Restaurant repeat customers: why don't guests come back?
Guests often don't come back because, once the bill is paid, they no longer feel part of the restaurant. You build restaurant repeat customers by engaging guests: at the entrance, at the table and after the visit, through a review request or personal follow-up.
Which moments decide whether a guest comes back?
Robin Vromans of BUNKR noticed that guests felt more connected as soon as they felt part of the concept. Three moments shape that bond: the welcome at the entrance, attention at the table that goes beyond taking orders and settling the bill, and contact after the visit. That last moment is where most restaurants drop off, while a well-timed review request actually keeps the relationship going.
What happens at the entrance?
The welcome at the door sets the tone for the entire visit. BUNKR asked itself what it actually does when welcoming guests, and that question led to new insights.
Why only pay attention when asked?
Staff usually only come to the table when a guest needs something. Spending more of your waiters' time on the guests themselves builds a stronger bond than efficient service alone.
How do you stay in touch after the visit?
A review request by email, SMS or WhatsApp shortly after the visit extends the conversation with the guest. Negative feedback that comes in privately can be resolved before it goes public.
Why do we only give our waiters' time to guests when they need something?
Frequently asked questions
Why does engagement help bring guests back?
Guests who feel part of a restaurant build a bond that goes beyond the food. At BUNKR, guests responded enthusiastically as soon as they understood they were part of an experiment. That sense of involvement turns a visit into something worth talking about, which makes it more likely that someone comes back and recommends the restaurant.
When is the best time to ask a guest for a review?
A common approach is to send a request shortly after the visit, while the experience is still fresh. Email, SMS and WhatsApp are the most widely used channels. A request that arrives days later usually gets fewer responses. Automation makes sure every request goes out at the same fixed moment, without staff having to remember it.
How do you stop an unhappy guest from posting a negative public review?
It makes sense to ask guests for feedback privately first, before they head to a public platform such as Google or TripAdvisor. Complaints that come in this way can be resolved personally. A guest who feels heard is less likely to post a negative review and more likely to come back than a guest who is ignored.
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Video transcript
We already knew we would experience difficulties because everything we did was in an experimental way. But yeah, some people didn't understand why you're launching something when you're still in an experimental phase of it. So it always needed a lot of explanation at the table, and then people were more attached to the fact that they were part of an experiment.
And then it was like, oh wow, well, that's something cool, you know? So it also brought a lot of, yeah, insight, insights to our guests on how the hospitality industry could be changed, you know? So they were part of it.
And yeah, what did it change? Well, as a matter of fact, it didn't change anything to the whole hospitality industry right now, but it did open a lot of eyes. And also on, well, what are we doing when we are welcoming guests at the entrance?
Or why aren't we putting all the time we have from our waiters at the table to our guests? Why is it only when they need something, you know? So it, it did make sure that everybody was, was looking in a new way of what are we doing.