In the United States, the restaurant industry comprises of independent diners as well as chain restaurants the either fall into the full-service or limited-service category. According to the National Restaurant Association, the projected sales for 2019 are around $863 billion with over 1 million locations spread out across the nation. With over 15.1 million employees working in the industry the entire workforce constitutes 10% of the entire US’s labor force. While the numbers are quite staggering to take in, however for those who run their own business the viewpoint is quite easy to understand. The competition within the industry has not only risen but in fact, has got even more challenging with time as recent studies report a positive sales growth in 2019. In this post, we would like to offer you some great suggestions through which you can create an appealing image for your venues that will bring in more customers by enticing them to their core. So let’s take a quick look at each one of them:
Pitch Your Uniqueness and Make Your Venue Distinguishable
With a plethora of diners and restaurants available to the masses, there is no doubt you need to create an original outlook for your business so that it becomes distinct and easily distinguishable from the rest. This will help you gain recognition and some prominence when compared with other competitors within the industry. Hence it is ultimately important that you decide to pitch your venture as a unique place to dine and entertain customers. This could very well imply that you hire a renowned chef as a part of your kitchen staff and offer exotic dishes to visitors, provide an exclusive menu catering to a specialized cuisine style, and the list goes on. The important point over here is to understand that you need to create a solid brand image for your restaurant and be consistent with it over time. Hence whatever you choose to do, you have to make sure that you can carry that image in the long run without any deviations in between. Since the more consistent you are in your approach over a period of time, it will eventually allow your customers and targeted prospects to become familiarized with offerings and services. Building your brand image takes time, so pick out your niches after considerable research so that you make an informed decision that offers you better returns in the long run.
Sell Your Services through Your Staff
It is important to realize that for any restaurant or cafeteria to be a success story, their staff plays a pivotal role in making it big both in the short run and in the long run. Hence you need to invest a substantial amount of your time, effort, and even finances to train your staff to behave and conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. This will eventually make your diner more hospitable and encourage visitors to simply barge in and start placing their orders. For starters, custom wait staff uniforms are most recommended as it will not only make them appear more professionally trained but it will also assist in promulgating your business in the eye of the general public, onlookers, and bystanders. Furthermore, you should ensure that they always present themselves in an adequate manner where their personal hygiene and grooming are kept in pristine condition. Lastly, you should also offer them training with respect to conflict management and resolution so that they can adapt to challenging situations during their work hours and provide assistance to those who demand it. People like to be treated with courtesy and this is exactly how your restaurant staff should follow as an example.
Try Overloading Conveniences
The more facilitation your restaurant offers for the customers the better it is. Here are some quick suggestions for you to consider and include as a staple for your venues:
- Parking space and valet parking.
- Outdoor and indoor seating arrangements.
- Ease of access for the handicapped.
- Pet-friendly diner.
- Accommodations for larger groups of people and families with children.
- Live music, pool table, cable TV, and high-speed Wi-Fi internet connectivity.
- Menus for breakfast, lunch, brunch, hi-tea, dinner, and buffet.
- Salad bar, cocktails, ice cream parlor, desserts, full-service bar, etc.
- 24/7 service, takeaway, drive-thru, home delivery, and table services.
- Bookings and reservations, catering services, room for holding business meetings.
We hope this post was able to offer you a better understanding as to how you can create an alluring image for your restaurant to attract more customers and prospects. For more questions regarding the topic, please feel free to let us know your opinions in the comment section below.
