Customer Comforts Matter

How do your customers know what you think of them?

Thinking Inside The Box may be required to keep proper perspective on customer service and customer comforts in your restaurant. Your main goal: Make sure they have delicious food, and they come back often. Then the next question is how do they know what you think of them as patrons of your dining establishment.

Everything that goes into a restaurant from the food to the forks, knives, napkins, salt and pepper shakers, chairs and tables, lighting and menus all those things clearly represents a choice made by management so that the dining experience is the best it can be. A choice of choosing to make their dining experience wonderful is or can be a secondary goal. Everything chosen says something about management’s concern for its customers, whether for the fastest of fast-food chains or the most seriously expensive white tablecloth dining room traditions.

Customer Service Comforts

Industry changes are forcing restaurants of all sizes to re-think customer service as a tool that can make a difference. It's all about the little things that go on while they dine. When is the last time you and your family had a favorite place to stop by for lunch or dinner on a regular basis? If you do, ask yourself what about the place draws you there and why do you enjoy returning?

The focus for all restaurants should be superior food first, and keeping your customers happy and eager to return. Third, the physical decor and furniture needs to be comfortable clean and safe. If it doesn't happen, you are out of business. Pros and cons should be evaluated in a realistic manner when it comes to keeping your regualr dining patrons happy so let's review some things that may not be big screaming issues for most, but do little to quell irritations about your dining experience while you are sitting there eating.

Things You May Need To Rethink:

Servers, managers, bus service staff, and all kitchen staff must be professional polite and positive. Minding manners is critical to your best patrons. A smile upon entry, and a positive experience above all is critical to good service skills.

Are the chairs, bar stools, or benches comfortable to sit in for more than 30 minutes? If you don't know, order lunch and sit down and eat it there to find out. If you are not comfortable, it is a no brainer that your dining patrons will not be either.

Get rid of the plastic forks and knives for use inside pizza, sandwich shops, and grills. Have you tried to cut through a crispy pizza slice with one...yep it doesn't work. Inexpensive silverware is out there, just do it for your customers sanity.

Salt and pepper mills should work easily and depending on city codes, make sure every table has a pair full every day. Sealed grinders eliminate the humidity factor.

Make sure the lighting is adequate for dining, the fixtures are clean in the ceiling, ceiling tiles are not wet or blackened from leaks.

Nothing says I don't care like a dirty front of the house. Bright cheery and clean works every-time. Front of the house should smell delicious. If it doesn't, bake a pie and vent it out into the dining room or at least let it cool out there. A baking apple pie is the bomb.

Menus should be wiped down daily, available to every table or order line, and should reflect the latest food options and beverage service.

Take out drinks, food containers, napkins and etc. must be stocked often and bags to place these containers is a must for your very best clients to finish at home.

Concerns for customers’ comfort include noise levels, and that whole agonizing subject of background music: when, how and at what volume. What age group are most of your patrons? Consider that first. It will be easier to modify lunch and dinner service bearing that in mind.

If you have nearby construction, find a way to hinder all that noise inside the dining room. Eating in peace surrounded by friends is a great way to tackle any perceived hurdles. People like to get away from stress of the day and enjoy sitting down to a wonderful quality consistent meal, even if it is only a hot dog right?

Keeping all dishes beautiful when serviced highlights local and sustainable and organic foods from your area. There is a growing number of patrons concerned with all natural foods and are chemical free. Promotions with events, news articles in social media or specifics in the local tv and news stations is still popular for informing all your dining patrons of things they will be interested in.

Don't forget about patrons with allergies. Make sure products are labeled properly daily. Neighborhood cafes, restaurants, sub shops, pizza places, and pub with great bar food that maintains consistent quality will keep your clients coming back.

So much of our lives are spent stressed out and time is critical to everything. Make sure all you do is about the food, and the experience for your  patrons. You will be so glad you did.

Remember that often the neighborhood restaurants cannot command prices high enough to cover costs of rising rents, fees to reservation sites and salaries with fringe benefits to the delivery staffs servicing takeout business. Don't ever let quality go down, the road back takes a lot of time and money to make those clients forget what it used to be like.

With risks greater than ever in this already risky business of food service, it is hard to imagine why anyone would enter it. Thankfully many brave souls do, and it's why we are still in business.

Keeping it real. Learning who your regular dining patrons are, what they order, and making sure every time they come in and order "their favorites" should be what you strive for. Keeping it delicious...

Main Auction Services has been serving the foodservice industry here in the state of Texas and it's surrounding states with easy access to restaurant equipment for over 30 years. You are the reason we are here. New restaurant equipment, used restaurant equipment, smalls, kitchen equipment, bakery equipment, bar equipment, and furnishings with decor are what we know. We buy so you can be successful in everything you do.

Call us today at any of our 3 locations in Texas: 1718 West Main Street • Grand Prairie, Texas 75050 • 972-642-0513,

12922 Hempstead Hwy • Houston, Texas 77040 • 713-690-1231,

2100 E Union Bower Road • Irving, Texas 75061 • 972-579-4612.

Whether you need to buy or sell one piece, or the contents of an entire restaurant, Main Auction Services is your resource for late-model restaurant, bakery and bar equipment. Call today to speak with a restaurant equipment specialists.