What does the smallest of details say about your restaurant? Your guests are always watching and subtly judging you. With stiff competition and low margins, it is crucial to not lose a customer because of these simple, but impactful points.
Dirty parking lot. The arrival and departure is the first and last impression a guest will have to form an opinion about their experience. As your guests arrive, are they welcomed with a clean, bright and accessible parking spot? Or are they met with employee cars, cigarettes and garbage and perhaps a less than safe environment to leave their vehicle while they dine?
Entry through the casino. Once inside, are your guests greeted by security and welcomed warmly, with an offer to direct them or a statement of luck? Or are they met with a surly glance, just to then be ignored as insignificant and left to find their own way?
The Podium. Once at the restaurant, are your guests greeted with a sense of anticipation by the hostess or manager, eagerly welcoming them and swiftly taking them to a desirable table? Or are they left to wait until someone notices them and a server rushes them to the first available seat?
The Table. Are your tables clean, set appropriately and comfortable? Or do your guests bring out their Clorox wipes and put sugar packets under your table legs to adjust the wobble?
The Menu. Is the primary tool your guest uses to make you money clean, readable and accurate? Or has it been used for too many guests, torn, tattered and stained? Not to mention, full of misspelled words and 86’d items?
The Ambience. Is your restaurant appropriately bright, vacuumed and free from clutter? Or do you see yesterday’s three-year old’s pasta under the table? Are there chairs stacked up in the corner? Is the carpet sticky? Do your guests feel like they just saw something scurry past them? Is it too dark and feel like they have to quickly eat to get out alive?
The Server. Are your servers well uniformed with nametag and a smile? Or do they look disheveled and smell like they just got back from their smoke-break?
The Restroom. Are your bathrooms clean, bright and accessible to all, without walking a considerable distance to relieve themselves? Or are your bathrooms a shared storeroom for supplies and used by employees who are observed not to wash their hands with any regard for the meal they are about to prepare for you?
The Service Ware. When the food and drinks are served, are they in vessels that are clean and free from wear? Or is there lipstick, watermarks and chips on them? Worse … do they have someone else’s food left on them?
The Food. When your guests finally receive their food, are the plates clean, with only the food that they ordered on the plate? Or are their other items that leave the guest wondering how it got there, including hair, fingernail clippings and someone’s Band-Aid?
The Condiments. When your guest wants to add some salt and pepper, or squeeze some ketchup or other condiment on their plate, is it full, clean and without residue? Or does it look old and sticky, leaving your guest to ask for another bottle?
The Check. Once dining is complete, are your guests presented with a clean check in a clean check presenter and company pen? Or do they get a crinkled receipt on a dirty tray and a Marriott Hotel pen that doesn’t write any longer?
The Goodbye. Are your guests thanked and sincerely welcomed back as they depart, ensuring that their entire experience has meet or exceeded their expectation? Or do your guests shrug their shoulders and wonder why they came here in the first place, only to search where the nearest pharmacy is for some Pepto-Bismol?
The good news is that it is a relatively simple fix. Re-focus on the details.
These may seem silly and exaggerated, however they come from real experiences at casino restaurants around the U.S. In many cases, the operator has no idea why they are losing customers, experiencing reduced average checks and their reviews are more negative than positive. Regardless of how good the food and or service actually is, these factors can and do affect people’s perceptions.
Your next steps:
- Walk the property and take notes on what needs to be fixed, cleaned or de-cluttered. Then make a plan to do the work.
- Talk to your team about what issues they see with the property. Actually, asking your team will engage them into caring more. If you are interested, they will be too.
- Review, update or write standard operating procedures and steps of service that focus on behaviors and actions that impact guest perceptions. Have a third-party or a new set of eyes take a look and give you a review of what they see and use that information to improve your property.
- The basic role of the service staff is to set the stage and present great food, beverage and service to your guests. This setting of the stage includes all of the unliked, but necessary sidework that prepares for a great guest experience. By clearly defining what the sidework expectations are and “Inspecting what is expected,” your team will excel in setting the proper stage for a great dining experience for your guests.
When is the last time you audited your food and beverage operation? Whether you’re ready to expand your gaming property to include a hotel or you’re adding more F&B or retail outlets, Raving’s hospitality team will help you create consistent and measurable training standards, policies and procedures, protocols and goals, property-wide. Let’s start the conversation!
