Raising guest experience: the moments weh mek the difference
Ask a guest a week afta dem visit wah dem think, and dem rarely talk about the food. Dem talk about how dem get welcome, if it tek long, and if something funny happen. The food a the reason dem come; the rest decide if dem come back.
Five moments when a judgment forms
1. The first thirty seconds
Does a guest get seen when dem walk in, even if nobody have time right away? Eye contact and one sentence a nuff. If a guest stand up by the door fi three minutes without nobody notice dem, dem already start off behind, and dat drag through the whole evening.
2. The wait before the first dish
The longest gap of the evening, and the only one where a guest have nothing fi do. See also the article on bridging wait time.
3. The moment something go wrong
Dis is the most important moment of all, and the one you can't plan for. A guest who go through a mistake dat get fix up good often rate the visit higher than a guest weh everyting go smooth. Mistakes nuh a threat, dem a opportunity, as long as dem get sort out quick and without argument.
4. The quiet after the main course
Plates gone, coffee nuh order yet, conversation ease up a bit. Commercially dis a de most valuable stretch a de evening, cause dis a weh desserts and second rounds get sell. If nuttin happen, guest ask fi the bill.
5. The farewell
The last ting somebody experience weigh heavy pon wah dem remember. A guest weh get a lickle attention when dem settle up leave with a different feeling than one weh just get hand the card machine.
Out a dese five moments, only one cost money. The other four cost attention.
What you can measure
Experience feel hard fi grab, but some numbers move wid it:
- The number a reviews per week and the average score.
- The share a guests weh order dessert or coffee.
- The average time a table stay occupied.
- How often the same names come back inna yuh bookings.
Why the middle ground matter most
For most places, reviews spread out lopsided: plenty fives and a few ones, wid little in between. Dat nuh happen because dat's how guests really feel, it's because only the extremes bother fi write something.
The big group in between — guests weh find it fine but nuh spectacular — nuh write nutten. And dat exactly de group weh pull up yuh average if you reach dem. One review from somebody weh find it "just good" weigh the same inna the average as an enthusiastic one, and there a plenty more a dem.
Yuh average nuh rise from more excited guests, it rise from the satisfied guests weh nuh write nutten right now.
Where the difference sit between places weh doing good and places weh just missing out
If you put two places side by side with the same food, same prices and same location, and one full while the other struggling, the difference almost never sit inna one big ting. It sit inna the sum a five small tings.
Consistency weigh heavier than peaks
A guest weh come three times and get the same ting three times become a regular. A guest weh get something special once and something average twice nuh come back. Dat counterintuitive, cause attention naturally go to the special night.
Speed a recovery weigh heavier than being flawless
No place run flawless. What guest remember nuh a dat something go wrong, it's how long it take fi fix and if dem have fi ask fi it. A mistake you notice and fix before the guest say anything count as a plus point inna the experience.
The staff notice first
Inna almost every place, the servers know exactly weh de trouble deh, long before it show up inna reviews. If you ask dem once a month weh dem running into, you get a list you can't buy nowhere else.
What guests mention inna reviews
If you put a few hundred reviews from hospitality spots side by side, you notice how little a dem talk bout the food. The topics weh come up most:
- The service, by name. By far the most mentioned, both good and bad.
- Wait time, and mostly whether anybody communicate bout it.
- The atmosphere: noise, light, how full it was, if you could hear each other.
- Value fi money, which rarely bout the price, almost always bout the portion.
- The food itself. Usually only the fourth or fifth topic.
Dat nuh mean the food nuh matter. It mean the food a de reason somebody come, and the rest a de reason dem come back.
Small tings weh stand out
Experience rarely sit inna big gestures. Dese four cost nutten and get mentioned surprisingly often inna reviews:
- Taking a jacket without being ask.
- Remembering wah somebody drink the last time, even if dat was months back.
- Asking a group if the bill should split before it land pon the table.
- Saying something at departure dat's nuh a standard line.
Ask fi the review at the right moment
An email three days later only catch the people who was real happy or real unhappy. Asking while the experience still fresh catch the big group in between, and dat exactly de group weh pull up yuh average.
Start with one moment
Pick the moment weh you feel run worst and change one ting there. Measure fi two weeks. If it work, keep it. If it nuh work, pick a different moment. Changing everything at once never give you an answer bout what actually help.
Wah games pon the table do at moment two and four deh pon the games page.
What exactly is guest experience?
Everyting a guest go through besides the food itself: the welcome, the waiting, how mistakes get handle, and the farewell. Dat's what mostly decide if somebody come back.
How you measure guest experience?
By the number a reviews and the average score, the share a desserts sold, how long a table stay occupied, and how often the same names come back inna yuh bookings.
What's the most important moment during a visit?
The moment when something go wrong. A well-handled mistake often result inna a higher rating than a visit weh nutten happen.
When's the best time fi ask fi a review?
While the experience still fresh, so during or right after the visit. An email days later only reach the extremes.
Waan try table games yuh self?
Give yuh guests more experience from di first day.