As a restaurant operator, you rely on your staff to ensure that the guest is always cared for. How you treat your team will be directly reflected in how they treat the guest.

This is an excellent quote from Shep Hyken. His book, Amaze Every Customer Every Time, is a must-read. The concept of creating moments of magic is what every restaurant should be striving for with every guest and team member interaction.

Why is it essential to refer to the customer as a guest?

It changes the way you and your staff think about the transaction.

When you have someone over at your home, they aren't customers; they are a guest. You are providing them with hospitality.

This is the same in your restaurant. Everyone who dines in your restaurant is a guest. Yes, they are there to satisfy the basic need of hunger, but they chose your full-service restaurant because they want to be taken care of; they are looking for an experience.

Got 60 seconds? Check out the video.

When you think about your restaurant's loyalty program, you are most likely thinking of a transactional-based system.

You get so many points for every dollar spent, and then those points are redeemable for perks and rewards.

But are those guests raving fans that help promote your business?

Loyalty can be looked at differently. What about that person who only dines a few times a year but continuously tells everyone they know about your restaurant. Like every post, they share every email and talk about their previous experience with their friends and family.

How can you track that. How about a referral program? Affiliate marketing is an essential part of the marketing strategy of many companies, for example, Amazon. Amazon has independent sales people promoting their products, and they get paid for every sale.

Build your affiliate network.

Identify your superfans.
Offer them a reward if they refer guests.
Reward them once that guest has dined at your restaurant.

Want to know how to do this?

You bring in raw ingredients to your restaurant,

You prepare than and portion them to have them ready for service.

A guest orders a menu item, and it is put together with items you prepared.

It gets delivered to the guest for them to enjoy.

That's an operational process.

What is your marketing process to attract new interest in your restaurant? Turn that interest into a first-time guest, and then a first time guest into a superfan?

Collect permission to market by having an email collection system. Send out personalized, engaged and consistent messages. Build a following of people who have dined in your restaurant.

‍

Wouldn't you want to have your marketing reflect this important relationship-building online to mirror the experience you provide in your restaurant?

But don't take our word for it; read the book. Permission Marketing by Seth Godin