Service excellence: 11 tips for restaurants

Achieving service excellence is a goal for any restaurant. After all, to earn five-star reviews from customers and keep a strong reputation in the market, you need to deliver flawless, standout service.

It's not always easy. The quality of customer service depends on many factors: well-defined processes, efficient technology, team training— and so on.

In this article, find out why it's worth investing in this and check out 15 tips for your restaurant to improve customer service. Read on!

Learn more: How EPOC helps optimize service at your restaurant

Do you know what excellent service really is?

To start, it's worth reflecting a little on what service excellence means. The question is: what makes the difference between good service and excellent service? What makes a customer rate the restaurant five stars instead of just four?

Have you ever thought about it?

O good service is the minimum that any restaurant, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, should offer. It's the “bread and butter” — but don't be fooled! Doing the basics is already a big challenge, since there are many aspects to handle. Among them are:

• Readiness – always being on hand and available;
• Agilidade – being quick and efficient;
• Courtesy – being friendly and polite;
• Patience – keeping your composure when solving problems;
• Professionalism – knowing the menu and how to serve;
• Cleanliness – maintaining hygiene and organization.

Service excellence only comes once all these points are mastered and become the restaurant's standard.

From there, you can go further and identify your audience's specific expectations and desires. Then use that information as a foundation to refine the customer experience, aiming to delight and surprise. Check out our tips below!

Is it worth improving customer service?

Yes, absolutely. Quality service is highly valued by customers and can be a major differentiator for your business. When you manage to go beyond the basics and deliver a unique experience, the rewards are many.

an study released by Deloitte showed that restaurants investing in customer experience see a great return because customers:

• Come back more often – 60% of customers said a positive experience makes them return to the restaurant more often. In other words: this is a key point for customer loyalty.

• Spend more – 39% of customers said they spend more at a restaurant when the experience is good. So good service can make your average ticket go up.

• Recommend more – 41% of customers recommended the restaurant to family or friends after having a good experience. It's the famous word-of-mouth marketing, free and highly effective.

Beyond the points cited in the study, excellent service helps raise customer satisfaction and maintain a strong reputation in the market.

As a result, you strengthen your restaurant's brand and can expand your business more easily.

Leia também: Overdelivery: how to use the strategy and build customer loyalty

11 tips for achieving excellence in customer service

Now that you understand what excellent service means and the advantages of investing in it, check out our tips for offering the best to your customers and growing your business.

1. Take care of your team

Customer satisfaction starts with your team's satisfaction: if your staff are happy and motivated, it will show when they serve customers. Likewise, if the mood is tense, customers will notice.

2. Create authentic interactions

How your team interacts with customers is decisive for service quality. Your staff should be friendly and welcoming, acting naturally so customers feel welcome and drawn into your restaurant's atmosphere.

3. Allow customization

Flexibility to adapt a meal to a customer's specific needs earns you points. Always have options for dietary restrictions on the menu and be ready to make swaps or adjustments. It makes all the difference.

4. Create delight

Exceed your customers' expectations by creating memorable moments they'll want to share. A simple complimentary treat or a carefully plated dish is a good start, but the ideal is to study your customer profile and understand what would really make their eyes light up.

Leia também: How to create a customer service flowchart for restaurants

5. Listen to the customer

Pay attention to your customers' needs. Show that you understood the request and deliver exactly what they need. This may seem obvious, but conflicts very often arise simply because whoever served them didn't know how to listen and be receptive.

6. Personalize the experience

Who doesn't like feeling special? If your restaurant manages to personalize the experience, it will certainly be remembered positively. A very easy example: if a customer makes a reservations for their 23rd birthday, save tab 23 for them. Creating a tasting menu is also a great way to offer a standout experience.

7. Get to know your customer (for real)

Use a restaurant software that lets you register and record each customer's consumption information. That way, you can easily remember their preferences and surprise them, offering personalized service.

8. Value and respond to feedback

Feedback is a gift. Create the opportunity for your customer to give feedback — you can ask directly or use satisfaction surveys, for example. Always thank them for improvement suggestions and compliments, make it clear that the customer's opinion matters a lot, and implement the improvements.

9. Anticipate needs

If you listen to your customer and truly know them, then you can anticipate their needs. Don't wait to be asked. One of the best ways to surprise is precisely to act first, be proactive and, in some cases, deliver what your customer didn't even know they needed.

10. Make decisions easier

Choosing can be a little stressful. That's why your staff should know the menu inside out and help customers make decisions. Suggestions for the daily specials, drinks to pair with the chosen meal and ingredient swaps to fit the customer's diet need to be on the tip of their tongue at all times.

11. Solve problems efficiently

Problems happen and your team must be ready to solve them efficiently. Resolving them quickly is the best way to turn the situation around and get customers to recognize the quality of your service.

Learn more: How do you create a customer service manual?

Liked the tips? Then start training your team

Achieving service excellence takes a lot of effort, but it pays off!

If your goal is to provide the best service and experience to your customers, start defining your processes and training your team right now. Download the Customer Service Training Guide to see a complete step-by-step. It's free!