The well-known proverb among all those associated with restaurants is, “The Customer is Always Right.” Any consumer problem or question should be resolved as soon as possible. Customers, on the other hand, tend to air their grievances on social media sites in today’s digital world. However, if a customer posts a complaint on the internet, management should be quick to respond and respond with politeness and courtesy.
(i) Acknowledge Customer Complaints
Enable any of your customers who are dissatisfied with your restaurant’s service to express their opinions openly, and pay close attention to what they say. It’s common practice to repeat the customer’s words to ensure that you fully comprehend what they’re saying and to demonstrate that you’ve paid attention.
(ii) Respond Immediately
Employees should be given the authority to settle customer conflicts because it is the most productive and cost-effective form of resolving an issue. Apologize to the consumer right away and take corrective action. Maintaining calm and preventing the situation from worsening should be your primary goal.
(iii) Offer Freebies
The best kind of apology you can give is to provide compensation. Even a small gesture, such as delivering a complimentary dessert or a small amuse-bouche, will give you a lot of customer service points. These little gestures make the customers feel valued, and they will associate the restaurant with positive feelings.
(iv) Encourage Feedback and Bring Changes
Customers’ reviews and suggestions should be sought after their dining experience. Inquiring for customer feedback will also help you prevent negative customer reviews on social media. If customers’ issues have been answered, they are less likely to post a negative review on restaurant review sites and social media.
You can use your customer responses to find out what your customers don’t like about your restaurant and vice versa. You can make decisions to improve the overall restaurant service by focusing solely on customer reviews.