In an increasingly competitive market place, restaurants need to have a unique selling point (USP) in order to survive. This could be one feature or a set of factors that set your business apart from the competition. To identify and showcase your unique selling point follow these suggestions:
Talk to your customers
You may be in a sea of restaurants offering the same type of cuisine as you. Knowing why customers choose to dine at your restaurant instead of at your competitors can help you improve your offering. The first thing to do is to talk to your customers. You could do this through short quick surveys after they finish dining with you. If you have a mailing list you could carry out a survey to find out what customers think of your restaurant.
Your wait staff can also let you know what customer sentiments are. Since they spend more time with customers, they are more likely to have a rapport with them. This may make customers feel comfortable enough to give them honest feedback about the restaurant.
Flaunt your achievements
If you have won any awards or received any form of recognition from industry bodies, let everyone know. This may serve to give your restaurant an air of professionalism that may appeal to certain customers.
If you find it difficult to identify your USP, you may need to purposefully create one. This could be anything that will help draw the right customers in, just make sure it is something you can live up to and sustain for the long haul. Here are some suggestions:
Create a signature dish or drink
Give customers something they can’t get from competitors. Ask your chef to get creative and add a unique twist to a traditional meal or create a completely new dish.
Support sustainability
We live at a time when people are concerned about the environment and want to associate with businesses that are eco-conscious. Review your suppliers as well as the material you use in your restaurant and reduce your paper and plastic usage. By doing this you will attract people who are concerned about their health and the environment.
Give great customer service
Given a choice between restaurants that serve the same food, some people may opt for the one with the best service. If you want to be known for providing the best customer service, invest the time to train your staff on your expectations and procedures. Training should be given to everyone, including those who are not customer-facing, as their actions have a bearing on the performance of the whole team. As new people join your team, give them proper induction to ensure they understand your restaurant and the standards you have set for customer service.
Compose your unique selling proposition
After you have identified or created your USP, focus on ensuring everyone on your team understands it and knows their role in sustaining it.
Craft a unique selling proposition, which is a short sentence or two that summarises what you do differently and how this benefits customers. It is also a form of a promise that you give to customers regarding the level of service to expect from your restaurant.
All your communication, be it text, images or videos should support your USP statement.
Next, update your website and other channels you use for communication, informing current and potential customers about what makes your restaurant unique.
Your USP is only valuable if it is sustained, so you have to make sure that your internal processes help your staff to deliver consistently at all times. This will help your restaurant to stay ahead of the competition, attract more customers and build your restaurant’s brand.
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