A lot goes into making a restaurant profitable. The quality of food and the standard of hospitality are of prime importance and hold power to make or break a restaurant’s reputation. However, there are other crucial factors which need to be taken care of to keep the customers walking in and moving out with nothing but memories of a good time. Good food, great service and an awe-inspiring ambience of restaurant are the ingredients to the recipe of a perfect restaurant.

Let’s find out why ambience of restaurant is crucial for it to succeed!

The Hygiene

Eating out is not just about food. It is the experience that matters. Whether it is a sandwich from fast food joint or a lavish spread at a fine dining restaurant, the customer would love to enjoy it in a good environment. Imagine having a scrumptious meal in a shabby place. Not only does it cause a visually repelling effect on the customer, there’s a huge chance that the customer will quickly judge the restaurant to be unhygienic, irrespective of the hygiene standards you maintain. This will drive them away. Therefore, a clean and visually appealing decor is a must in every restaurant.

The Experience

Your customer needs to feel extra special. Of course, you are leaving no stone unturned with your impeccable hospitality skills. However, a great ambience with proper lighting that matches the ethos of your cuisine will totally have your customer mesmerised. If a restaurant that serves authentic Italian cuisine has visuals and art portraying Italy, the customer will feel transported to the breathtaking place in an instant and feel a greater sense of connect with the food, thus taking the experience several notches higher! It is sure to win you brownie points and good word-of-mouth.

The Senses

Eating out is not just about the tongue. It involves all the human senses and if each of these senses is pleased, the whole experience becomes pleasurable. Good music for the ears, the right colour combinations for the eyes and furniture in good material for the touch can really make your restaurant stand out among the rest. All of these must be chosen carefully, such that they follow the theme of your restaurant closely. Ensure that every table is cleared as soon as the customers finish their meals and leave. The restaurant should look spick and span at all times.

The Comfort

Besides looks, comfort is another important factor that impacts the ambience in a restaurant. There is no point if the chairs and tables in your restaurant are stunning but are too small or big and make your customers uncomfortable. The customer will be spending a considerable amount of time in a restaurant and if the furniture causes them to shift and turn every few minutes, expect them to never return. If you want to build a loyal customer base for your restaurant, you need to ascertain exceptionally comfortable furniture for them to sink into.

The Space

Walking into a restaurant and almost tripping over a congested setting of chairs and tables is nobody’s idea of a good time. Space is as important as comfort and should be managed carefully. There is no point cramming up a place with unnecessary paraphernalia in anticipation of a big crowd when what you are actually doing is driving them away. Create more space for people to feel at ease. If the restaurant is small, there are ways to maximize space or give an illusion of a bigger space by using smaller furniture and wallpapers in light colours.

The Lights

Everyone loves a candle light dinner once in a while but if the restaurant’s idea is to use this as a tactic to save electricity, it is not going to work out. The customers need to see their food when they eat. They can’t be wasting their time to figure out where the steak or the salad is. It ruins the whole experience and their appetite. Dimly lit restaurants are nice but the level of dimness needs to be such that it creates a pleasant environment while not deterring the ability of the customer to see his/her food.

On the other hand, extra bright lights are also going to ruin the experience. Nobody likes to squint at the people they are dining with. A good ambience is made up of perfectly adjusted lights that serve the purpose of both, utility and creating a certain mood.

At the end of the day, the entire business of any restaurant is directly dependent on the customers. If you are not appealing enough to them in terms of food, services and ambience, you will not make it to their ‘favourite restaurants’ list.

Nowadays, customer relationship and service can be easily managed with the help of a good restaurant management software. It lets you record their preferences and add up their loyalty points so that they can enjoy a better experience every time they come back to you. If you take care of these little things and pay enough attention to each and every detail of not only the food you serve but also the environment you create for them, you have just won a customer for life. After all, there is no sincerer love than the love for food. Ensure that you give double the love back!