Article

Enhancing the customer experience

Three fast casuals that have turned obvious customer-service approaches into benchmarks for success.

June 7, 2009 by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

When it comes to providing an overall customer experience, fast casual restaurants seem to have the market covered. After all, the fastest-growing segment of the restaurant industry has for several years given consumers an overall dining out experience they can't get anywhere else.

Herb Heiserman, principal of Bethesda, Md.-based design firm The Heiserman Group, said Vapiano's leaders wanted to carry the brand's high-end look and feel to every extension of the restaurant, including the restrooms.

While design is important, the little things matter too. We all have stories of visiting restaurant restrooms that left a lot to be desired and although much has been said and written about the importance of bathroom cleanliness, this fact can't be stressed enough.

A small investment in an automatic air freshener could pay a big return in regard to the message it sends to consumers. So does the display of a bathroom-maintenance checklist initialed by employees after each inspection.

2. Meet and greet: The first thing guests hear when they walk into a Moe's Southwest Grill is the infamous "Welcome to Moe's" greeting.

Paul Damico, president of Moe's Southwest Grill, said the guest experience at Moe's is largely dependent on the interaction between the guest, and and it all begins with "Welcome to Moe's."

"Not only does the greeting immediately engage the guest, but it also offers a burst of energy and fun which is fundamental to the Moe's experience," he said. "The guest feels acknowledged and appreciated by every member of the crew and is able to interact with each one personally as he or she moves down the line. Our customers notice it, enjoy it and expect it; and when they do not hear it, they're disappointed."

While few fast casuals offer the same type of greeting that Moe's does, they could benefit from some type of welcome.

"The initial greeting is critical as it sets the tone for the dining experience. It creates the initial impression," said Mark Netsch, founder of restaurant consultancy PerformanceScope.

Not only is saying hello important, but so is saying goodbye.

"I don't care if they're programmed to say that or not, I like to hear it," he said. "I've got a lot of examples of chains that don't do it, but there are some that do it very well."

3. Offer more than what's expected: According to the book, "A Complaint is a Gift," written by Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller, about a 10 percent to 12 percent problem rate is the lowest most industruies can receive.

"It is safe to conclude that problems will always be with us," the book states.

While it's easy for operators to say they go above and beyond the call to action, very few actually do it well.

According to research firm Food Action Group, while 80 percent of restaurant operators say they deliver a superior experience, only 8 percent of restaurant guests believe that to be true.

San Diego-based Pat & Oscar's offers customers a 110 percent guarantee that they will like their products and dining experience. That's how confident the San-Diego-based chain is of their product and environment, said chief executive officer John Kaufman.

If a customer finds they don't like the meal or their dining experience, Pat & Oscar's will give the guest a 100 percent refund and another 10 percent. The company's 110 percent guarantee is displayed at the POS and coveys the message to consumers the brand stands behind its products and services.

It might take some thinking outside of the box to give consumers more than what they expect, and it may cost more than what the guest has spent.

"Dozens of customer surveys suggest that there is enormous room for improvement on how customers are treated once they have bought and, at times, before they buy," write Barlow and Moller. "Employees, and the systems they are forced to operate in, persistently get in the way of customers having a positive experience."

But if done right, the ability is there to take a potentially negative experience and turn it into a positive one.