Most restaurants are going to have their regular customers that come in daily or weekly; think of Teddy from Bob’s Burgers, for instance. These loyal customers are fantastic, they usually don’t complain, and they try to get to know the staff and owner; plus, their loyalty speaks volumes as their patronage helps keep your business thriving. With that said most restaurant owners can agree that these customers are fairly rare.
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In fact, a restaurant is really lucky to have these customers, but a small handful isn’t going to be enough to help keep a restaurant standing. So, in what ways can you make someone fall in love with your restaurant to where they want to come back? Keep reading on to find out more!
Start Off with the Basics: Food and Service
The best way to keep customers coming back to your restaurant is to provide them with a good experience. That means great food and excellent service. It’s as basic as this, but the thing is, you have to excel in it. You can’t do the bare minimum if you want loyalty. You could compare it to a relationship, like a friendship. You can’t do the bare minimum that’s expected; sometimes, you need to do more in order to secure the relationship and that loyalty. So it’s the same for customers too. Make sure the food is high quality, and ensure the service is top-notch; everyone should feel welcomed, start with the basics but do it better!
Try a Loyalty Program
If you’re looking to increase your customer retention rate, creating a loyalty program is a great way to do it. So what is this? A loyalty program rewards your customers based on their purchases and behavior, giving them more reasons to come back again and again. It will definitely help a lot to look into restaurant loyalty software too.
Loyalty programs are available in a variety of formats, including cash back, points-based, referral-based, tiered, and paid. You can run them manually with a punch card or online using a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that tracks multiple input streams of data. You need to understand your customers and their needs to create a loyal customer program. Ideally, you should conduct surveys and interviews to find out what they want to receive as a reward.
Have a Welcoming Environment
If people don’t feel welcome, they won’t return. One of the major branding aspects of all businesses is to make all customers feel accepted. Many customers become loyal to restaurants simply because they feel welcome in the atmosphere. Whether it’s the food or the staff, a restaurant that feels welcoming can win customers’ loyalty and encourage them to continue dining there. It’s about ensuring employees smile and greets customers enthusiastically as they enter the building. Small gestures like this show that you care about the customer’s dining experience and can make a huge difference in their overall experience.