COVID-19 hit the restaurant industry hard. Even as businesses start to reopen, owners and managers must find ways to keep their restaurants relevant in the wake of online ordering and delivery services.
One of the best ways to get patrons to return to your restaurant is to offer friendly yet streamlined service. Minimal wait times, flexible and attentive staff, and an intuitive ordering system make your restaurant more alluring for customers and increase your chances of seeing them again. Improve your business with these ways to speed up customer service in your restaurant.
Be Smart About Scheduling
Every business schedules employees a little differently, but you should always ensure you’re making smart scheduling decisions. Start by looking at your peak business hours and making sure you have plenty of staff on hand to handle the rush. Similarly, always have enough people to man every part of your restaurant: front of house, back of house, drive-thru, etc. Finally, while lean scheduling can be tempting to save money, it can hurt your business in the long run. Keeping minimal staff on hand leads to employee burnout and can cause you to fall behind during surprise rushes.
Invest in Fresh, Streamlined Technology
Keeping up with modern technology—such as mobile terminals or advances in POS software—is one of the best ways to speed up customer service in your restaurant. Avoid outdated equipment or system downtime when you invest in fast and intuitive systems that are built for your specific business needs.
One of the best examples of technology speeding up restaurant service is through the use of QR ordering. Whether you use self-serve kiosks for tableside ordering or printed QR codes to offer access to an online, contact-free menu on customers’ mobile devices, QR technology is an easy way to streamline service and take some of the burden off your staff.
Prioritize Staff Training
If you throw new employees onto the floor without a lot of training, they’re bound to move slower and make more mistakes than experienced, well-trained staff. Slow down your training routine and make sure employees are confident and knowledgeable before they serve customers on their own. This will help minimize mistakes and make employees and customers alike more comfortable.
