What Your Restaurant Customer Wants in 2013

With 2013 in full swing, restaurants are rapidly changing to adapt to the wants and needs of their customers. There’s a famous quote: “You can’t expect to meet the challenges of today with yesterday’s tools and expect to be in business tomorrow.” With this in mind, what is it that restaurant customers are looking for this year? What changes are to be made in order to keep restaurant patrons engaging with your business?

Mobility – Restaurant customers do much more than eat at a restaurant. Now with the accessibility of smartphones and tablets, customers expect to find the information they are looking for without hassle. Customers expect restaurant establishments to understand the shift in technology and adapt accordingly.

With tablet sales increasingly on the rise each year, not only are websites expected to be mobile-enabled, but restaurants also starting to be expected to adapt their websites, menus and payment methods to meet the mobile needs of their customers. Apple iPads sold over 72,000 worldwide in 2012 and are predicted to sell over 169,000 worldwide by 2016 (Gartner).

Why go mobile? A mobile enabled restaurant website is important because it attributes to an ease-of-use experience for your customer. If a customer is trying to search for your restaurant on their iPhone but your website is not mobile enabled, often times a website will show up very small and it will be difficult for your customer to find the information they need. A mobile enabled restaurant website will give a customer the information they need in an easy-to-use format. If a customer tries to visit a restaurant website that is not mobile enabled, it may take longer to load than a website that is built for a mobile device. Studies show that the longer a page takes to load, there is a direct increase in percentage of website page abandonment (KISSmetrics). Don’t be that restaurant!

Be Visual – Consumers are visual creatures. The old saying that people eat with their eyes first, is actually very true. According to an ROI study in 2012, people are more likely to engage with a brand if they post pictures rather than any other media and customer engagement is exactly what your restaurant needs. Instead of posting paragraphs full of text onto status updates for your restaurant, show your patrons what they want to see – your food! Showcase pictures of your restaurant and its food when you make a Facebook post. When it comes to emails to your customers, also send pictures and visual campaigns. Instead of typing out long food specials that seem to go on and on describing your food, simply show your food with a picture accompanied by pricing and a description of what it is.

All-in-one programs – Instead of finding one person to design your website, another person to send out emails and yet a third person to update your restaurant’s Facebook page, restaurant owners will be looking for all-in-one marketing programs to handle everything. One such program is eateria, which is a digital loyalty marketing tool for the restaurant, food service and hospitality industry. Gone are the days of using generic email tools that weren’t made specifically for the food service industry. eateria is has industry-specific email templates, a coupon redemption and tracking feature and the ability to post simultaneously to restaurant’s social media pages.

Demise of the daily deal – Restaurant owners no longer want to give away 30% or more to daily deal sites. Not only will restaurant owners start to run their own deal vouchers (and keep all the profits for themselves) but they will begin implementing customer loyalty programs to make sure they are bringing in the right customers and not just bargain hunters. A customer that buys a Groupon is a Groupon customer, not a customer of your restaurant. In 2013, restaurants will look to build loyalty in their customer base by offering email rewards such as exclusive offers for signing up as well as birthday and anniversary recognition. Through the use of digital tools such as emails, texts and social media, restaurants will begin to connect more based on customer feedback and suggestion.

Not only is ease-of-use important to customer in the upcoming year but it will be an essential factor for restaurant owners looking to simplify their operation processes. Mobility, simplicity and loyalty will not only be the most significant but changes in the restaurant industry in the upcoming year, but also the most vital for business survival and growth.