4 Solutions When Demand Is Up and Labor Pools Are Down

Oh, those impossible-to-please customers.

They want their technology. But, as?a recent research study reveals, they still prefer engaging with actual humans . After all, the term is foodSERVICE. And the ‘service’ has everything to do with why demand is through the roof right now.

From?consumer surveys to hard revenue numbers, there are plenty of intriguing data points ?to back this up.

So, how do operators respond and thrive, without marginalizing their brand, when labor is in such short supply?

Here are 4 measures that can make a difference.

1. Reevaluate the Front of the House

Doing so usually reveals where smart sacrifices (those that don’t affect food quality) can be made in the name of service.

For example, shifting personnel to the FOH in any way possible can pay big CX dividends. On a shoestring staff, it could be as simple as placing one person within reach of the ordering kiosk or making management a little more accessible by, say, taking on some hosting duties.

If already feeling the pull towards kitchen automation—which would be understandable, given?cooks and line cooks are the most difficult positions to fill right now —a commitment to FOH service might be the deciding factor.

Meanwhile, for some upper-scale or full-service establishments, it might be time to introduce a few self-serve options up front. Consumers are aware of the staffing shortages and the circumstances greatly responsible for them. And, yet, they keep coming out to eat.

Providing diners with the tools, such as condiment dispensers, to ensure they get the meal they want is something they can appreciate in this unusual time, even if it’s somewhat counter to the brand image they’ve come to expect.

2. Extend Takeout to Curbside

Together with online or mobile-app ordering (one restaurant technology diners universally like), covering the short distance from takeout to curbside can go a long way to enhance customer experience.

Even if space is limited to, say, a single spot in the street outside the storefront, it can be a worthy service investment—especially given the desire among operators and diners alike to decrease restaurant reliance on third-party delivery providers.

3. Go Beyond Training Employees. Empower Them.

Supported by the data that reflects consumer preference for real people over robotic?programming is the argument that enhancing employee experience goes hand-in-hand with customer experience.

Cultivating a team of happy employees, no matter how many (or few) are on the roster, translates to a better CX every time.

This is about strategy separate from the elephant-in-the-room challenge of employee acquisition. It’s about empowering the people already on staff.

Given the opportunity to think and act, whether implementing their own new ideas for improvement (within brand guidelines, of course) or taking initiative and solving customer-service problems without fear of management reprisal, employees begin to take ownership of the enterprise.

And that is absolutely invaluable to any business on a number of levels—including customer experience.

4. Enhance Your Loyalty Program

At this point, in the wake of the pandemic, the power of loyalty isn’t lost on many restaurant operators, especially among major chain executives.

Nearly half of the industry’s diners are enrolled in at least one loyalty program, while digital orders grew 124% from March 2020 to March 2021 .

That said, the power pays off even more when the goal is perfecting the customer experience.

Personalized rewards, for example—such as a free birthday meal or offers customized to the diner’s menu preferences—inspire members to be 7.5x more likely to refer a friend, 6.5x more likely to spend more for the sake of maximizing their points, and 5.4x more likely to continue spending. (2020 Bond Loyalty Report )

And then there’s delivery—another preference not lost on operators right now.

In a competitive move against rival McDonald’s,?Burger King recently went all in on CX, extending its rewards to delivery orders ?(through its dedicated delivery service, not third parties) as a direct response to the top demand customers expressed in the chain’s guest feedback survey.