If you’re looking to improve your restaurant customer service and create unforgettable dining experiences for your customers, this article is for you.

👋 In this guide, we’ll walk you through various ways to improve your customer service and win customers over. 

Throughout this guide, we’ll cover the following:

• How to improve restaurant customer service in-house.
• How to improve restaurant customer service online.

Serving hot, fresh, and delicious meals to customers just scratches the surface. It’s the extra hospitality and the charm of your customer service that creates loyal customers. Customers who keep returning for more of your food.

We’re here to help you achieve all this! So, stick around for some helpful tips.

Let’s begin with different ways you can improve your restaurant customer service inside your restaurant.

How to improve restaurant customer service in-house

When guests enter your restaurant, their customer service experience begins immediately. 

The way you greet, address, usher guests to their table, wait on them, etc., can make them fall in love with your restaurant instantly or not. The following are tips for creating a great customer service experience inside your restaurant.

Invest time in regular staff training programs and workshops

If you’re in the retention business, providing exceptional customer service is impossible without the involvement of the entire restaurant staff. 

So, ensure all your staff members receive thorough training on your service standards and the treatment of guests during their stay. 

As the restaurant owner, you should focus on these three areas during the training programs.

Specific areas of staff training you should focus on

• Effective communication skills: Train your staff on how to greet guests politely, ask for customer names if appropriate (or tell them yours), address them, read their body language, etc. Touch on listening skills and conflict resolution as well.

📈 For instance, studies show that employees only ask for the customer’s name 21% of the time. As for you, aim to ask for the customer’s name 100% of the time. This can help personalize your customer experience.

• Thorough menu knowledge: Great restaurant customer service involves telling your customers more about the dishes and ingredients when taking their orders. So, ensure the wait staff have in-depth knowledge of the restaurant’s menu items, food ingredients, and preparation methods.
• Conflict resolution skills are essential for handling customer complaints and disgruntled customers. Resolving issues professionally and promptly.

Why you should invest in staff training programs

By investing in staff training, you equip your team with the necessary customer service skills to better serve your guests. 

Well-trained staff will ensure that customers readily receive great customer service at every touchpoint. This will result in a positive experience that creates loyal customers and drives repeat business.

Essentially, you don’t want a scenario where your wait staff and restaurant employees rely on their ideas of good customer service. If they are all on the same page, the better.

Note: Training your staff shouldn’t be a one-time thing. Use a mix of training programs, such as workshops, online sessions, coaching, on-the-job training, etc. This way your staff receives a well-rounded training experience and remains updated.

Encourage customer feedback in-house

If you want to know what ticks for your customers, you have to talk to them. The best way to do this is to ask for their feedback. Since they’re still within your restaurant, this should be easy. 

How to gather customer feedback

It’s all about the approach. Have one of your servers nicely ask one or two questions during a meal. Or shortly after a guest finishes their meal.

📈 Studies show that 72% of customers are willing to share their guest experience if they’re asked in person. Usually, this feedback tends to be honest because the dining experience is still fresh in their mind.

Make sure to ask them open-ended questions though. A simple “How is your meal?” isn’t really enough to get good feedback. Most customers will tell you what you want to hear out of politeness rather than give valuable feedback. Instead, opt for questions like “What was the best part of the meal?” or “What was the worst part of the meal?” if you’re feeling brave.

Alternatively, you can hand over tablet or paper surveys as customers finish their meals. This allows the customer to be honest without feeling like they have to monitor what they say to your face. This method also usually feels like a natural part of a guest’s dining experience.

💡 For the best questions to ask, check out our restaurant survey guide.

The importance of directly asking for customer feedback

Directly asking customers for their feedback can help you identify areas for improvement in your restaurant’s customer service or food quality. It can help you understand your customer needs, their preferences, and concerns as well.

Sometimes customers will provide suggestions on ways to improve various aspects of your service. 

Using this valuable information to make real-time adjustments to your service can help you exceed your customer expectations. 

Soliciting feedback also demonstrates to diners that you value their opinions and experiences and are committed to providing excellent restaurant customer service.

And don’t forget the basics! Always remember to say thank you and be polite.

📈 A good attitude can dissuade nearly 70% of customers from leaving because they feel like you care about them, value them, and appreciate them.

Improve table management

Table management is the process of tracking the status of each table in your restaurant. Whether they’re occupied, reserved, dirty, or clean and available for the next guest. If the tables are available, your staff can quickly seat new customers as they arrive and wait on them.

Improving your table management in-house helps your wait staff reduce wait times and seat as many customers as possible. 

It can also improve your restaurant’s table turnover rate. Your restaurant should aim for higher table turnover at all times. The more tables you turn, the more number of customers you’ll serve throughout the day. 

Customers are the lifeline of your restaurant business. The more customers you serve, the higher the total food sales and revenue.

