How to get better restaurant reviews: deliver an ‘amazing experience’

For the last few months we’ve been delivering you (pun intended) a series of articles on how to create an atmosphere conducive to meeting the goals of your restaurant. Whether that means growth, more profitability, or even just stability, we’ve gone over the core tenets of how to use operations, marketing, and sound financial planning to make decisions with longer term goals in mind. 

This week, we take on a different sort of challenge: the ‘amazing experience.’ That’s something that all restaurants chase – because once you have it, repeat customers, good reviews, and a bigger audience aren’t far behind. So how do you do it? 

Give restaurant diners what you’ve promised

One of the hardest things to do is manage customer expectations, let alone exceed them, so how do we do that? By creating thoughtful messaging and imaging around your brand. Is your restaurant fast casual? Create snarky messaging and a fun atmosphere (think neon signs, cool posters, etc.) so that your customers can have something to look at while they wait for their orders. Is your restaurant more formal? Then you’ll want to invest in good lighting, seating, and even plants to give your customers the experience that they want. 

All this happens before a server even arrives, so setting the tone early with restaurant decór is a must. Customers might not know that they even have these expectations, but they do. It might seem hokey or like “trying too hard” to have a fun sign, but it’s a surefire way to get people to post more on social media. 

Operations need to be on the same page

Sure, your restaurant looks great, but if folks are just sitting around waiting for their food, it’ll seem less charming in short order. While no one is saying you should rush orders (or create the kind of kitchen chaos we see in shows like The Bear), consistency in food and service is KEY. Yes, if you have really, really good food people are going to wait, but for the most part that’s the exception not the answer.

Make sure your hostess and waitstaff are in sync with your kitchen staff so that they’re able to communicate honestly with your customers. Communication is so key in these situations. Acknowledging a frustrating wait time can go a long way with folks, but to do that you’ll need to make sure your waitstaff is on their A-game.

Make sure you have a plan for when it gets busy, and remember to try to have fun. I know it can seem like a big ask, but when you’re having fun, so will your customers. 

Communication is key

We touched on this a bit in the last section, but your communication, both official and unofficial, needs to de-escalate bad situations. For example, and this could happen to anyone, we know of a restaurant that had a piece of their blender blade wind up in someone’s smoothie. Terrifying, right? Well, instead of issuing an apology, and going the extra mile, they doubled down on the idea that it wasn’t their fault. Beyond being illogical and sad, this escalated the situation until it became a big beef on social media. That’s NOT the kind of publicity you’re looking for.

How you respond to mistakes is really, really important. Make a bigger deal of it than your customers do, even if it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal in the moment. They’ll remember the response, not the accident. Sure, it might be easy to dismiss (especially if it’s a heated moment or during a dinner rush), but taking the extra time to making sure your customer will leave feeling good is worth its weight in gold. 

Instead of a negative review online, what you’ll get is a positive review that highlights everything you do right! Now THAT is an amazing experience. 

Ready to take your restaurant to new heights? Let’s chat!