Great restaurant CX is an end-to-end experience that encompasses every interaction a diner has with your brand. It begins the moment a customer walks in the door and continues through their meal and beyond. A dependable, positive customer experience that takes every step of this journey into consideration will shape their overall impression of your restaurant, relationship with your brand, and satisfaction level. This is particularly crucial for brands with multiple locations. A uniform, high-quality customer experience across all outlets will:
- Build trust and enhance your brand’s reputation.
- Solidify your market position.
- Increase customer loyalty and return visits.
- Drive revenue.
For many years, restaurants used paper and pen checklists to ensure a great customer experience, but that system had several built-in flaws. It’s nearly impossible to share information efficiently across shifts or locations, leading to operational inconsistencies and varied customer experiences. Accountability is inadequate and the practice of “pencil whipping,” where employees hastily complete checklists without thorough verification, makes compliance difficult to enforce. Finally, these systems are prone to damage and loss, creating gaps in historical data crucial for long-term operational analysis and improvements.
Digital checklists that have been customized to your brand standards address and overcome all these issues, improving operations and leading to great restaurant CX. Here’s how:
Create Great Front of House Restaurant CX with Digital Checklists
1. Daily Setup
To make a great first impression and ensure smooth operation from the moment doors open, daily setup requires meticulous attention to detail. Digital checklists for daily setup should include tasks such as verifying that all tables are clean, properly aligned, and set with the correct tableware and menus. Opening checklists must also cover comprehensive cleaning routines, ensuring that every public area of the restaurant, from the dining room to the restrooms, is comfortable and pristine.
2. Table Management
Streamline your dining room with checklists that enable hosts to systematically manage seating and real-time table availability, reducing wait times and optimizing turnover rates. Wondering how to attract families to your restaurant? Use checklists to remind staff to provide waiting guests with amenities to make the wait more pleasant such as complimentary refreshments or amusements for young children.
3. Service Quality and Environment
Service checklists improve restaurant CX by providing a structured framework for staff to ensure every guest interaction meets your establishment’s standards. These checklists can prompt staff to confirm that each table receives proper attention from greeting to payment, and to address any issues in real-time. Ambience checklists verify that music, lighting, and overall ambiance are set to enhance dining experience.
4. Signage, Menus, and Other Collateral
Create checklists to ensure all promotional and informational signage is accurately displayed and refreshed daily. Update checklists periodically to highlight seasonal specials on menus, tables, tents, and other collateral. Implement a menu planning checklist then train staff on seasonal items or special promotions, so that they are informed and can communicate effectively with customers about the latest offerings.
5. Promotions and Upselling
Checklists that remind staff of time-sensitive or ongoing promotions and upselling opportunities effectively increase customers’ perception of value. This strategy enhances overall restaurant CX while also boosting sales.
Digital Checklists Improve Restaurant CX in Back of House, Too
6. Kitchen Processes
Standardizing every process from prep to plating with digital checklists reduces the likelihood of order errors and ensures that all dishes meet the brand standards before leaving the kitchen. Even better, improving workflows with checklists will boost restaurant CX by helping kitchen staff manage time more efficiently, leading to faster service and fresher meals being served to customers.
7. Cleanliness and Maintenance
When asked what was important to them in a 2021 survey, 83% of customers said maintaining a safe environment, 80% said helping prevent the spread of germs, and 78% said protecting family and friends. While public concern has certainly relaxed since the end of the pandemic, cleanliness remains a priority for diners. Maintain a hygienic environment with checklists to verify that cleaning and maintenance tasks are completed on schedule.
8. Inventory Management
By providing a systematic method for tracking stock levels and usage patterns, digital checklists play a crucial role in inventory management. Maintaining adequate supplies reduces waste, prevents inventory shortages and eliminates the disappointment that occurs when customer orders can’t be fulfilled. Regular use of these checklists also allows for more in-depth monitoring of item usage rates, which aids in forecasting future needs and optimizing purchasing decisions.
9. Food Safety Compliance
Digital checklists that include integrated temperature monitoring and label printing are essential for enhancing restaurant CX by protecting food safety. When food is prepared and stored at safe temperatures and all items are clearly labeled, health risks are reduced. Demonstrating your brand’s commitment to quality and attention to detail results in high inspection scores and improved reputation, reassuring customers about the safety and integrity of their meals and contributing positively to their overall experience.
10. Staff Training
A structured approach helps new staff quickly learn their roles and responsibilities, leading to more confident and competent service. Checklists that provide clear, step-by-step guidelines and cover essential tasks and service standards ensure uniform training for all team members. The resulting well-trained staff then comes together to enhance overall customer experience, providing consistent, efficient, and attentive service. That, in turn, builds customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Start Boosting Restaurant CX with Digital Checklists Today
So much of restaurant operations remains invisible to diners, yet every step impacts customer experience. Whether observable or hidden, each service element must adhere to your carefully crafted standards. From the way that customers are greeted to their experience at the table and even the safety measures that you take to protect them, digital checklist solutions streamline operations, leading to enhanced efficiency, reduced errors, and a more satisfying restaurant CX. Brand loyalty grows and profits do, too.
Say goodbye to outdated checklist systems that leave room for error and a lack of accountability. Discover DailyChex and AuditApp, technology solutions from MeazureUp that work in tandem to help your brand meet and exceed customer expectations across locations. Schedule a demo today.
