First Impressions

Whether you are planning your first restaurant or are a seasoned restaurateur, consider this: Every time someone walks through your business' front door, you have the opportunity to make an impression. What does that mean for you? It means you get multiple shots every day at demonstrating your best -- or worst, as the case may be.


Take a look around. Consider your restaurant with fresh eyes. It only takes a few seconds for customers to size up a place and decide whether to stay. Put yourself in their shoes. Use all of your senses and pay attention to the details of what you see, hear, touch, smell and will eventually taste.


Your first priority must be cleanliness. Nothing will drive a customer out the door faster than filth. If the front of the house isn't clean, one can easily assume the kitchen is far worse. It goes without saying that food safety regulations must be followed to the letter and good hygiene should be practiced by all employees. But what about a general impression? Do the floors look like someone could eat off them? Are the tables cleared quickly? Is dust collecting in the corners, on the ceiling fans and on window sills? One popular restaurant had double-pane windows, and between the glass, dead flies collected. At another, dried ketchup remained behind for years on artwork that hung on booth walls. While employees quickly become oblivious to these sorts of things, customers don't. 


The next order of business is whether a customer feels welcome. Busy restaurants, in particular, need to take care to acknowledge new arrivals and attend to their needs as soon as possible. No one likes to wait for service, but worse is to be ignored. Employees must be trained in attentive service. Most repeateries do this well because their parent corporations make it a priority, even assigning mystery shoppers to time how long it takes to make that first connection. Small establishments need to take it just as seriously.


What about your restaurant's concept? Can you articulate it? While this topic is larger than can be addressed in a few sentences, it's worth mentioning here. A restaurant with a strong concept will likely make a stronger first impression than one that doesn't and will be better able to target its desired demographic. 


Those restaurants with established clientele need be particularly aware. The owners may feel like they can rest on the laurels of earlier impressions. Not so. A  restaurant that doesn't occasionally update its decor and menu may quickly become passé or boring, and loyal customers may decide to dine elsewhere.


Every so often, put yourself in your customer's shoes. Even be the customer on occasion. You may discover that this change in perspective will, in fact, give you a change in perspective -- exactly what information you need to run a better business. 


~ Ellen Ritscher Sackett, for Good Taste Buds