It doesn’t matter whether your restaurant client is a small, medium regional or mega national chain, the issues are similar. While the marketing may have changed, what resonates with the customer hasn’t. The restaurant business isn’t built on mass media, it thrives on one-on- one customer interactions that enhance the customer dining experience, while solidly building levels of profitability.

While other agencies are asking the normal same-old questions, here are 25 questions that show you truly “understand the business.”
 

  1. What is your restaurant famous for?
  2. What do your customers think you’re famous for or known for?
  3. Do you actively tell your customers what you’re famous for?
  4. If you’re famous for a product, is it a high profit product?
  5. Are your famous signature products emphasized on your menu?
  6. Do you know the dollar/cents profits for all your products?
  7. Are your servers familiar with what’s profitable and what’s not?
  8. Have you ever dined at your own restaurant as a “customer?”
  9. Would you recommend your restaurant to your own family members?
  10. Have you sampled all the items on your menu?
  11. Is your menu ‘customer’ friendly – easy to read, relatively short, easy to make decisions?
  12. Do you have at least two favorites in each menu category to recommend to customers?
  13. Do you know what your customers think of your food? Have you ever asked them?
  14. Have you visited your competition to measure their dining experience against yours?
  15. Do you know who your best customers are by first name?
  16. Have you rewarded your best customers for their loyal patronage?
  17. Have you ever called your restaurant to ask for directions to get there?
  18. What community events or groups do you participate in?
  19. What local charities do you get involved with and support?
  20. How many networking groups do you belong to and speak at?
  21. Is your restaurant a place to enjoy a fun dining experience?
  22. What are the five reasons that make your restaurant different than others?
  23. Does your restaurant have stories to tell your customers?
  24. Is there something interesting at every touch-point that your customers can remark about?
  25. What’s the amazing last impression you give your customers, so they remember you?

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