Brits love to queue, or so I keep hearing in defence of yet another no-reservations restaurant opening across the country. Except they don’t. In fact, nobody loves to queue. There’s nothing that annoys customers more than having to wait to eat, with no communication from front of house as to when their table will be available. They want to know how long it will be until their table is ready, so that they have the choice, and which is the crucial part, to do something else until it is.
Operators shouldn’t be lulled into thinking it’s cool to have queues overflowing out the door. It’s not. It’s rude and it’s definitely not hospitable. Yes, you look great and will definitely be upsetting the neighbouring competition, especially if you’re lucky enough to be making those queues a nightly occurrence. However, put yourself into the shoes of your customers, a four-hour queue – or even a one-hour-one – does nothing to deliver a memorable customer experience (or a positive one at least) in their journey with you. I’ve no doubt your food offering is great, but are you hindering repeat business by using your customers as shuffling A-boards? This may continue at your high, but what happens when that popularity wanes, as inevitably it will? You could be left regretting those queues.
As a consumer, I want less wait time and more time to enjoy the experience, and I’m not alone. Thankfully, technology is changing the queue as we know it. Just look how far the traditional reservation system has come – we’re pretty much seeing an end to the handwritten reservation book and, instead, it’s becoming the norm for consumers to book online.
According to the current issue of Harden’s Restaurant Guide, 2015 was a record year for London restaurant openings, a staggering 179 new openings against a previous high in 2008 of 158. With consumer choice at an all-time high, operators are having to stand out and be clever in what is becoming an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Technology is now firmly in the camp of team consumer. They’ve got it sussed and will, quite rightly, base their decision on where to eat out on how easy on operator makes that crucial first part of the experience for them. They’ll start by checking you out, together with the plethora of other dining options, make a choice and then add themselves to a waitlist from their phone. Simple and not a queue in sight.
Understandably, queues are sometimes unavoidable. However, that’s when technology can play the role of your virtual queue. Intelligent tech is able to advise a customer how long they have to wait for a table, how many other people are ahead of them in the queue and, most importantly, when their table is ready. This is about putting the power of choice firmly into the hands of your customers. They have the choice to have a drink elsewhere. They have the choice to carry on shopping. They have the choice to go for a walk.
Standing in a queue takes away your customers’ power of choice. Can you afford to leave them standing out in the rain?
Comments made by Ashley Sheppard, Sales and Marketing Director of CST, in the March issue of Restaurant Magazine.