However, this doesn’t work for all restaurants. If your restaurant is high-end or fine-dining, or you just value creating atmosphere over speed, speeding up table turnover might not be for you.

👋 Want to find the best table management software for your restaurant? Take a look at our restaurant software guide.

How to improve your restaurant’s table management

• Invest in a table management system: Ensure it can help you organize your restaurant’s floor plan effectively. The system should also help optimize your seating arrangements,  track table turnover, and manage reservations and walk-ins.
• Pre-bussing tables: Train staff to clear tables of empty dishes and reset them for the next guests. This practice will keep your restaurant neat and tidied up. 
• Setting up your table layout in advance will ensure that your staff is ready to serve guests as soon as they arrive. 
• Pre-plan your shift: for instance, check the number of upcoming reservations, identify the busiest periods, and make staffing decisions accordingly.
• Assign your servers to a specific number of tables. This will ensure that customers receive adequate attention.
• Be ready to combine tables: for families, parties, or large groups that want to be seated together.

Focus on the dining experience

Customers don’t visit your restaurant just for the food only. They’re also after the amazing restaurant experience they expect you to have.

In addition to training your staff, getting their feedback, or managing their tables, you should focus on critical aspects like ambiance, lighting, interior decor, cleanliness, etc., to accompany their dining experience.

Why you should focus on the overall dining experience

Nobody wants to eat their food in a place that isn’t welcoming or comfortable.  

Let’s imagine you walk into a restaurant that’s dark, noisy, and dirty. Even the best food won’t make up for that bad experience diners have. But if the restaurant is cozy, with nice music, and everything’s clean, guests will probably enjoy their meal a lot more.

These are the customer experiences diners talk about with their friends through word of mouth. Or even post about them online reviews or social media.

📈 77% of customers say they would recommend a restaurant to a friend after having a single positive experience.

Therefore, it is super important to focus on making the overall dining experience awesome. This will create happy customers, bring them back, and help your restaurant thrive.

Pay close attention to your dining experience

The following are some aspects that create an amazing dining experience:

• Create a welcoming atmosphere: It influences how your customers perceive their dining experience. Pay attention to things like decor, furniture, and lighting to create a welcoming atmosphere. Consider decorating with greenery or flowers to add warmth and color to your space. 
• Adjust your lighting and music: Choose a playlist that complements the ambiance and style of your restaurant. If it’s right, it will set the tone and mood of the restaurant. 

For the lighting, consider dimming the lights during dinner service to create a more intimate atmosphere.

• Maintain impeccable cleanliness throughout the restaurant, including restrooms and your staff. 
• Make sure your staff has the necessary resources to provide excellent service. Such as ample serving supplies, quality tableware, and comfortable uniforms.

Up to this point, we’ve been improving the level of your service within your restaurant. Next up, we’ll discuss some practical tips you can implement to provide great restaurant customer service online!

How to improve restaurant customer service online

If you want excellent restaurant customer service for your online customers also, we have some tips to help. In this section, we’ll break down some tips for improving customer service online.

Include or improve your online ordering system

With an online ordering system, customers can accurately place orders anywhere at any time using their smartphones. It’s only up to you to ensure this ordering process is as efficient as possible so diners can receive the best customer service – even online.

Luckily, we’ve got just the best plugin in mind to help you!

Enter the WordPress plugin Orderable! If your restaurant website is on WordPress, this plugin is convenient, saves customers time and effort, and is designed to enhance your overall customer service online.

Improve customer service in your restaurant with the plugin Orderable

Orderable is an online ordering system that lets you streamline your online restaurant’s customer service much more effectively.

This plugin installs an efficient ordering system directly on your WordPress website. Afterward, you’ll have access to multiple features, such as table ordering, order customization, delivery and pickup time slots, order management, etc., to simplify the way you serve customers online.

Once everything is fully set up, customers will be able to order through your new online ordering system. They can browse the menu, select items, customize their orders, and pay online without having to wait in line or on hold.

How Orderable enables you to improve your customer service

With Orderable, you can step up your restaurant customer service using the following features:

• Mobile-friendly ordering: With Orderable, customers can place orders from anywhere at any time using their smartphones or tablets via your mobile apps or restaurant website.
• Simple, unique menu layouts: These menus are minimalistic, simplified, and easy to understand so customers can quickly find what they want to eat. Orderable lets you customize your menus with clear, high-quality images, and detailed menu item descriptions. 

• Menu order customization: This feature lets customers customize their order just the way they like it. Whether it’s extra cheese, appetizers, toppings, or condiments – and boost their customer satisfaction.
• Integrated table ordering system: customers can order directly from their tables. They don’t have to flag a waiter for the menu.
• Delivery and pickup timeslots: this exceptional feature enables customers to choose their preferred method and specify delivery times or pickup locations that are convenient for them.

