The Restaurant Biz Blog

A Restaurant Guest's New Year's Wishlist

Joel Cohen at www.restaurantmarketingblog.com listed 34 in total, but here are my 10 favorites.

1. A clean, well-decorated washroom/bathroom.
2. A server who holds my drink glass in the middle, not on the lips of the glass. -- this is the worst (see #1)
3. A server who has tasted the food and has some great personal recommendations -- nothing makes you feel better than the "I haven't eaten here" from their server
4. Never to hear the phrase, “Is everything okay?”
5. Order take-out that has leak-proof packaging.
6. Order take-out where the cold salad is NOT packed with the hot entree.
7. Receive an umbrella if it’s raining as I’m leaving the restaurant. -- now there's a great idea
8. Have the owner/manager of the restaurant greet and thank me for my business.
9. Receive my final bill/check within 60 to 90 seconds of requesting it. -- I'd even accept 2-3 minutes, but when you're ready to go, you're ready to go
   
10. A genuine smile ... because smiling is contagious. -- I have to agree. I've been seated by many bored hosts who obviously dislike their job, makes it a lot harder for the server to recover after a start like that.

In all honesty, I could probably think of hundreds of things I would like in a dining experience as a guest. But as an operator it's very simple, just make the guest your #1 priority, with that as your guide, you'll know what needs doing.