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As of 2021, there were approximately 197,653 quick-service restaurants in the United States, according to Statista. Due to the sheer volume of quick-service restaurants, it can be challenging for managers to differentiate their establishments from those run by their competitors.
To help your quick-service restaurant stand out among many fast-food establishments, we have outlined several best practices in QSR management. These best practices come directly from the most innovative QSRs and leverage entertainment to drive sales, improve customer satisfaction, and boost revenue.
By incorporating these restaurant customer service tips into your business model, you can better serve your customers, increase dwell time, and pave the way for future growth.
Why Quick Service Restaurants Have Unique Entertainment Needs
Before we explore specific restaurant customer service tips, it is important to understand the unique needs of QSRs as they pertain to entertaining patrons. Whereas traditional dining establishments expect customers to linger for an hour or more, the entire business model of quick-service restaurants centers around optimizing ticket turnaround times.
Therefore, most QSR daily routines cannot effectively integrate typical entertainment options such as daytime TV reruns, multi-hour sports programming, and premium movies.
To get the most out of entertainment investments, your establishment should present its patrons with short-form content that is captivating and easy to digest. The ideal content for quick service restaurants should be impactful with or without audio, as QSRs can be quite noisy during peak business hours.
Short, audio-optional video clips lasting only a few minutes or less can keep customers entertained while waiting on their food or enjoying their meal.
Restaurant Customer Service Tips Involving Entertainment
There are several ways that quick-service restaurant managers can take advantage of entertainment resources. Generally speaking, we recommend that QSR managers and owners leverage entertainment by:
Displaying Digital Signage Outside the Establishment: Digital signage is both a form of entertainment and a means of advertising. Therefore, it should be displayed outside the establishment and within the facility.
Exterior digital signage can be particularly effective for capturing the attention of passersby. Approximately four out of five consumers state that they have entered a business after digital signage caught their eye.
Displaying Digital Signage Within the Business: When using digital signage outside of an establishment, the goal is to attract consumers by advertising specials or deals. Conversely, interior digital signage should serve two purposes.
Some digital signage makes sense for advertising deals, and management should use other signs to reinforce the QSR’s brand image while customers wait to place their orders. Cumulatively, these various types of digital signage will keep customers’ minds occupied while they wait, which will reduce the perceived length of their stay.
Positioning TVs Near the Registers: Strategically placing TVs near cash registers or kiosks can immerse customers in the entertainment experience when they enter the establishment.
Some TVs can be used for advertising purposes, while others can stream entertainment content. This dual-use approach will encourage customers to buy more while simultaneously keeping them entertained for the duration of their visit.
Installing TVs in the Dining Area: While many quick-service restaurant patrons simply retrieve their food items and leave, others will sit down in the dining area and eat their meals inside the establishment. It makes sense to place some TVs in this area displaying content with that in mind. Providing patrons with entertainment while they dine can increase dwell time and prompt them to order additional food items.
Selecting Short-Form Content over Cable: The most innovative QSRs have ditched costly cable in favor of more effective and affordable entertainment solutions, such as a streaming service for restaurants.
Streaming services for restaurants provide QSRs with short-form content that patrons can enjoy with or without audio. In addition, the best streaming solutions allow QSR managers to display their custom digital signage in between entertainment content.
The tips and strategies outlined above will help your quick service restaurant be more competitive within this crowded industry. Additionally, offering great entertainment content can allow you to drive up dwell time, reduce perceived wait times, improve the overall quality of the customer experience, and generate more sales.
In short, implementing entertainment into your service model is vital if you want to stay relevant and preserve business continuity in the ever-changing restaurant landscape.
How Atmosphere Can Help You Apply These Best Practices in QSRs
If you want to adopt the same entertainment best practices as the most innovative quick-service restaurants in the industry, it is time to sign up for Atmosphere TV. As the only streaming service designed specifically for the needs of bars and restaurants, Atmosphere TV is the premier entertainment solution on the market. Atmosphere customers have seen a 14% increase in new business and a 19% increase in repeat business. Interested in learning more about how Atmosphere works? Click here to get a free demo of Atmosphere.
