How restaurants connect with their customers affects everything from their professional reputation to sales. Having a solid relationship with your local community members drives patrons to dine with you again and again. Improving customer engagement has long-lasting effects on business, so it’s important to cultivate those relationships online as well as in person.
Why Is Engagement Important?
Everyone wants to feel like they matter. Customers are no different; servers who get to know their tables on a deeper level get bigger tips, and the guests are likely to come back again and again for the same excellent experience. Returning guests spend more money per average order, so retention is crucial. Also, consider implementing rewards programs because loyalty members tend to buy more too.
Servers’ performance is one of the driving factors for engagement. The harder they work, the better the customers’ experiences. Encourage good understanding with job benefits or other incentives because employees care about companies that show they care about their staff. That goodwill spills over and coaxes them to forge more genuine connections with guests.
Improving Engagement
Show that you care about the community so they care more about you. When customers feel like you’re really all one happy family, they want to support your restaurant as much as they can. Find ways to contribute positively to the neighborhood, such as…
Charitable giveaways to uplift vulnerable community members.
Partnerships with nearby businesses to generate buzz about you both. For example, team up with a winery and hold a special event where sommeliers pair meals with the best wine for it.
Offer free delivery to frontline workers and others affected badly by COVID-19, like hospitals and schools.
Being part of a community means taking care of others. It’s a two-way street: Extending a helping hand to those in need during challenging times brings you into the fold, so the rest of the community wants to support you back.
Find out what matters to your customers by looking at local events or even asking directly which causes they most want to see you support. Boost engagement on social media by asking questions or setting up polls for followers to reply to, telling you exactly what they want or need. Even something as simple as hosting a community movie night can go a long way if that’s what they crave.
Reap the Rewards
As we’ve demonstrated, positive engagement improves sales for a variety of reasons. Generate higher profits just by investing in your customer relationships. You’ll also get more traction for your restaurant because patrons who feel valued will recommend you to their family and friends, thus expanding your audience.
Gain customers for life by demonstrating your commitment to positively contributing to the community you’re all part of. Manage those loyal patrons more effectively with advanced restaurant technology that integrates rewards programs, monitors your sales data, generates real-time reports, and does so much more.
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