We left the restaurant 5 seconds after walking in.

I was out of town with family . . . we were hungry and couldn’t decide on a place to eat breakfast. It always seems like a challenge to find great places to eat when traveling because you take the risk of spending money on food that disappoints. For this reason, we only considered restaurants that had great reviews, at least 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google. I picked a place that met this requirement. Previous guests raved about how delicious the food was.

We pulled into the busy parking lot and find a parking space. We walked through the front door, take a look around and immediately, I noticed the brown water stains on the ceiling, the dingy and ripped menus, the musty smell, and uncleanliness. My family and I look at each other with one glance . . . no words spoken . . . and we walked out of the restaurant.

I was so confused. This place had great reviews. It dawned on me that this restaurant had a very specific type of customer who loved eating there and we were not their ideal customer.

Food, service, and atmosphere are key components to building a great restaurant brand. It’s important for restaurants to retain existing customers while also attracting new ones. The National Restaurant Association states that “Many restaurant customers – including 64% of full service customers and 47% of limited-service customers say their dining experience is more important than the price of the meal.” Research shows that food quality, service quality, and physical environment will contribute to customer satisfaction and intentions to return.

An important part of restaurant branding is the customer experience online and in person. The experience needs to be consistent and exceed customers’ expectations. A great restaurant brand needs more than great food to keep customers coming back.

If you want to bring in more customers and keep loyal ones, schedule a BrandView session and we’ll identify the gaps and opportunities to take your business to the next level. https://melanielatrelle.com/#contact-showit 

Until Next Time

Melanie Latrelle