Like any other service industry, restaurants thrive on happy customers. Even before your guests order and taste your food, the restaurant tables and overall dining area set-up at your restaurant sets the tone of the customers’ experience.
Selecting the number of seats in your restaurant, and therefore the amount of restaurant furniture necessary, depends on different factors like the size and layout, the comfort of your guests, the cost of running your restaurant, and the number of desired customers, etc. Let’s discuss how you can set up the restaurant serve the most customers practically and efficiently.
1. Accept Reservations:
Accepting reservations at your restaurant is beneficial for your management and staff, as well as your guests. By accepting early bookings, you can estimate the rush in your restaurant on a given day and plan accordingly. It gives you the flexibility of allocating the resources and set up the restaurant seating for reserved and walk in customers. Similarly, by reserving a table at your restaurant, your guests are assured of getting a table and are more likely to show up knowing they will get seated.
Whether you choose on-phone or online reservations, you can easily plan for a certain number of customers during specific time periods. Since you know in advance how many tables are reserved, it is easy to predict the waiting time for your walk in customers. In a nutshell, reservations can reduce the clutter, minimize your workload, and optimize your resources. There are many online reservation apps that easily plug into your restaurant website you can use.
2. Set Up Efficient Payment Options:
Thanks to the technology, gone are the days where most guests pay with cash. By introducing different payment options, you tell your customers that your restaurant is up-to-date with technology. More importantly, these efficient payment options help you in completing the transactions quickly.
They also allow almost all customers to pay with their preferred method. As a result, you can attend to the customers by reducing the waiting time. On-table bill payment through a card reader has become a norm now. They enable seamless and safe transaction experience for your customers.
3. Arrange the Tables in the Most Attractive Way:
The dining area is the heart of your restaurant and is more than just tables and chairs. An appealing table arrangement sets the tone for a great dining experience for your guests. When creating an attractive dining area, be careful not to compromise your guest’s comfort. Arrange the restaurant tables and chairs in such a way that the waiters can serve the dishes to your customers with ease and that leaves your customers a comfortable amount of dining space.
If you have a smaller restaurant, you can experiment with the color, texture, and material of your furniture. One way of doing it is to use the same style of chairs and tables in different colors. Additionally, you can consider mixing your wooden restaurant table with bright metal chairs. The idea is to make the dining area look fresh and interesting.
4. Design a Small But Mouth-watering Menu:
The design of your menu can enhance the diner’s experience substantially. Although menus come in different shapes, sizes, and number of pages, you don’t have to over-complicate the menu. Follow these tips to design menu for your restaurant:
- Create a simple, small, mouth-watering, and fuss-free menu with vintage drawings and quirky headers that compliments your restaurant table tops.
- A simple one-sheet design with minimal design creates a menu that is appealing as well as functional.
- Since food is the center-piece of any restaurant, your menu must reflect that as well.
- Use bright colors and bold styles to highlight food on your menu.
- If you have a fixed menu, use high resolution photos of your best dishes to whet customers’ appetites.
5. Fix Problems Immediately:
In a restaurant business, no matter how well you plan and comprehend, there will be last-minute hitches. In such times, if you can fix any problems immediately, you will deliver excellent service to your customers. Here are a few tips:
- Listen to the customer intently to understand how they would like you to fix the situation.
- Even if you disagree with the customer, try to fix the situation as if it were your fault.
- Stay calm and try to negotiate with the customer on how you can fix the problem quickly without any drama. Remember one thing, if customers stay, customers pay.
6. Don’t Make Your Customers Wait:
In a restaurant business, the customer is the king. If he has to wait too long for his order, it hampers his dining experience. It doesn’t matter if you have the best bartender if he takes too long to make a drink. It’s difficult to win a disgruntled customer back to your restaurant.
Ensure that you have sufficient staff to attend to every customer at any given time. Usually, customers have expectations for waiting time on their orders. For example, while ordering simple starters, they might expect them soon, but in the case of main course like steaks, they might give you time to prepare it. If they order a dish that takes longer to cook, let them know in advance.
7. Train Your Staff Appropriately:
Being a service industry, you probably understand the importance of a courteous staff for keeping your customers happy. By investing in training your staff, you teach them the etiquette for serving and talking to the customers. Here are a few tips:
- Greet your guests as they walk into your restaurant with a smiling face.
- While taking their orders, be thorough with your menu, and don’t interrupt.
- If you have any questions, ask them after they finish ordering.
- No matter how crowded your restaurant, try to make all your guests feel welcome and not rushed.
8. Acquire the Most Comfortable & Specious Furniture:
Your restaurant’s furniture gets a lot of weary on a busy day. When you purchase tables and chairs for your restaurant, consider their sturdiness, design and comfort. At the same time, it should be easily movable so that you can accommodate different group sizes effortlessly. Use the following buying tips:
- Buy furniture with clean lines and practical seats that are easier to clean and maintain.
- Seating with vinyl or wood seats offer a lot of practicality with a great variety of style and color options in all budget ranges.
- Go for commercially-rated furniture as it is durable and cost-effective.
The Bottom-line:
For succeeding in a restaurant business, customer satisfaction is paramount. Apart from mouth-watering dishes and prompt service, attractive neatly set tables reflect the quality of the restaurant. This article highlights some crucial aspect to assist you to set up the restaurant and in providing an exceptional dining experience to your guests. Hopefully, by following these tips, you will be able to generate more revenue with satisfied customers.
