Restaurants have been facing a hard time ever since the pandemic. Things have started looking up for them in the year 2022. But in 2023 they must focus on restaurant training to get the best business. Customers have started preferring Quick-Service Restaurants and now rely on them for dine-outs rather than fine dining. There is always a fear of Covid-19 getting resurged, which can be a problem. Hence, customers are now unwilling to spend on fine dining mode. This is so because of the increase in unemployment caused to the recession, which has led consumers to have lower spending power. But there are still guests who are willing to come to fine dining restaurants because they believe in the concept of luxurious dining rooms. The restaurant business is facing the current scenario now:

Impact of pandemic : Lesser use of humans

Now, fine dining consists of more automation than ever before. The restaurant owners can’t hire much labor due to a shortage of manpower. They now use kiosks to help the customers place orders rather than someone coming to their table to take the order. Due to Covid-19, many restaurants started adopting QR codes, menu apps, etc., eliminating the need for human waiters. Most restaurants have also removed many items from the tables, like the ketchup bottles, not to spread any infection and customers get the sachets from a counter.

The employees also feel relieved when their owners rely on robots because it means faster customer service. Robots are doing the checkouts, reducing the need for human managers.

Ongoing recession

More importantly, in the current year, economies all over the world are suffering from a recession. Hence even when the pandemic was there, the restaurants could still cope due to Delivery Apps. The restaurants could pass the buck charged by these delivery apps to the consumers. But in 2023, this won’t be possible because consumers are unwilling to pay so much due to the recession. Customers prefer to pick up the order or eat at the restaurant. That’s where restaurants have to work hard to give a reason to the customers to come and savor the meal at their place.

Use of Digital Marketing to attract Gen Z

The restaurants have to invest more in digital marketing due to attract customers. Moreover, they must also try to control labor costs by using technology and training the manpower to handle it. The restaurant service will have to become customer-centric to retain them. Restaurants can also use loyalty programs to ensure customers don’t choose a different option. The restaurant training hence needs to include the following characteristics:

• Training people to use technology: In full-service restaurants, there is also a need to cut down on manpower due to the absence of labor. Hence it will be effective if the waiting staff has POS machines in their hands so that the customers pay the bill at the time of placing the order only. There will be no need for the waiter to visit the table again to present the bill and collect the payment. The service time of the customers will also be reduced because the waiters can help in the kitchen.
• TechSavvy digital marketing: The restaurant training in 2023 will consist of digital marketing trends. The restaurants must have a mobile-based website so that customers can easily access it on their Smartphones and even place orders. Today, customers are using their Smartphones more than before. If a customer is not opting for a delivery, he should be able to make reservations on the phone. Your address should be easily located on Google Maps. If any celebrity visits your place or you have added something to the menu, it’s better to post it on Facebook to reach the largest number of customers. The Instagram page should include snaps of all your culinary delights.

• Target the right customer: Personalization is also an important part of finding the right customer. You can send a customer birthday and anniversary emails, so he chooses your diner for his birthday treat.The occasion can be even made more special for him with a discount voucher.

Using an email list for target based marketing is important. When segmentation is used, you can ensure that specific emails are sent to certain customers only. For example, a kid celebrating his birthday in your restaurant should be sent to someone who has a child of similar age. Influencer marketing should also be a part of restaurant training so that the staff knows how to treat the influencers with a huge following after they are invited to the place to write a review. 

To wrap it all:

Restaurant training is not easy now because apart from providing the customers with impeccable service, the owners also need to ensure that the customer leaves positive reviews on websites.

If therein is a negative review, ensure that the customer is helped at the right me so that he holds no grudge against the company. We live in an age of digital literacy, and any unfavorable experience is posted on the internet.