• Efficient order management: This system enables your kitchen staff to see orders as they come in and start prepping them immediately. This way, customers can receive their food on time whilst still hot and fresh!
• Add nutritional and allergen information: If there’s any nutritional or allergen info customers need to know, you can display them in your dish descriptions.
• ASAP delivery/pickup options: For customers who need their menu orders right away!

Since you’ll be creating more satisfied customers with Orderable, we went the extra mile to add tip prompts during checkout. So that happy customers can leave behind a tip and boost your total food sales and revenue. Other sales-boosting features like order bumps and product add-ons are there to supplement.

Be responsive online and on social media

Social media is now a restaurant customer service channel.

Customers use social media platforms like X/Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to share their customer experiences with you. Some also post complaints on social media. Others turn to social media to find help or contact restaurant businesses directly.

All these are opportunities to engage, respond to customers, resolve their issues, and win them online. 

Ways to improve restaurant customer service on social media

• Respond quickly to customer inquiries, comments, and messages on social media. This demonstrates to customers that you care. When a customer feels heard and valued, it’s easier to win them over. 

Additionally, it is easier to foster lasting customer relationships with your customer base if they feel appreciated. 

• Regularly post engaging content about your menu, special offers, and behind-the-scenes glimpses. Doing this will create a community around your restaurant.

Have an online review and customer feedback strategy in place

Customer feedback in online review platforms and restaurant surveys is like a goldmine in the restaurant industry. 

They contain valuable information that can help you make service improvements based on your customer expectations. So, having an online review and customer feedback strategy in place is super important!

It helps you:

• Gather valuable insights into guest experiences.
• Gauge the level of your restaurant service on various aspects through surveys. For example, food quality, restaurant customer service, ambiance & comfort, customer loyalty programs, etc.
• Understand customer preferences and incorporate them into your service next time.
• Refine operations like online ordering and restaurant marketing.
• and more.

So, how can you go about this?

Sign up to review sites

Start by signing up to popular online review sites like Yelp, Google Reviews, and TripAdvisor. If you’re already signed up, that’s fine! Just ensure you actively monitor and respond to customer reviews. 

Remember to thank customers for positive reviews. Don’t forget to apologize. Or reply to negative feedback with a promise to resolve their issues.

📈 Surprisingly, research by the Nottingham School of Economics found that 45% of customers are willing to withdraw a negative review if you apologize. Another 23% will only withdraw bad reviews after you compensate.

Encourage feedback with the Orderable plugin

With Orderable, you can efficiently integrate feedback collection directly into your online ordering process and engage customers!

It enables restaurant owners to achieve this by setting up automated post-purchase messages. Once a customer completes an online order, you can trigger an automatic follow-up email or notification to thank them for their purchase and encourage them to share their experience.

📈 Set yourself apart from the competition with Orderable. Don’t be like 97% of businesses that do not follow up on the customers to see if they’re happy with your service.

To implement this strategy:

• Customize your message: This message should feel natural and thank your customers for doing business with you.
• Link directly to your restaurant survey: So your customers can easily access it and complete the survey. Just keep the survey that’s short and quick.

💡 Tip: For a detailed instruction on how to create an effective online survey, follow this guide on 12 restaurant survey questions in 2024.

Send customers updates via SMS, email, or WhatsApp

Customers who order food online appreciate it when they receive updates on the status of their order. So, update them!

Instead of keeping customers in the dark, let them know you received their order and you’re preparing it. Doing this will reassure customers every step of the way and help you build trust through transparency.

As a restaurant, you can send simple status updates like “Order received” and “Your order is on the way” to customers with the help of Orderable.

Send order notifications with Orderable easily

Orderable allows you to create custom order status updates and send them directly to customers as order notifications. These notifications are typically short, precise, and relevant. This way customers are kept updated on what stage their order is in real time.

For example, you can send an update notifying customers their order is received, being prepared, or dispatched, etc.

Orderable lets you send your order notifications as SMS, WhatsApp, or email updates.

Similarly, you leverage this feature to ask for feedback, encourage customer loyalty, and thank customers once the order is complete.

Improve your restaurant customer service today

Improving your customer service is crucial for running a successful restaurant business. It can turn negative reviews around, strengthen your brand, and create die-hard customers. 

Achieving this, however, requires hard work and dedication from both you and your staff. Our guide features 8 essential tips to help you streamline your customer service effectively, in-house and online.

Speaking of restaurant customer service, Orderable is here to help you in a big way. It’s a powerful online ordering system that comes with various features designed to streamline your customer service for online customers.

From a seamless ordering experience and time slots to timely order notifications, you’ll have everything you need to create a great customer experience. 

Get Orderable today and keep your customers coming back as much as possible!