8 Things for A Better Dining Experience at Your Restaurant

Good food is the heart and soul of any good restaurant. It is the food that brings the crowds through the doors, but there are a few things that could really make your restaurant more welcoming. These small things make an immediate impact on your guest and can also stop them from visiting you, if they go wrong!

1. First Impressions

The décor of your restaurant is the first interaction that your guest has with your brand. It’s a big part of the guests’ dining experience. When they take the first glance at your décor, it should give them a sense of what it will be like to dine at your restaurant.

2. Smells Fishy?

The smell is a big part of experiencing food. If you get it right, your restaurant will be associated in the guests’ mind with the smells it houses. Unfortunately, the same is the case if you get it wrong. A foul, musty or ripe smell can be a big turn off for guests! Make sure your restaurant has a crisp, dry and inviting smell that washes over your guests as they come in.

3. Table for Two?

Your service staff, right from the host, to the servers, the bartender, and the busboys, all make an impression on your guest. Make sure you have well-trained, experienced and helpful staff. The human aspect of dining out can bring back your customers again and again, if it hits the right note with them.

4. Comfort is Key

The dining tables and chairs should be stable, sturdy and spacious enough for the guest to enjoy the food in peace and comfort. The table should also be at the right height and setting for the kind of menu you have. Having to constantly mind their elbows can become an annoying interference in their meal.

5. Squeaky Clean

Cleanliness is priority number one! In the food business, a lapse in cleanliness can be not just bad for business, but also bad for the health of your guests. We can’t say this enough! Everything in your restaurant, from the kitchen to the waiting area, should be daily cleaned and sanitised.

6. A King’s Spread

The crockery, cutlery and glassware in your restaurant can make or break the experience of your food. First off, they should be cleaned and sanitised after each use. Moreover, if the dishes and drinks are presented in a way that compliments the menu and most importantly, easy to eat and drink, people can fully concentrate on the food and appreciate it better. The cutlery fitting each item served should be laid out before the food is brought to the table.

Golden Rule: NEVER use plates, bowls or glasses with cracks or chinks!

7. Nature’s Call

The bathroom is a place where the guest will spend the least amount of time and if it’s clean and functional, they would probably not even think about it for a second! If your bathroom is filthy, foul-smelling, or out of order, however, it can hijack the entire experience. Make sure the washrooms in your restaurant are clean, accessible, and don’t have unnecessarily complex signage that has to be decoded!

8. Water, Water, Everywhere

When dining out, guests like to have choices in everything. And it’s only fair they get this choice in the water they’d drink for the evening. Having just one bottled water option in your menu is simply not enough anymore. In fact, leading restaurants of the world have now started having dedicated fine water menus with up to 20 different kinds of water, complete with pairing suggestions featuring items on the food menu. For the forward-thinking restaurateur, it’s important to get on board and expand their horizons on fine waters, before they miss the bus!