DESIGN FOR BEHAVIOUR: Good Restaurant Design. The 8 Moments of Truth. Part 2

Moments of Truth. Part 2.?

?“We strive to make every moment memorable” This is a sentence one frequently sees in the training manual or marketing material of restaurants. It has unfortunately become one of those must have terms that has become so generic, that it is often glossed over or missed. As it turns out, “memorable moments” are the only thing a restaurant should be focussing on as memory has a much bigger role to play within the restaurant experience than what was once thought. In a recent study conducted by the Sagol department of Neurobilology researchers found for the 1st?time that there is a link between the areas of the brain responsible for taste memory and those areas responsible for processing the time and place of the sensory experience. In short, if you think that great food will have people lining up at your front door or booking a table months in advance, think again. It is rather the well defined and considered Moments of truth ?that holds the key to a successful outcome.

Every business should have their own Moments of truth in line with their brand story as every brand story is different. Brand stories unfold linear descriptions of the ideal brand experience and thus the critical moments of truth that drive it. (more about this in our article?Story Telling) Nevertheless we have defined 8 moments below that we consider to be the moments every restaurant owner should at least think about. It can make the difference between people becoming raving fans of your establishment, or dismissing it as a place never to be visited again, no matter how good the food may be.?

Lets break it down.

1st?moment of Truth. The digital “Hello”

Hello starts long before one has entered the physical space and ends long after one has left. “You had me at hello” the now famous quote from the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, bares for a moment of pause. Think about a restaurant as a real person with a real personality. A real handshake. The body language and handshake will tell you everything you need to know before any word is spoken.?

It is therefore vital that your 1st hello i.e. your digital hello is warm, sincere and consistent and as aligned with the brand story as it possibly can. The moments of “hello” lives everywhere. It’s the active reach out “hello” to potential customers via social media, email marketing and advertising. It’s the online reviews “hello” that whilst not always in the control of the restaurant, can be positively influenced by online reputation through interactions with the audience and the memorable moments of those that came before. In fact 35% of diners surveyed say that online reviews play an important role in their decision making and studies show that a 1 star bump in your Yelp review can increase profits by 5 to 9%. A great online presence will encourage people towards the next “hello” i.e. the booking platform or call to make a reservation. This is the 1st time that “hello” is in your complete control and best you take full advantage of it. It’s the way to establish your brand’s essential attitude toward your guest and?the chance to make the 1st?emotional deepened impact of welcome.?If done properly, it will be the catalyst to a new reality, i.e. the transfer from a digital brand journey to a physical one.?

2nd Moment of Truth. The physical “Hello”

Your restaurant’s “body language” like with any person, communicates a lot of the non-verbal cues that will determine the 1st?physical impression a visitor will form of your establishment. Its “facial expression” or non-verbal cues will determine how a visitor feels about the venue before they have even entered. In fact, it may determine if they enter at all. If it has external furniture, how?inviting and well protected is it, is the front door clearly visible and well lit, is the door open or closed, how big and legible is the signage – smaller signs normally communicate more exclusive more expensive establishments, is the actual menu on display and well lit, are there views into the restaurant and what does it reveal about the restaurant interior? Often also overlooked is the actual pavement or walkway to the restaurant as well as the nearest parking area. Although this may not be part of the lease, a savvy restauranteur knows that to keep this clean and tidy and well lit, will go a long way towards influencing a positive mindset before the customer crosses the restaurant threshold.?

People have a hardwired need to belong to a tribe, a group. It’s the way we have survived for thousands of years. To this end people have an abiding hunger to be acknowledged. Done correctly, the 1st physical greeting is a potent moment to transition a ‘Hello’ handshake into a ‘welcome-to-our-brand-story-embrace’. One that far supersedes the mechanical gain of a product.?The host, hostess is therefore one of the most important people in influencing a positive mindset transition for the customer as the 1st?human interaction. Its extremely difficult to influence that path and consumer journey up to that point, but now everything depends on that 1st?physical “Hello” and the ability of the host to turn a potentially negative mindset impacted by the late arrival of the baby sitter, bad traffic, non-availability of parking, or an unexpected road closure along the way, into a positive one. Its thus vital for the host to be an engaging peoples person that can sense a customer’s mood and understand the potential trigger points. Its also important for that person to be well trained in using the correct terminology, introducing themselves, making the appropriate eye contact and very importantly, recognizing a regular or repeat visit. The latter can also be controlled with a good POS system ie forwarning the host of the repeat or regular visitor and greeting them by name with a “welcome back so and so…. Equally important is how this visitor is then accompanied to their table, the appropriate pace of walking i.e not rushed and the way the customer is seated.

3d moment of truth. The table?

The furniture, table, chairs and setting communicates a lot about the experience the customer is going to have. It is very important that the furniture choice befits the total concept, price-point, food offering and design of the restaurant. Are the seats inviting and comfortable looking. Does the table look appropriate to the food offering and plating potentially experienced online. Is the table sturdy or wobbly? What is the material and is it warm or cold to the touch? Is there a table setting upon arrival and has it been set in anticipation of your visit, ie if the booking is for a couple but the table is set for 4 it hardly communicates a sense of welcome . How is the table lit? A table should always be lit well enough to be able to read the menu but not too bright to destroy the ambience. Is the temperature appropriate and are the noise levels acceptable i.e. not to loud and not too soft.?

