Customers Who Trust, Return

How many times have you walked into a restaurant and waited several minutes before being acknowledged? How many times have you had your mouth set for a particular menu item, only to hear that it’s out temporarily, leaving you to order something else or nothing at all? How many times have you asked restaurant staff a question only to be met with rudeness, or worse yet, indifference?

These are the primary reasons why people don’t return to a restaurant. The trust has been broken. When a new customer walks through your doors, for the most part, they are taking the chance that they will be met with good food and an overall positive experience. In other words, they are trusting you. Once you’ve broken their trust, the chances of them returning are close to zero.

At Nisa Consulting Group one of our core tenets is Building Trust with Consumers. The worst kind of restaurant is one that does not engender trust with its staff and customers. No matter how exceptional your food is or how aggressive your marketing is, once the word circulates that your restaurant is not to be trusted, it’s a difficult climb to regain market share. ​

Have you ever wondered why some restaurants stay busy while others close their doors soon after opening? The successful ones put a premium on customer service. As an independent restaurant adopting trust-enriching behaviors will help set you apart from other eateries in your area. The restaurant that earns and keeps their customer’s trust will stand the best shot at remaining open for the long haul.

Here are a few ways that you can enhance the experience at your restaurant and instill trust among visitors.  

1. Great Greetings. Try not to let even a minute go by before staff greets customers with enthusiasm and a smile. 
2. Keep an eye on inventory. While understanding that circumstances at times result in a menu item being unavailable, this needs to be the exception, not the rule. If it’s on your menu, it needs to be available for customers to order.  
3. Be good and be on time. Make sure that your kitchen maintains quality and that food is expedited in a timely manner. 
4. Keep it clean. Customers trust you with their wellness. Make sure hygiene and cleanliness are a priority. 
5. Until we meet again. Say farewell to customers with the same warmness they experienced when they were greeted. 

Nisa Consulting Group can provide advice and proven strategies to help your restaurant establish and maintain trust with customers.  We are driven by our desire to bolster the industry as a whole, understanding that restaurants not only serve communities, but they build them as well. 

Want to learn more?  ​

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