What is Your Unique Restaurant Experience Proposition? If You Don’t Know, You SHOULD & Here’s Why

Your restaurant experience proposition is the unique combination of food and beverages, service and hospitality, ambience and overall dining experience it provides your customers.

Your experience proposition expresses what is thought to be the best and most effective way for your restaurant to attract and retain customers and distinguish itself from the competition.

Clearly defining and communicating your experience proposition is vital because it becomes the objective of the operating strategies, systems, training and daily activities needed to make your restaurant stand out in a positive way from your competition.

There are five primary points of difference that can make up a restaurant experience proposition:

1. Operations: When operations are the primary point of difference, the focus is on operational excellence in one or more of the following areas: consistency, standardization, speed, convenience or price. McDonald's, Pal's Sudden Service, and other chain operators rely heavily on their internal operating processes and systems to achieve and maintain their success.
2. Service & Hospitality: Emphasizes the personal interaction between guests and staff members. The focus is on providing remarkable service in a warm, friendly and caring way that results in building positive guest relationships, loyalty, and an overall memorable dining experience. Danny Meyer's Union Square Group of restaurants based primarily in New York City has been very intentional about making exceptional service and hospitality their restaurants' point of difference and competitive advantage.
3. Product: The primary aim is to deliver a unique or uncommonly sumptuous culinary experience. Many successful chef-driven, ethnic and specialty menu restaurants focus intently on the food. It's their claim to fame and biggest draw.
4. Ambience: Focus is on enhancing or emphasizing the restaurant's distinctive location, surroundings, views and/or atmosphere. Ambience is often the principal point of difference in many destination restaurants. Charthouse Restaurants, for example, are famous for their stunning architecture, elegant interiors and breathtaking views.
5. Values & Business Practices: What a company stands for and how it conducts business are hot button issues for many consumers, particularly Gen Z and Millennials. This could include sourcing products, sustainable practices, or support for certain causes. In other words, the things you do that support not only what’s on the menu but also who you are and the distinct ways your restaurant does business.

To be successful you must be unique, you must be so different that if people want what you have, they must come to you to get it.
– Walt Disney

The emphasis placed on one or more of the five points of difference above will determine the systems, standards, and capabilities needed to deliver the type of experience proposition the restaurant's target market wants.

Most successful restaurants are exceptional in at least one of these areas and are very competent in one or two others. It is very rare, however, to find a restaurant that truly excels in three or more.

With the large number of dining choices in virtually all markets today, a restaurant without an effective point of difference will have major challenges differentiating itself in any meaningful way from the competition.

Operators who are thoughtful and intentional about creating or deepening their unique experience proposition can create a distinct advantage in attracting more customers by providing a compelling reason for people to choose their restaurant over all the others in their market.

What kind of unique experience proposition do you offer your customers? If you don't know, take the time to identify and articulate it clearly. In a big way, the future success of your restaurant really does depend on it.

Need help defining your restaurant experience proposition? Download our Experience Proposition Worksheet and read How Effective Systems Can Transform Your Restaurant (and Your Life) to get started. For more best practices in restaurant operations, check out our exclusive course The Gift of Hospitality

Have a profitable week!

The RestaurantOwner.com Team