Experience in restaurants has always mattered, but these days it is more difficult to deliver an experience. Modern chefs understand how much of a factor experience plays in the satisfaction of the patron. Today’s World Kitchen is a chef’s community where ideas on creating experiences in restaurants can be expressed and implemented by all. The following is everything a chef needs to know about creating a great experience for customers that walk through their door.
Decades ago, all a chef had to do was create consistently great food and the patron would have a wonderful experience based off of food alone. For both chefs and patrons, great dishes meant a great experience simultaneously.
Now, in order to create a great customer experience, it is no longer enough to simply have great food. Consumers nowadays are looking for a unique atmosphere, live music, lighting, décor, and great servers. Of course the food should still be amazing, but there is a lot more that comes into play.
Some chefs and owners have progressed with the times and integrated some form of social media awareness. In 2014, an Iowa restaurant began offering a 10% discount for patrons who turn in their phones at the door. Something that all chefs can relate to – cuisine is meant to be savored and enjoyed while it is fresh, not after someone has taken a photo, added a filter, and shared to millions of people on Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat.
Dick’s Last Resort is a restaurant chain that treats their patrons like garbage, but in a fun way. Customers are expected to take insults, wear hats that mock them, and it is all a part of the fun. Interestingly, the owner originally tried fine dining, which failed. He then started the odd concept of treating patrons the exact opposite of how they would expect to be treated at an establishment. By comically giving customers a bad experience, it creates a great experience that keeps patrons coming back for more.