What experiential enhancements can you make?

Inflation has made restaurant meals a tougher sell for consumers, so the experience of your restaurant carries more weight. In a recent webinar from Datassential, speakers referenced some very different examples that illustrate how restaurants are approaching this. For example, at the Mini Chef restaurant at the Lego House in Denmark, each guest is given a packet of 16 Legos. Each piece in the packet corresponds to a customizable ingredient listed on a simple menu. To submit their order, a guest must “build” their desired combination with their Lego pieces and submit it into a machine at their table that confirms their preferred ingredients. The novelty of the ordering system becomes entertainment – and as much of a focus as the food. But boosting your experience doesn’t require an operational overhaul. Consider one low-tech approach by a restaurant across from a children’s hospital: Guests can buy a beer for a parent or carer of a patient at the hospital and their purchase is marked with a sticker on a sign posted in the restaurant. The free beer can give recipients a brief respite from the stress of a hospital stay and help those buying it feel like they are doing a good deed for someone who needs a lift. When you take approaches like this that are special to your brand, you can get guests in the door. If you then combine them with guest personalization – by collecting data about what a guest has ordered in the past, what they like and dislike, and then making targeted recommendations they are more likely to enjoy – you have a formula to keep those guests coming back. Considering your own community, guests and brand, how might you adjust the experience you offer in ways that have a big impact?

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