Running your own franchise restaurant offers new franchise owners many benefits that include the support and training of an established brand. It also offers new franchisees a chance to interact with guests on a regular basis, which is likely one of the main reasons that attract people to joining a restaurant franchise.
And yet, for all your experience as a restauranteur, are you familiar with the different types of customers that will be frequenting your restaurant? Is your establishment ready to cater to the different needs of each category type?
Follow this list to learn about the different types of franchise restaurant customers, and see how you can improve your restaurant service to fully meet their needs!
1. Couples
Whether married or dating, couples represent the backbone of a franchise restaurant’s clientele. They represent a big demographic that likes to dine out at restaurants. Whether celebrating an important occasion or enjoying a fun night out, couples will normally want to include a meal as part of their plans together.
To help couples enjoy their quality time together, try to anticipate the needs that a couple will have at a restaurant. In addition to food, couples put an emphasis on ambiance and environment when dining, so try to provide thoughtful touches such as flowers and candles on the table. To help them relax and facilitate conversation, try providing soft music in the background. Additionally, be sure to provide good service, but don’t be too attentive and encroach on their personal space.
If couples make up a big part of your customer base, you should consider dedicating additional resources to make them feel even more welcome. Your dinner menu can expand to include specials for couples, and your dining room can be rearranged to provide smaller tables with more intimate seating locations.
2. Foodies & Diners with Food Requirements
When foodies are involved, their concerns are very straightforward: it’s all about the food. A true foodie doesn’t care about ambiance, or the state of your bathrooms, or even about the service you provide. A foodie wants to be served delicious food that sweeps them off their feet, and they’ll be vocal if they don’t get it.
Cater to the needs of foodies by maintaining strong standards for your kitchen and menu. Keep the quality of your food high, and make regular updates to your menu to keep your dining options fresh. As well, you should also consider opening up your kitchen to be well versed in dietary requirements so you can appeal to diners with strict dining requirements:
- Vegetarian/vegan/non-meat alternatives
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Sugar-free
- Low FODMAP
It can be difficult to accommodate every kind of food requirement, but the rewards of running an inclusive dining establishment can bring you customer praise that can go a long way.
3. Families
Families are an essential customer type that have their own set of requirements. Made up of a varied group of people, the parents and children of a family will each have different needs that restaurants need to satisfy in order to get their satisfaction.
Often arriving late, families are usually in a rush, and will often request food orders to be made quickly. As finicky eaters, children can be better served with a specialized menu that offers kid-friendly food items like chicken fingers. What’s more, children will need specialized equipment like high chairs and booster seats as well as entertainment like coloring books, and games to keep them occupied.
If families see that your restaurant offers fast service at competitive prices, you’ll be able to coax them back for additional visits to your franchise restaurant.
4. Solo Diner & After-Work Crowd
Solo diners and the after-work crowd don’t arrive at your restaurant lobby in large numbers like the other types of customers on this list, but they represent an important demographic that can quickly grow to become an important part of your clientele if you properly provide for them.
Solo diners need a place to fit in at your restaurant. Instead of equipping your dining room floor exclusively with large tables, consider including small tables; ideal for this situation is the bar & grill where anyone can come in off the street and be served a place at the bar. Meanwhile, equipping your restaurant with TVs can help break the silence and provide a source of distraction that won’t make your environment feel so lonely.
Meanwhile, the after-work crowd is another important group to accommodate at your restaurant. You can help them feel welcome with special menus, especially with late night menus if they have late shifts. Furthermore, you can attract workers coming off from work with drink specials like happy hour promotions.
5. Parties & Groups
You’ll know your franchise restaurant has become a local hotspot if you can regularly attract large gatherings. Gathering in groups is integral to the human experience, and we often see groups like these at restaurants such as sports teams, church groups, community groups as well as big celebrations for birthday parties and anniversaries.
Make sure you can accommodate large parties and groups by incorporating a spacious dining room as part of your restaurant layout. If you can, consider creating a private party room that can host large private gatherings without disturbing your other guests, or even an outdoor patio that can be of great use during the summer. And to make your restaurant more accessible, try broadening your menu with affordable items to cater to all types of diners.
6. Regulars
Regulars represent the franchise restaurant at its most mature stage. Your establishment has served these customers so well and so often that they express their loyalty to you through repeat visits. They enjoy your service and your atmosphere, and see your restaurant as an extension of their own living room.
For a franchise restaurant to create a following of regulars, it has to offer brand consistency. Your restaurant needs to regularly achieve the same high standards that become the expectation they have every time they return.
Encourage customers to become regulars by rewarding their loyalty with vouchers and coupons. Set up a loyalty program that allows more customers to become more familiar with your brand. In addition to that, your restaurant can get involved in local charities and events to further establish your role in the community.
As we can see, these different types of customers have different needs that can be easily accommodated with the right planning and foresight. In fact, if you have a bar & grill for a franchise restaurant, your establishment will be more than ready to welcome all of these customers!
Are you interested in becoming the owner of your own bar & grill? Are you a people person who is passionate about customer service? St. Louis Bar & Grill is looking for new franchisees to help us with our expansion plans. We have new opportunities opening up across Canada and the world; contact us to see if your neighbourhood is suitable for a new St. Louis Bar & Grill location! Explore our current opportunities here!
