{"id":1515,"date":"2019-11-05T10:55:04","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T10:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/review-new.cameochina.com\/ca-long-lines-is-it-impossible-to-keep-customers-happy\/"},"modified":"2019-11-05T10:55:04","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T10:55:04","slug":"ca-long-lines-is-it-impossible-to-keep-customers-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/ca-long-lines-is-it-impossible-to-keep-customers-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Lines \u2013 Is It Impossible to Keep Customers Happy?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Published: November 2019<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"long-lines-is-it-impossible-to-keep-customers-happy\">Long Lines \u2013 Is It Impossible to Keep Customers Happy?<\/h3>\n<p><span>We recently read a review that went as follows; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2018<i>Normally, I hate waiting in line and would steer friends and family clear of restaurants that get especially busy. However, the servers were so friendly and welcoming that I didn\u2019t even get a chance to get upset. They took our belongings, were honest with expected waiting times, and we sat there happily with drinks while we waited.\u2019 <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Lines for a restaurant serve two main purposes; <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>They allow the waiting team some time to clear a table <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>They create a sense of intrigue for all who walk by <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>However, getting this process wrong can have catastrophic consequences. When customers are left waiting too long, or are perhaps continually told \u2018five minutes\u2019, it won\u2019t be long before they walk away (and tell friends to avoid the establishment too!). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>With this in mind, how do you make sure that your restaurant is worth the wait? Sometimes, forming lines is essential, so we\u2019ve compiled some advice here today! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>1. Always Remain Honest <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There\u2019s nothing worse than receiving lies from any company; if you don\u2019t think there\u2019s going to be a free table for 45 minutes, don\u2019t suggest 15. Why? Because they will start to get frustrated. As you continually lie about how long a table will be, they eventually get to the point where they don\u2019t even feel respected as customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As well as remaining honest, remember to encourage them to make a reservation so they don\u2019t have the same issue in the future. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>2. Optimize Your Reservations Systems <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We know that it can be scary to open your restaurant up to reservations; one cancellation and your expected income drops. Yet, by not allowing reservations, you may just turn away even more custom. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Instead of shying away from reservations, introduce a system like OpenTable where diners are rewarded for making the reservation and then turning up as expected. Compared to other systems, the 5% \u2018no-show\u2019 rate is actually incredibly strong. When you\u2019re more confident about reservations showing, you don\u2019t have so much drama with walk-in guests. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In fact, some restaurants have even started to take credit card details with the reservation. This way, they\u2019re even less likely to skip the reservation. Even if they do, your cancellation fee will come to the rescue. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>3. Assess Their Interest<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Are they actually willing to wait for as long as they say? Sadly, many people who walk away from a line actually do so because of their own hunger rather than your poor performance. Before accepting that they\u2019ll wait, double check otherwise they\u2019re artificially keeping the waiting time up for everyone else who comes after. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>4. Keep Guests Calm <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If your restaurant is known for long lines, it\u2019s probably unfair to expect people to wait in a lobby or even outside in the rain. Instead, make sure they have a proper waiting room. If they are outside, at least provide outdoor heating lamps and a drinking area. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Elsewhere, you can also keep customers calm by simply acknowledging their presence. If you\u2019ve ever felt ignored by a business, you\u2019ll know exactly how frustrating this is. Greet all guests, explain the situation, and take them to the bar (if this is an option!). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Finally, another great way to keep guests smiling is to pass around a few snacks. If you don\u2019t want them to go elsewhere, at least keep their hunger at bay while they wait. This is a cheap solution, they\u2019ll tell their friends of the fantastic service, and their main meal will be worth the wait. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>5. Occupy Guests <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As well as making guests happy, we also believe in occupying them so the time they spend waiting isn\u2019t just staring at one another. We have some suggestions for this; <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Send them Somewhere Nearby<\/span><span> \u2013 Firstly, you could give them something to do in the neighborhood. Is there a cool store next door or an event nearby?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Buy TVs<\/span><span> \u2013 Why not install some TVs in the waiting area and give customers something to watch?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Offer Coloring Books<\/span><span> \u2013 For children (and some adults, if they really want!), you could hand out coloring books. Not only does this keep the younger ones occupied, the parents are less likely to walk out when their kids are happily coloring, and when you\u2019ve accommodated them so nicely. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Take a Number<\/span><span> \u2013 If the worst comes to worst and they\u2019re ready to walk away, take a number and contact them directly when a table is free. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span><b>Conclusion <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Some people will never be happy in a line, but you can do your best with these fantastic ideas! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Published: November 2019 Long Lines \u2013 Is It Impossible to Keep Customers Happy? We recently read a review that went as follows; \u2018Normally, I hate waiting in line and would steer friends and family clear of restaurants that get especially busy. However, the servers were so friendly and welcoming that I didn\u2019t even get a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}