Those of you that have been following my regular blog here will now have a series of juicy hints and tips to follow when opening your own café or coffee shop.
Now, I would like to turn some attention to what happens once you have done all your research, sourced your products and actually opened those doors for the first time. For that, although it may not feel like it, is just the beginning!
Your attitude to how you run your café will make or break your business, irrelevant of how much money you have spent, research you have done or unique products you have sourced. If your customer service is lacking, your customers will not return, simple as that.
If your customer service is lacking, your customers will not return, simple as that
There is no huge secret to providing good customer service, it is simply to treat others as you would like to be treated. A smile and a pleasantly goes a long way. If you don’t think this is the most important part of your business, you really should be questioning whether a career in hospitality is for you.
Simple tips which make a big difference to the overall experience you provide include the following:
- Acknowledge the customer within a minute of them entering the premises, no matter how busy you are. This immediately helps make the customer feel welcome and at ease.
- Keep the customer informed. If you are busy and the customer may have a longer wait for their order, tell them! People only get annoyed it they are not kept informed. If the wait is long, giving the customer the choice to stay makes a big impression – and even if they cannot wait this time, they are more likely to return if you have been polite and helpful.
- Make eye contact with the customer. This makes both you and the customer feel more comfortable with each other. The role of customer and server should be a mutually beneficial one, not one where the customer is in control and you are subservient. This view is quite outdated now, and although may still be common in fine dining restaurants, you should work to create an environment in your café where everyone feels at ease; customer, and staff.
- Finally, In terms of the general ambience, make sure your premises are kept at an adequate temperature. Make sure you don’t skimp on heating in the winter, and in the summer if its too hot install cooling systems. This doesn’t have to cost a fortune (portable heaters and coolers are cheap and easy to install), but can make a big difference to the environment your customers enter. Too hot or too cold, and your customers will turn straight round and leave.
Overall, make your café a place where people want to return by making them feel comfortable and welcome before they have even sat down. Then, half the battle is already done!
