute later with a lovely box, nicely sealed up. Imagine my surprise later that evening when I opened the box up to find a more than half eaten meal dumped into the box. A pretty disgusting surprise. I now find that regardless of the establishment's reputation I prefer to wrap the food myself. The other issue, that I find has been coming up increasingly, is what choices a place makes for their packaging. I won't use styrofoam to take leftovers home. (I try not to ever use styrofoam, and find that it effects all kinds of purchases, not just food). I also am really aware of over-packaging. I asked for a picked egg at a deli a couple weeks ago and it was going to be completely packaged up, in a plastic cup with plastic lid (for 1 egg!) I asked the server to just hand it to me on a napkin. Further, the choices a restaurant use for packaging affects how I view the establishment, and if their choices aren't moving in a green direction, I am not likely to return. And I am not alone, more and more people are choosing where to spend their money based on issues other then just the quality of the food and service. For more information/education on the impact of restaurants on the earth & environment, visit the green restaurant association. What is your company doing to try to be kinder to the environment? Email me and let me know! -Margie |
The Industry's Love / Hate Relationship with Yelp: Yelps Responds
September 2nd, 2010To ensure delivery add ezine@OTLConsulting.com and Margie@OTLConsulting.com to your address book.
XML Feeds