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Diners Feel Value is a Combination of Great Service and Plentiful Food
The concept of value is never far from most consumers’ minds these days, especially when it comes to dining out. How value is defined varies from person to person, but on today’s dining scene, 85 percent of consumers agree that “good service and a pleasant restaurant environment are part of what value means to me,” while only about half that number (44 percent) agree that “value means lots of food for a low price.” 
If service and the restaurant environment are so essential to consumers’ ideas of value in the dining sphere, then it is worth exploring what particular aspects of each resonate most strongly with them. Evaluating touch points, or key contact areas between the restaurant concept and the customer, is one method by which to gather such information.
At full-service restaurants, where service is a major part of the dining experience, there are many touch points hit upon even before orders are taken. Of primary significance to diners is seating, and how timely it is; 93 percent of consumers indicate it’s very important or important that their reservation be honored on time or that wait times given by hosts/hostesses be accurate. Nine of 10 diners also report that staff with good product and concept knowledge, as well as servers that greet guests promptly upon being seated, are vital (91 percent and 90 percent, respectively). Other elements that factor strongly in the pre-meal equation include a host/hostess who is warm and inviting (88 percent) and receiving a prompt greeting upon arrival at the restaurant (84 percent).
During the Dining HourWhen it comes to the actual mealtime, good service really does set the tone. Consumers overwhelmingly indicate that pleasant, friendly service is important to them (94 percent). Beyond that, consumers report that timing should be correct between meal parts (87 percent), the server should be respectful of conversations going on at the table and not interrupt them (81 percent), and the server should stop by to verify during each course that diners are happy with their selections (80 percent).
The Overall ExperienceOf course, the dining experience consists of more than just the meal. Ambiance is a large part of dining out as well, and encompasses many different facets. To that point, more than nine of 10 consumers (93 percent) indicate that feeling welcome and comfortable in a restaurant is important to them; part of that sentiment can be derived from knowing that problems, if they do arise, will be resolved quickly and quietly (93 percent). Responsiveness to special requests, be they about the meal, seating arrangements or anything else, are deemed important by 91 percent of consumers, and almost as many indicate the same when it comes to handling check/payment matters in a timely manner (89 percent).
Consumers Are Clear On What Matters MostBased on the three previous areas, it may seem that virtually every aspect of service and ambiance is of high importance to diners. In many ways, this is true. Nevertheless, there is a pecking order as to which things matter most. When asked what three factors would most likely cause them to not return to a restaurant, consumers indicated that unfriendly and unpleasant service (53 percent), not being made to feel welcome and comfortable (35 percent), and poorly handled problem resolution (28 percent) topped their lists. While avoiding those three pitfalls doesn’t for certain imply that customers will return, running into just one or all of them does equate to a decent chance that they won’t.
Bottom LineMost diners at full-service restaurants feel that value stems from a combination of attentive service and good, plentiful food. It’s imperative that restaurants shine on both fronts, because if the front-of-house (service, ambiance) portion is not smooth, customers won’t return to experience how good the back-of-house (food) part is.
Business-Building Implications:- No matter how hard everybody tries, mistakes will undoubtedly happen. Empower your staff to make amends on behalf of the restaurant (e.g. a free dessert if the wait is longer than promised or no charge for a side dish that arrived well after the entrées) to foster a sense of goodwill among your customers.
- If your establishment handles a large volume of customers, consider investing in tableside credit card machines, which also accept PIN-based debit cards. With this service, customers get more payment choices, higher security, faster checkout, and servers can tend to more people quickly, while making fewer trips to payment terminals.
- Providing the right service and ambiance derives in large part from having well-trained, knowledgeable employees. Show interest in your staff and train them on everything from service to technical aspects. The more you invest in them, the brighter they, and your operation, will shine.
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This information is provided by Technomic, considered an industry expert for over 40 years. Information can be segment-specific and it is important that operators understand the segment to which they belong in order to determine how this particular data may or may not impact their own operation.
Source: Technomic, American Express Market Brief, January 2010
