Make Service More Predictable
In an effort to give consumers the convenience and transparency they seek, restaurant operators are introducing features to the ordering process that help their customers know what to expect while placing and waiting for an order. These enhancements help diners manage their time, whether they are eating in a restaurant, picking up carryout or getting delivery.
Depending on the size and setup of your operation, there are various assurances you may be able to offer your patrons to put their minds at ease when they need to eat in a hurry. Here are some of the ways that restaurants are improving the speed and quality of their service.
- Promise to serve food within a limited window of time. At Buffalo Wild Wings, if a dish from the B-Dubs Fast Break Lunch menu doesn’t arrive within 15 minutes, there will be no charge for the meal.
- Provide an estimate of how soon an order will be ready for pickup. Chipotle uses a system to determine when staff will be able to fulfill an order based on how many others are already in process.
- Offer the option to schedule a takeout order in advance. Tender Greens accepts orders through its website and mobile app, and it has separate cooking and checkout lines to handle in-store and premade transactions.
- Give real-time updates about the progress of a delivery. Pizza Hut’s delivery tracker gives customers the opportunity to get information via text as well as check the status online or in the chain’s mobile app.
Have you ever used service guarantees in your operation? Share your approach with us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and read additional suggestions for how to please patrons in our Tips section.
SOURCES
Taylor, Kate. Buffalo Wild Wings just unleashed a plan to crush Chipotle and Panera Bread, Business Insider, July 2016.
Romeo, Peter. Chipotle Airs New Recovery Tactics, Restaurant Business, April 2016.
Budds, Diana. How The Seamless Era Is Changing Restaurant Design, Co.Design, November 2017.
Klein, Danny. How Pizza Hut’s Tracker Differs from the Competition, QSR, May 2017.
