GUESTS: 5 Ways Owners Can Turn Their Guests into Regulars
According to a study by the Garnet Group, 20% of a company’s existing customers generate at least 80% of its future revenue. Focusing on creating regulars will increase future revenue. But how can you convert a one-time visitor into a regular? Operators need to identify their core customers base and cater to them. They can do this by understanding the customers’ lifecycle, training staff to be guest-centric, rewarding repeat business, and building community.
DID YOU KNOWS…
America’s Favorite Frozen Treats
Loacker and Statista collaborated to survey the American public on their frozen treat preferences and how they contribute to bringing extra goodness into their lives. The highlights of the questionnaire – which explored regional, generational and even zodiac-based variations – have been compiled into a vibrant Story Chart infographic.
Countries with the Most Ultra Rich
At the top of the list is the United States, where 81,340 ultra rich people resided last year. Ultra-rich is being defined as having a net worth of at least $30 million. In second place, but still a significant stretch behind, is China with 24,965. The U.S. also dominates of course when it comes to the total wealth of these individuals. In 2018 this amounted to $9.8 trillion, compared to China's $3.8 trillion
Fastest Growing Jobs
The fastest-growing sector is the healthcare industry, with healthcare support occupations projected to grow by 18.2% over the next decade. The specific professions posting the highest growth are home health aides and personal care aides, with growth forecasts for both job titles standing at 37% and 36% respectively. Despite both titles holding double the growth prospects of their wider industry, both jobs pay well below the national median annual wage. About 50% of people with either job title make less than $24,000 a year.
PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER [Video]
Why it matters to you: Sometimes customers can be horrible, yet we survive.
The Chive is a website dedicated to content that is interesting to young men -- and it’s super successful. Their regular content focuses on the things young men enjoy, the trends they follow, and the places they go. To that end, this gallery on the Chive is a survey of the horrible shit that customers can do. It’s no surprise that out of 1 out of 3 of those images are from food service experiences. But don’t despair, this isn’t a review of how horrible customers can be; it’s more of a reminder of how it reflects on them and has nothing to do with you. The fact that someone would leave a dirty diaper at the table (#3) or think it’s appropriate to let their two year old stand on the bar has nothing to do with you. Anyone capable of this type of horrid behavior is their own worst enemy and their actions reflect on their deficiencies and not your value.
The longer you work in our industry, the more terrible behavior you see, but that just opens your eyes to the good stuff. If 1% of guests act poorly that means that 99% of them behave like normal adults. To go one step further, likely more than 1% are actually wonderful and become friends. Take the 20% of your guests that are regulars. These folks visit your place a lot. For many of you they become friends and an extended family.
It’s the true joy of our industry that we get to meet so many folks with diverse stories and on whole that are really wonderful humans. So, the next time you have to clean a table that looks like #11, remember that person is broken, unkind, and will likely not be back. Remember, your restaurant functions because you’re better than that behavior and your regulars, team, and the community know it quite well.
[Source: The Chive]
BADA BOOMBOZZ
Why it matters to you: Retention success starts with a simple question.
When a national magazine does a story on one of our subscribers, we are always interested to learn more about why they are successful. This profile about BoomBozz Pizza does a solid job of demonstrating why they are growing and what core values are helping them do so. Like all of us, BoomBozz needed to improve their performance on recruiting and retaining great employees. For founder and CEO Tony Palombino the strategy was simple, return to a core value of focusing on current and potential staff as people, not just a business tool.
Consequently, they decided to take different approach during to gather more insight into a potential staff member’s character and personality by adding simple question to their interview process: What are your hobbies?
The answer tells you much about what the candidate’s values and what they might be passionate about, but that’s not where BoomBozz leaves it. By inquiring and recording the candidate’s answer they give the restaurant an opportunity to bring value to the person after they join the team. The example described was specific to an employee that says they love to play guitar. BoomBozz’s response is to provide them lessons or maybe buy that staff member a guitar. Neither of these choices is free or even cheap, however, you can image the way a team member would respond when you offer them a path to something they love as a result of working for you. It’s just not always about money in our industry. People will retain themselves if they feel valued and special by the way you treat them. And frankly, guitar lessons are far cheaper than the $5000 it costs to recruit, interview, and train a new team member. Well done BoomBozz, well done.
[Source: FSR Magazine]
