Food & Beverage - Selfish & Lazy: Making the typical customer happy - By Ken Burgin

They don't want to be told 'no you can't' or 'no we won't' - if you won't, someone else will accept their money.

Does your offer appeal to this selfish, lazy, righteous, unimaginative (and usually friendly) mob? Or are you waiting for them to form a neat line and ask politely if it's convenient to be served?

Give customers what they WANT and they'll keep coming back for more.

Here are 5 areas where they want you to do the work for them:

Make it easy for them to do something difficult - eg...

• Offer fish, steak, pasta and desserts they couldn't possibly make at home

• Organise a great party without any cleaning up afterwards

• Mix great music and atmosphere to help everyone relax

Save them time in their busy lives - eg...

• Grab and go food when they're hungry and running late

• Serve a fast lunch that doesn't compromise on quality

• Keep the queues and the wait time short, even though its busy

Save (or make) them money - eg...

• A friendly noodle or pasta bar may be cheaper than eating at home

• When time is valuable, your catering service is a bargain

• Offer just the right place to entertain important business clients

Make them look good - eg...

• A great place to entertain friends, and names are remembered

• Offering low-cost food in stylish surroundings

• Special membership offers extra service and recognition

Always be reliable - eg...

• Parking is available and the area feels safe

• There is always a friendly greeting and farewell from the staff

• Serving spaghetti marinara the same way for the last 5 years

Most of us are solidly tuned to radio WII-FM (What's In It For Me): satisfy my pride, tiredness, laziness, selfishness, shortage of time or desire to be entertained and you've got a customer for life!

Profitable Hospitality offers management and cost-control systems (Manuals & CD-ROMs) for restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars and clubs. The systems are based on the extensive consulting and operating experience of CEO Ken Burgin, and enable busy owners and managers to set up complete operating and cost-control systems in minutes, not months. Profitable Hospitality also runs regular management training workshops in the areas of kitchen profit & efficiency, restaurant marketing and functions management. A free monthly e-newsletter keeps you up to date on the latest industry management issues. www.profitablehospitality.com.

Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Reader Comments:

Be the first to leave a comment for this article

Tweet