We can be grumpy about the restaurant experience. This self-awareness is key, especially when we realize that our behavior closely resembles the behavior of two grouchy Muppets heckling Kermit and Fozzie from the balcony.

However, it’s easy to see that every business can learn from restaurants that bungle these moments of the experience. 

We are aware this episode is a grumpy rant. Moreover, not everyone will agree with the things that we think restaurants do wrong. What drives us mad could be the very thing you love most. However, the fact we differ on these points demonstrates a critical overarching theme of this podcast: segmentation matters, and accommodation is key to deliver an excellent experience. 

Restaurants that choose to ignore these criticisms have a right to do so. Moreover, if they prefer to cater to a specific segment of customer that prefers the way they do things, that is their prerogative. Some restaurants have been extremely successful by doing this and we do not fault them for it.  We don’t eat there either, but that’s beside the point. 

In this episode, what we hope to achieve by airing our grievances is to point out how these moments in the restaurant experience demonstrate moments that every experience design could have.  For your business vertical, whatever it may be, we hope that the common experiences of dining out—or ordering to go—help illustrate these concepts and help you improve your experience. 

Plus, it sometimes feels good to complain. 

Here are some other key moments in the discussion:

• 03:41 Colin kicks off the complaints by pointing out that some restaurants do not understand the business they are  in, and therefore, do not send the right signals with their experience. 
• 06:39  Ryan describes a restaurant experience that could use a little spruce up in the post-pandemic takeout vs. dine in experience. 
• 11:32 We discuss the importance of managing the key interactions in an experience by properly training the team to put customers first so people remember that experiences can be time well-spent.     
• 16:29  We remind our listeners that the little things add up and can burn you in the customer’s evaluation of how you did at the end of the experience. 
• 19:17 Colin refers to an article out of Cornell that explains how what restaurants leave off the menu cause customers to spend more than they would have thought. 
• 24:30  We summarize what we would change about these things that drive us mad at restaurants and that you can apply to your experience, too.

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