Having worked with a number of up-and-coming independent restaurants, and provided them with bespoke restaurant refurbishment services, we understand that it can be difficult trying to set your business apart from the competition. Of course, an original restaurant fit out is guaranteed to help draw customers in, but how do you keep them coming back?
Below, we’ve compiled a list of actions you can take to improve your restaurant, helping to turn potential consumers into customers for life.
Show your Customers you Care
With the number of independent restaurants, all selling quality food and drink, on the rise, it seems it’s becoming increasingly harder to generate a loyal clientele. However, this seemingly difficult challenge can be made a lot easier simply through the attitude of the individuals working for your business. The places customers are likely to remember, and want to go back to, are the ones whose staff make an effort to make them feel welcome. Greeting a customer and asking them about their day, even an act as easy as thanking a customer at the end of their visit, are just a few extra steps you and your employees can take to ensure consumers are made to feel special. It shows that your restaurant is willing to go the extra mile to guarantee customers have a great experience during their time at your establishment; making them feel appreciated is a very effective step to increase their chance of return.
Establish a Light and Friendly Atmosphere
A great restaurant fit out and dining experience can very quickly become overshadowed by unpleasant staff interactions and can often encourage a series of bad reviews, which is something no business wishes to face. Making sure that staff are friendly and well trained may seem obvious, but it is a vital key element if you want to keep the customers coming back. The up-keep of staff morale is something easily achieved by ensuring that your team, not just the customers, also have a great experience with the company. Offering them more flexibility in regards to shifts and frequent breaks are two simple steps that you can take to help rapidly increase the work ethic of your team. After all, if your staff aren’t having a good time, then neither will your customers!
Opt for Ambient Lighting
The lighting in your restaurant can play a huge role in setting the atmosphere of your space, so it’s worth adapting your lighting levels according to the time of day that you operate and mood that you are trying to set. Therefore, choosing LED lights that can be dimmed, instead of harsh fluorescent lighting, can enable you to set a more relaxing tone for the evening, or a brighter, livelier atmosphere for lunchtime service.
Consider Colour Theory
As well as lighting, the colours that you choose for your restaurant refurbishment can drastically change the feel of your space. It might be best to stay away from cooler colours like blue and purple, and instead opt for warmer colours such as red, orange and yellow, as these tend to stimulate the appetite more; as well as contribute a warmer, welcoming atmosphere. Additionally, neutral colours such as beige, white and grey can have a calming effect on your customers.
Put Effort into Presenting your Food.
With the ever-present rise of social media, consumers snapping pictures of their plate is no longer an uncommon site. However, this doesn’t particularly have to be considered a bad thing, and could actually be used to your advantage. Taking the extra time to prepare your food in unique and visually appealing ways may be something that seems like a waste of time to most, but the appearance and presentation of the services you provide should go hand-in-hand with the aesthetics of your restaurant refurbishment; doing so could also lead to some very impactful free advertisement! Put simply, the more eye-catching the presentation of your food is, the more likely people are to post about it on social media. This will assist in spreading the word about your restaurant and attracting a wider range of potential consumers, all without you having to pay a penny.
Choose Appropriate Layout and Table Spacing
Although you want to serve as many customers as possible, be careful not to cram the tables too close together throughout the restaurant, as this can feel too crowded and create a stressful, unwelcoming dining experience. However, if you place your tables too far apart you might not have enough places to seat enough customers to make a good profit. One approach is to place more tables in the centre and then have some more secluded areas around the edge for intimate gatherings.
Find Music that Suits the Mood
No customer wants to walk into a silent restaurant, so it’s important to find music that suits the mood and tone of your restaurant establishment. The skill here is to choose the right music for the atmosphere you are trying to create, to make sure it can be heard throughout the restaurant, but that it’s not so loud that customers have to strain to have a conversation.
Value Cleanliness Above All
You can get the lighting, colours and music all perfect, but if your restaurant is dirty or messy, people will not want to eat there. Make sure there is no dust, dirt or fingerprints that customers can see. You also need to make sure there are no boxes or other clutter lying around where customers are going to be, as this is not only unwelcoming and unprofessional, but a health and safety hazard too.
Welcome Feedback and Criticism
What better way to improve customer experience in your establishment than taking on suggestions from the public themselves? Many consumers have a tendency to take notice in the little things that you, having grown familiar to the surroundings of your restaurant, may be blind to. If a customer is offering feedback, be open to it; and make it apparent that you want to hear it! Presenting other methods in which consumers can offer feedback to you and your business can also prove a very effective strategy when aiming to improve the customer experience. By offering items such as a suggestion box, or a small survey presented alongside the bill at the end of the visit, you can make the customer feel like a valued member of your clientele; showing them that their custom, and input, is appreciated.
Be Social Media Present
Posting about the latest news and promotions your restaurant has to offer, directly to your customers’ newsfeeds, is a great way to keep your establishment at the top of their minds; encouraging them to come back with minimal time and money spent in doing so. Posting frequently about the goings on of your establishment and engaging customers online is also a great way to build a positive consumer opinion and keep them invested in your company. Publishing news such as a new restaurant fit out can keep your consumers interested and help to create online buzz, helping to generate more customers and spread the word about your business.
Use a Professional Restaurant Makeover Service
If you are planning to give your restaurant a makeover, it is best to employ the services of professional company that specialises in making restaurants look their best. You may think that you can save time and money by doing it yourself, but this can be a case of trial and error and if you get some key aspects wrong then the whole project could fail. If you hire a professional to do it for you, they will have the experience and knowledge to know just the right things to do to make your restaurant the best it can be.
By following these simple steps, you and your new restaurant refurbishment could be on its way to generating some great lifelong customers! Interested in refurbishing your restaurant? – discover our restaurant refurbishment services to find out how we can help reinvent your business.