A business’s reputation is a significant factor in whether you have lots of people through the door or struggle to fill your restaurant seats every night of the week. Plus, since the pandemic, this aspect has never been more important as the public will be looking where to head to for their next meal out. Digital presence during the pandemic has never been more important. It has played a major role in how restaurants deliver food and services while the doors were shut.
It is also an important way to showcase your best features and entice people to start booking up when the doors are back open again. To tackle uncertainty and take charge of reputation management, business owners need a solid plan going forward. Take a look at some of the ways you can get started to bring people back with a bang.
IMAGE: PEXELS
1. Encourage Online Reviews
Feedback from customers is one of the best ways to help your business grow. However, since social media came into our lives, some people are quick to leave negative points of view rather than post the positives. However, it’s vital not to let this put you off encouraging people to leave reviews. Review programs are essential to any business.
They showcase what people think of your services and food quality, plus they can make or break whether prospective customers choose you over the competition. A report by Small Biz Trends highlighted 94% of diners choose a restaurant based on online reviews, so encouraging feedback is essential to build your business.
2. Highlight Your Restaurant Features
People love to see where they’re going before they even get to a restaurant. The perfect way to do this is to showcase all your best features. Social media is an ideal platform to master this. Take pictures that present your brand and restaurant concept, and show current and new customers how your restaurant is furnished alongside images of signature dishes and what cuisine you’re known for. Social media is also a great way to interact with customers.
Encourage them to take pictures of their dishes and utilize user-generated content to promote your business. Another way to improve the reputation and image of your restaurant is via a Google My Business page. Add professional pictures to your profile, so they appear when people search for nearby restaurants. This feature also allows customers to upload photos of their experiences of your restaurant and food.
3. Handle The Negative Responses Professionally
Listening to customers is vital to make positive changes. However, you will have the odd comment that sets you back and feels unnecessarily hurtful to your restaurant. In this case, it’s essential to remain professional. Create a well-written response to show other customers you care about feedback and are there to help if you can resolve an issue.
You can see numerous examples of how other businesses handle negative reviews by looking online and discover some find unique ways to deal with them. Just a few words can turn the situation around, so try not to let emotions run away with you.
Customers also like to see how you deal with negative feedback. No business is 100% perfect, and if all your reviews are gleaming, it can actually make potential customers suspicious (unless, of course, you hold a Michelin star!).
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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