It’s the Little Things….Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience!

It’s the Little Things….Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience!

Valentine’s Day - went to a quaint little Italian Restaurant in the Rice Village area with my bride. The location was grand, parking was no issue, and the ambiance of the night started out jut as planned. We entered the remodeled home that was transformed into an elegant eatery. The wood appeared re-purposed and the décor was within the element. We had reservations, so the host was ready to seat us as soon as we arrived. So far, so good!

Then, it started falling apart. I understand owners try to maximize capacity and cram as many table and chairs into the facility, but we were literally sitting between two other couples, and it felt as if we were all sitting together. I could understand this seating arrangement in a casual dining restaurant, but this was a restaurant designed to provide romantic evenings.

Luckily, we asked if we could move outside onto the deck and the host was very accommodating. Only problem, I believe she forgot to tell the wait staff because we sat there for several minutes before a waiter finally came over and asked if we had been helped. We ordered our drinks and asked for a basket of fresh bread to start. After several more minutes passed, the server brought out the bread and drinks, but he gave them to the wrong table! After several more minutes, our waiter came by, we told him what happened and it was corrected.

We were enjoying the cool night air on the deck, so the little mishaps were not spoiling our evening, and in defense of the staff, they corrected things as the night went along. Even though, we were the only table missing the flowers and candles that all the other tables had. Something I feel a good waiter, host, or manager walking around should notice – no one did. Not to disappoint my bride, I got up and stole some flowers and a candle off another table, and placed them by my bride! Again, not going to let the little things spoil my evening with the most beautiful girl and my best friend.

We ate, drank some wine, had dessert and enjoyed our evening. My bride couldn’t finish her entrée, so we asked for a box. The waiter took her plate and said he’d have it boxed for her – nice touch. However, when he brought it back to the table it was in a generic white plastic grocery bag!

Overall, we had a great evening. Unfortunately, we will not be revisiting this quaint little restaurant anytime soon. Even though the food was delicious, the atmosphere was appealing, the location was convenient – it was the little things that will keep us from referring or revisiting.

So what could the little Italian restaurant have done differently to provide the ultimate experience and earn repeat and referral business?

· Instead of several very small square tables crammed into the dining rooms, mix it up with some round tables and spread them out a bit to create a romantic setting.
· Ensure ALL wait staff pay attention to the floor – even if it’s not your assigned area, take note of customers not getting served and take action.
· Wait staff should frequent their assigned tables more often to ensure their customers are doing okay, even if it means hiring more staff so not to spread them too thin
· Ensure ALL staff pays attention to details, like the flowers and candle missing on the table
· And lastly, spend a little money on a nice gift bag with your restaurant’s name and/or logo on it for take out

We can all learn lessons from this type of experience. You can have the best product, the best price, the best location, etc. – but, if you don’t do the little things well to create the ultimate customer experience, you may fail to have the repeat business. During my days at a great company in the corporate world, I learned a valuable acronym “ATD”’ – Attention To Detail. If you pay attention to detail, “the little things”, the consumer will notice.