"7 seconds, the time you have to win over your guests"
When we talk about a restaurant, especially in our country, good food, great service and a pleasant location can certainly take you far. But it is the relationships you build with your customers that make your business last for decades.
Creating this kind of connection starts long before your customers sit down to eat. It only takes 7 seconds to make a good first impression, and in this business it’s not the food or the fine wine that the customer first comes into contact with.
Before your customers can taste your famous dishes or your cocktails, they focus on what they see around them: the atmosphere, expressed by the interior design of your restaurant. Dreamy interiors can speak for you, creating a healthy expectation and amplifying the final result.
A good first impression has an immediate impact on your business. Within seconds of entering your establishment, customers will start sharing their experience on social media. Here are some tips on how to create this positive vicious circle.
Let's start with what works!
The days of food porn are already history. Perhaps following the latest studies that highlight how photographing food actually makes it less appetizing, the most avant-garde restaurateurs are focusing not only on the quality of the food but also on the "visual" experience they offer their guests.
But before demolishing everything, try to understand which parts and elements of your current location capture the attention of your customers. A particular decoration? A piece of furniture? The colors? And then, have you noticed if your customers take more photos of the outside of your place rather than inside or vice versa?
All this information will be essential in the relationship with your interior designer, to establish the direction in which to evolve and what instead should remain authentic.
Don't cling to traditions
If you are in love with your current location there may be a temptation to not change anything, as the famous saying goes, “A winning team never changes.”
Be careful though, because a targeted intervention will end up increasing your turnover by 10% for the next 6 years on average, and can give you dozens of opportunities for social interactions with your customers throughout the renewal process, making them participate.
Not everything has to change as we said, there will certainly be something to keep and that contains the soul of your place, especially if it is a family business. The important thing is to make it known to your interior designer and establish together the best path.
Your restaurant should always reflect you while keeping up with the times. Experts recommend a restyling every 5 or 7 years , and while this is not a rule but a warm recommendation, you would be surprised to see how much benefit an interior design intervention can bring to your business.
Share your results and go viral
Refreshing your venue's image isn't just about architecture. You and your clients can take great shots, but if you don't know how to direct them online, with the right strategy and the right hashtags, your online audience might be smaller than you expect.
Finding the right hashtag is a bit like an interior design intervention, you have to keep up with the trends of the moment without following them in an impersonal way. You must always leave room for originality in your posts to engage your audience.
Starting from the basics, posting with a hashtag increases your post engagement by 12% . With the right photos, your interior renovation can also generate new customers thanks to word of mouth.
Photographing the best corners of your restaurant in HQ and with natural light will help you stand out from the crowd. And don't forget the people, like you, your family or your staff. And if your customers photograph themselves inside your restaurant, engagement increases up to +35%.
Stay authentic
Always remember to stay authentic, interior design will help you evolve but it can never replace your and your family's passion that for generations has carried on an activity that gives moments of joy to so many people.
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