How to achieve a WoW experience in the dining room

The guest experience in a restaurant is fundamental to building customer loyalty. In today's market, the public is evolving to seek new dining experiences that go beyond a conventional dining room.

At its core Livit Design puts the customer in the centre when it comes to design. ?With what we call the WoW effect, we are the worldwide leader in the transformation F&B concepts.?

The 5 keys to achieve a WoW experience in a dining room

If you are looking to create memorable and unique experiences for your customers, here are a few key tips that will help you achieve that.?

1. Know your customer and put them at the centre of the experience

When designing a customer-focused experience, you have to take into account the 3 phases of a service experience:

• Phase 1: Customer enters the restaurant, is attended to (or not), sits down, orders and the food is brought to him.
• Phase 2:? Customer consumes their meal or beverage.
• Phase 3:? Customer asks for the bill (or not), pays and leaves.

Once we understand the service and its phases, we have to know how the customer will interact with these points in order to implement a strategy that adapts to their needs and expectations from the product and business.?

Using a QSR restaurant as an example, where most customers are looking to make a fast purchasing decision, implementing technology. Such as a mobile app, which allows for click and collect? through kiosks. By reducing the time required in each phase, we improve the efficiency for both the customer and operator.?

2. Technology as an partner in all processes

In the dining room, Rebeca Mu?oz , CEO of Livit Design states, "Technology is fundamental to achieve a smooth and frictionless experience." Restaurants must consider implementing technology that is adapted to their customer, whether it is to offer an efficient purchasing experience, or to achieve a more personalized service.?

Technology and innovation must go hand in hand at all points in the business. A Michelin-starred restaurant would never offer a QR code ordering option, as this type of customer might be looking for a more human and personalized experience.

3. Digital menus and dynamic pricing

One of the latest trends is digital menus, something that became normalised even after the pandemic. Having a digital menu that allows operators to update their F&B offer and pricing according to stock levels and? seasonal availability offers a different experience particularly for the price conscious consumer.?

For restaurant operators, the digital menu format has many advantages:

• Product rotation
• Updating the offer according to stock or availability.
• Live pricing.

Through an app or web, you can develop a dynamic menu, allowing changes to ingredients and pricing on the exact day. ?This allows the customer to know the updated offer and personalized suggestions according to their tastes.

4. Resource optimization

For efficiency operations, it is essential that all staff know the business model and are trained in simple and easy tasks. The implementation of a cross training model in which all team members have the ability to operate in all stations, will allow for efficiency and profitability.?

The big data analytics revolution allows operators to know how customers interact with their brand based? on comments/reviews. It allows them to optimize their resources by having a predictive system to identify peak moments of their operational model.

5. The WoW experience in the new dining room: your living room

Is the dining room now a living room? Where and how we consume has changed. The new living room is your office, your home or any space that is activated through F&B.?

For this new dining room, Livit Design offers disruptive solutions. Rebeca Mu?oz adds "Delivery has transformed the design of the new room. We are designing reduced Front of House, placing Pick Up Boxes for customers to pick up their order, implementing three car lanes in Drive Thru zones, Curbside areas or implementing technology to manage the riders that must pick up the orders."

In addition, it's crucial that the experience doesn't stop once the product arrives. It is important to consider the delivery and whether the experience could be enhanced by the consumer at home.?

"We are responsible for creating spaces by putting the customer at the center of making any decision. We apply technology where it adds value, liberating staff from functions where it does not add value. In this way we allow them to focus on the guest to create the best possible experience for them and thus build customer loyalty." - Rebeca Mu?oz