The restaurant industry has become more competitive than ever. And with all the online food delivery chains in the picture, the challenges for dine-in restaurants have increased. So, to stay relevant, restaurant owners need to focus on customer experience management and go the extra mile to provide a smooth and personalized experience.

Here are a few tips to help you make your restaurant stand out despite the fierce competition:

Utilize Customer Reviews

According to ReviewTrackers, 63.6% of consumers go through Google reviews before visiting a business. So, while collecting customer experience reviews may be great for new customers who want the background of your restaurant, it is even better if these reviews are used to improve customer experience. For example, if the customer specifically mentions the problem of long waiting time, increase your staff and eliminate this problem. If your customers think that their feedback is considered seriously, they will feel valued. Moreover, with your customers as your critiques, you will be able to improve your services tremendously doing what your customers are expecting. While collecting customer reviews, here are a few things you should consider:

• Leverage social media to appeal to young consumers.
• Use short customer experience surveys at the time of payment.
• Ask more specific questions. For example, how can we ensure a better experience for you?

Adapt to the Status Quo

The status quo has been disrupted by the millennials. They notice things that were never noticed before and they want you to pay attention too. They are more specific than other people about diet, the source of the food, sustainability, ingredients, etc. They do not mind paying extra if they get quality food and experience.

So, while catering to your traditional customers, you may want to fit in the choices of your millennial customers too on the menu. For example, if your customers have the requirement of vegan food, don’t change the entire menu. Rather, just add a separate menu and start serving vegan customers as well. Or, if they prefer organic ingredients, give them an option to choose from. To stay relevant, bring a change to your restaurant as your customers’ requirements change.

Personalize Customer Experience

A Deloitte study revealed that engagement is the main factor in customers’ restaurant experience. So, you must start concentrating on increasing value for customers by offering them a personalized experience. This way, your customers will be more likely to visit again because not every restaurant offers value-added services. Here are a few things you can implement:

• Assign waiting staff to each table and encourage them to remember each diner’s name and address them by it.
• Have them make suggestions according to your guests’ dietary restrictions.
• Remember their preferences and repeat their drink orders the next time they visit.
• Remember birthdays and anniversaries to make your guests feel valued.

Don’t Make it All About Food

Everyone likes to experiment with their food, but no one wants to experiment with the customer service. So, in addition to great food, you must factor in other services that influence customer decisions. Make the entire experience pleasant and convenient for them so that they remember you for going the extra mile. Here are a few things you can do:

• Replace a printed menu with a digital menu. With pictures next to each dish, your customers will be able to decide better.
• Allow mobile payments at the table.
• Follow up with your customers on social media after they’ve dined in.
• Send a monthly newsletter to communicate about the offers, discounts, and special events at the restaurant.

Restaurant guests are no more the same. Their perceptions have changed and so have their choices. So, the only way to stay in the race is to adapt to the change and focus on a comprehensive experience. I hope these tips were helpful. To  find out more about how social media can help your restaurant to get more customers, contact Digital Restaurant today.

Author Bio:

Bhavika Sharma is a survey designer at SurveySparrow, where she designs surveys that work by making them more conversational and engaging. When she isn’t designing killer surveys, she loves to travel, searching for adventure and meeting new people. Her travel experiences have taught her the importance of conversation, and that is what she brings to the table while creating surveys or content for her readers.