What’s the secret behind most successful restaurants?
That’s the question restaurant owners everywhere are asking. The truth is, there is no secret trick to restaurant success—rather there are a mixture of many different internal and external factors. Of course, there are known factors at play, like good food, a profitable location, and the right industry knowledge. But what makes or breaks a business goes beyond the obvious.
Here are a few things the most successful restaurants have in common:
Satisfying Customer Experiences
This may sound like another obvious answer, but what goes into a satisfying customer experience changes as customer expectations evolve. Currently, conveniences like online ordering and delivery services are most popular. Consumers nowadays are very busy, and these options cater to those customers who may not have time to come in for a sit-down meal. These services also provide an extra stream of revenue to restaurants. Another popular customer convenience is a loyalty program, to keep current customers coming back, and gain data while you do.
The best way to provide a satisfying customer experience is to understand what customers want—and then offer that. That being said, fast service and fewer errors will always be desirable. Errors can leave a lasting impression and could cause you to lose customers, and slow service is a deal breaker for some. Advanced technology can help you improve accuracy and streamline services.
Optimized Workflow
Communication between staff is critical to a positive work culture, which affects the level of quality customer service your employees can provide. Happy, engaged employees always interact better with customers, so employee job satisfaction is important.
Smart scheduling can help you make sure you have appropriate coverage for each shift. The most successful restaurants leverage historical data from their point of sale system to accurately forecast their labor needs.
Others utilize technology to automate tasks and free up time. Automation gives you the ability to focus your time and attention on more profitable areas of business. It also allows your employees to focus more of their time and attention on providing better customer service.
Scalable Technology Solutions
When you invest in better restaurant technology and update your procedures to work more effectively, your business will naturally grow. The most successful restaurants understand this, because they’ve lived it.
They invested in technology solutions that can scale with them, like cloud-based point of sale software that allows them to access the data they need anywhere and at any time. They can also invest in new hardware as they grow, as mobile tablets can be more cost-effective than stationary terminals.
Extensive integration capabilities are also critical, as restaurants may need to add functionality when they expand. And with integrations come additional data that can be shared across systems and leveraged to create more profitable promotions or forecast inventory and labor needs.
A Reputable Provider
There is no single secret trick to ensuring your restaurant is successful. Successful restaurant management is a balancing act of many different facets of business. Pay attention to all different areas and leverage industry-leading technology to help wherever possible.
Often times, the difference between a successful restaurant and an average restaurant is the tools at the restaurant owner’s disposal. Of course, without the right provider, you may not be able to identify the best solution that will help you achieve the most success. Choose a reputable provider such as Focus POS, that shows a demonstrable commitment to providing the right technology to address the challenges restaurant owners face today and tomorrow.