4th Moment of Truth. The Server

After the hoste(s) this is the most important person in the restaurant. People skills are vital and thus one should hire for attitude and personality. Language is more than simply what is said. Non-verbal body language is accounts for 70% of the communication. The 1st greeting is not about the server introducing her/himself. It’s about connecting with the guest first. Finding something at the table to start a bonding conversation, such as noticing an item of clothing or jewelry and saying, “Oh, I love that brand, too” is the most important After the the connection is made, the menu and specials??are explained and the drinks order taken, and has taken, the server can matter of factly, almost as an afterthought say. By the way. my name is Mel, and I will take care of you tonight. It is important that the words match the body language and facial expressions.??

In a good restaurant, pricey or not, the server always has an eye on the table and its usually quite clear from the body language, like diners craning their necks to scan the room, that they are ready to order.??It’s vital that the server picks up on these cues instead of having a mandatory check back at the table in 3 minutes interrupting a conversation for a mandatory satisfaction check.?

5th?Moment of Truth. The Menu

So potentially your customer has already seen your menu twice. Once online and once at the front door. This will be the 1st?time the customer will have the menu in their hands. Is it the same menu? Are the prices the same? Often overlooked is the fact that the way the menu is read online is different to the way its read at the store front and now in your hands. Online is electronic and by its nature each letter is crisp and if not big enough is an easy instinctive behavior to tap and pinch. At the front door it is eye height and well lit. Here now at the table the light is dim and the menu is in your hands for the 1st?time. What does it feel like? Is it easy to read? Font type, size and contrast may therefore be different to the online and storefront versions. The layout may even be slightly different to facilitate natural behavior. For instance in a book style menu our predictive human behavior is a triangle fashion of reading and counter intuitive. Our eye moves to the top tight 1st. Then to the middle and then to the top left before it darts to the bottom right. Top right therefore is prime real estate.

6th Moment of Truth. The Food

This is a very interesting and controversial moment of truth. It is a common misconception that people visit restaurants primarily for the food they serve. Whist the food is important it is no more than a passport factor. If you cannot produce decent food then the restaurant game is not your game. The truth is that people go to restaurants for the total social experience and the perception of the food depends to a great extent on the myriad of experience factors within the total setting of the space. In short all 8 moments mentioned here make up the total perception of the food experience and no matter how good the food, if the other 7 moments leave a bad taste in your mouth, so will the food.??

A 2014 study by the Sagol Department of Neurobiology at the University of Haifa has uncovered a link between the region responsible for taste memory (the taste cortex) and the area encoding the time and place of the food taste experience. (the hippocampus) This is particularly true if the taste was new or unfamiliar. “This means that even during a simple associative taste, the brain operates the hippocampus to produce an integrated experience that includes general information about the time and place” explained Prof. Rosenblum

It is thus more likely that people have an illusion of taste based on a myriad of other external experiences and that the combination of all of these experiences are actually those things that attract or repel a repeat visit.?

Try the experiment for yourself. Ask someone to tell you about their favourite food memories. You would seldom hear answers unrelated to the total experience. Instead??you will get answers like, “a lunch with my (now) wife on our 1st date,” or “A Sunday barbecue with my parents the day before I finally moved out to my own apartment”. None of the stories will be about an isolated food item. They will be about an experience with someone where a memory was created.

7th?Moment of Truth. The Bill

No one leaves early when they are having a good time. In fact the chances are that the visitor has now stayed longer than planned because of it. The text from the baby sitter or sudden realisation that the last train departs in 15 minutes has now created some sense of urgency and all that has come before can be destroyed in this one moment. The critical piece of behaviour psychology that has particular bearing here is that for every 12 great experience parts, we only need 1 to soil the total experience.?As time flies when you are having fun, it slows down terribly when one is in a hurry or anxious.?The time between asking for the bill and receiving the bill can thus feel like it is taking an awfully long time and a physical 5 minutes will quickly turn into a perception of 15.?

The 8th Moment of Truth. “Good Buy”

If this is not handled correctly, despite all the good things that have come before, good buy can turn into good riddance faster than a plate of hamburgers will disappear at a Weight watchers Convention. “A recent USA survey indicated that the moment of leaving is seven times more influential than the moment of arrival.?Restaurants often overlook the importance of a warm greeting in this last moment. Acknowledgement here at this moment of leaving is more important than the moment of arrival as this is the last parting thought that the patron will leave with. Equally to the moment of Hello. The moment of good buy is a potent moment of transition.?

It is an evaluation of all that has come before. Good buy is the last moment to make a connection and a sincere one can make all the difference between that 1 star bump in the rating and a return customer. “Please bring the kids next time” or “We have fresh oysters arriving next week. I know your wife loves them” can make all the difference between the patron feeling part of “the club” or just another cheque.?