4 Things That Annoy All Customers
When it comes to restaurants, no guest ever wants to get angry because they’re simply enjoying a night out with their friends, family members, or colleagues. However, Murphy’s Law tells us that things go wrong sometimes and the atmosphere within a restaurant can very quickly change which is why all restaurant owners need to pay attention to this.
In recent years, modern technology has allowed us to move on to a modern point-of-sale (POS) system with iPads and other devices. If you’re still following the traditional methods of taking orders, you could fall into the trap of annoying all your customers with these four simple mistakes.
Problem #1: Lying
While small mistakes are often forgivable within a restaurant, outright lies can be detrimental not only for the customers’ experience but for the entire brand. For example, suggesting a dish doesn’t contain any dairy only to find that it’s covered in a cheese sauce. As another example, we recently saw a business meeting visit a nearby restaurant for dinner where they were told company cards were accepted. After running up a huge tab, they were then notified their chosen card wasn’t allowed and this meant a huge inconvenience and ten or more families who will never visit the restaurant again.
Solution? – If you’re looking for a solution to this problem, we recommend investing in a modern POS because it’ll have all the information your servers need. Whether it’s gluten in a particular dish or knowing what cards are accepted, your servers won’t have to guess and you can keep all customers as happy as can be.
Problem #2: Messing the Order
After hearing their belly rumbling and waiting for their food to be cooked, nothing is more frustrating than seeing an error on the plate. From the customer’s point of view, they’ve booked a table, gone through work looking forward to the meal, driven home from work, driven to the restaurant, ordered a meal, and then waited. With one simple step left to go, they feel angry, disappointed, and let down when the wrong dish sits in front of them.
Solution? – Once again, a modern POS can fix this issue because the order is punched through on the iPad immediately rather than relying on the server and their quickly scrawled handwriting. Considering your wait staff have got a million and one other things to remember, a modern POS allows them to read back all orders and the customer can even watch as it gets sent through to the kitchen.
Problem #3: Allowing an Dish You Haven’t Got
Whether the chefs forget to tell the wait staff a dish has been 86’d or they simply forgot, a customer having to change their order after setting their mind on something will not keep them happy. If it happens a second time, which we’ve seen and even experienced before, it leaves the customer feeling helpless and they end up choosing something they don’t even want.
Solution? – Although our solution may not surprise you, we believe a modern POS will make a huge difference because they can actually show how many of each dish is available. As long as the inventory has been kept up-to-date, the number of dishes available should count down as each waiter puts one through. As soon as there are none left, or perhaps if the chef 86’s the dish, it will show on the iPad and this problem cannot arise.
Problem #4: Being Made to Wait to Leave
Finally, guests are normally happy to wait for their food because they know it’s being cooked and made with care before they enjoy it. However, as soon as they ask for the check, their mind is made up and they’re ready to go. Generally speaking, asking for the check is the international sign of being ready to leave; the conversation has dried up and they want to get home. When terminals aren’t free or the waiter is busy with other tables, this can actually turn a positive experience into a bad one in a matter of minutes.
Solution? – With an iPad POS, there are certain features that allow the end of the evening process to run smoothly. Whether it’s mobile payment processors for the table or weekly/monthly tabs, they can allow the customers to leave when they’re ready as opposed to when the waiter is ready. With the tab option especially, customers can simply get up and leave and the monthly option will encourage customers to return multiple times to make it worthwhile.
Summary – As soon as one of the four problems above arises, it can ruin an otherwise positive evening and it probably ensures the customers won’t return in the future and repeat business is essential within the restaurant industry. If you can remove these four things that annoy all customers, you keep them happy and put your business in a strong position moving forward!