Article

What Do Customers Want?

Sigmund Freud is often quoted as saying, "What do women want?" He never figured it out, but you may do better in figuring out what customers want.

As you created your restaurant, you probably thought a great deal about your customers -- what kind of food, what kind of atmosphere, what kind of lighting -- all sorts of things that would please your customers.

So, what do your customers want? Good food? Sure! The lowest price? Maybe.

Customers want genuine greetings

Your customers want to hear, "How are you today?" or "Welcome to..." Note the word "genuine." Mumbled, sing-song welcomes don't count. Don't forget the importance of eye contact. If you or your hostess is studying the seating chart to determine where to seat the guests who have just arrived, you will make your guests feel more like a commodity to be handled than guests in your restaurant.

Providing your guests with a sincere greeting is the best way to set the tone for the dining experience to follow.

It's not difficult to make every person who enters your restaurant feel welcome -- to feel as if you are glad they are there, that they've been missed if some time has passed since their last visit and that their visit is going to be an enjoyable one. Providing your guests with a sincere greeting is the best way to set the tone for the dining experience to follow.