Effective Restaurant Marketing Idea #8

8. At Any Impromptu Time - Surprise the Guests with "WOW, Exceptional Service!" Surprise makes an ordinary event, a Special Event. The Service Team needs to watch for 'an impromptu time" to provide ''WOW". Provide the guest with something Special ... something Extra ... something Totally Unexpected.

What is provided could differ with every Guest. The Service Team needs to be sensitive to each set of Guests and do something Special just for them. Special balloons and/or decorations can turn an ordinary dining experience into "WOW, Exceptional Service!" especially a birthday party.

A word of caution. "WOW" should never make a Guest feel uncomfortable AND you absolutely must allow the Guest to choose whether or not they want to participate. This is true of a simple thing like singing "Happy Birthday". The person whose birthday it is should be asked if they want to participate. There are a lot of things that can be done to celebrate without creating a situation where the Guest may be embarrassed. Let the Guests participate "in their own way".

Servers need to keep their eyes and ears open for "WOW" opportunities. "WOW" can result from the smallest inspiration of an Employee. The secret is to learn to be open to possibilities. A chance remark from a Guest in an ordinary conversation. Practically anything can set off a creative mind. Think about how much fun "WOW" can be for the Guests and other Employees. It is alright to serve a little fun with a meal.

It is a good idea to create a company policy where every Employee submits a suggestion of at least one good, new idea every day. Good ideas can be found anywhere, even other industries, and then adapted to fit your specific Restaurant ... Just keep your eyes open ... Keep your mind open and look for opportunities.

Walt Disney was a master at providing "WOW" experiences. Inside Disneyland or Disney World visitors find one interesting theme after another. What makes Disney such a wonderful example is the attention they pay to even the very smallest details and their ability to select and train their Employees. At Disney, the Employees are hired by the casting office and report to wardrobe for their costumes.

Whenever a theme is used successfully, it is a combination of the attention to detail and insisting that each Employee performs according to their character. Decor is an important part of the entertainment and it is carried out in a professional manner.

Your Restaurant needs to operate in much the same way. You are in the "eatertainment" business and your success will depend on your ability to select Employees who can provide "WOW" to your Guests and then to perform in such a way that conveys to the Guest that you are absolutely committed to be the very best.

"Reach Out and Touch Someone" in all of your business relationships you need to have a willingness to make a personal impact with people, especially Employees and Customers. "WOW" takes courage to take action any time you sense an opportunity to Touch someone in a way that will be especially meaningful to them.

When you "Reach Out and Touch Someone" it needs to have a very meaningful affect on that person. If you do that on a consistent basis with your Employees, they will feel more comfortable Reaching out and Touching your Customers and you will create "WOW" experiences.

The goal of "WOW" is to create a lifetime Employee and/or Customer. Employees and Customers understand when an extraordinary effort is being made on the part of someone because people realize when someone is being sincere.