Long lines in a café or eatery are usually a sign of good food, good service and a positive customer experience. However, queues can be a real sticking point for customers and a headache for business owners too. When your business can’t handle a lunchtime rush and long lines begin flowing through your eatery, it not only impacts the environment in your café by making it stressful, but you’re also potentially losing custom as frustrated and time conscious customers decide to go elsewhere.
Thankfully, making your business run a little smoother, doesn’t always mean throwing large amounts of money at the issue, in this post, we’ll explore some simple ways you can streamline the service in your café or eatery. Read on to find out more.
Update Your POS System
When was the last time you updated your point of sale system? When your till is slow and your payment process is hard work, it can quickly bottleneck the rest of your business, causing a backlog of customers. Streamlining the customer checkout is easier when you have the right technology and when you invest in bluetooth card readers. A wireless POS system means you can even take the payment machine to your customers, reducing the number of people who line up and cause congestion. When your POS system is up to date, you and your staff will be able to get through customers faster and be renowned as a business that prioritises customer satisfaction and efficiency – as well as increasing the number of sales!
Train Your Staff Better
Poorly trained staff can be a real bump in the road. They move slower and with less confidence, which in turn slows down service and rises frustrations. Training your staff to a high standard ensures everyone knows their role and how to work equipment. Encourage employees to communicate well with each other and to ask for assistance whenever they need it. This not only improves service but also creates a positive working environment that means staff retention will be higher.
Make Ordering Easier
Sometimes it’s customers who can slow down the service in your café, especially if they’re struggling to choose what to order. By optimising your ordering process, you can help customers make their decisions before they reach the counter. Start by posting signs throughout your café about the menu, the drinks and cakes you have on offer. That way they don’t have to squint up at the menu board behind the counter to order. Make sure writing on menus and the cost is clear as well as the different sizing options for coffees and other hot drinks. Create tempting displays of syrups, sweet things and even free samples to cinch a few extra sales whilst you make their order!
Final Thoughts…
Streamlining the service in your café or eatery is easy when you know-how. Ensure you’re making things easier for your staff and for your customers! It’s this approach that will increase footfall within your business, but also keep the lines moving.
