Monday, March 10, 2025
Unless you have a carry-out restaurant with no lobby, you want to make sure that when your guests arrive that they feel as welcome as you can make them. Sometimes its about the signage, the lighting, or the temperature. Making them feel at ease is a huge step in getting their dining experience off on the right foot. Now, remember that I’m an old guy and I wear my Boomer Hat proudly. What we discovered is that fresh flowers in the lobby of the restaurant adds a personal touch that says Welcome! Because of the work that we do in the community, we have friends send us fresh flowers every other month. When we get them, we put them on the hostess desk and people arriving are welcomed by the colorful arrangements. It adds a touch of class to the restaurant. If you go to the better hotels around the country, they feature fresh flower arrangements in the lobby. Now, it’s not as big a deal to Millennials, but it will make your older guests very happy.Now, some of you are thinking that it can be very expensive, but truth be told, if you have a few nice vases in your collection it’s all about just buying a fresh bunch every week or so. Better yet, why not find a florist in your community who wants to trade flowers for food, or have a small sign by the flower arrangement that proclaims, “this beautiful arrangement provided by Barb’s Florals”. If they are providing the arrangement to advertise to your customers (you get much more traffic than they do on a consistent basis) they will also make sure that the arrangements look great so that potential customers see their best work. They are using up inventory that they can’t sell and you get a welcoming arrangement of flowers. Let them put some business cards out so that they can get folks calling directly. Maybe even have them leave a note saying “mention your restaurant and get $10.00 off.” If they get five calls a month, they’ll be thrilled with the partnership. And if you handle private events and someone wants flowers for an event, recommend the florist and make even more friends. Make sure that you reward them for their investment in you.
Be creative as always in how to make your lobby/ greeting area look warm and inviting. Your guests will love the attention to detail. In the fall at our restaurants we put out pretty baskets of colorful apples and greenery to set the mood. During the Christmas season, it’s greens and bright red bows. Again, be creative, build relationship and put your best foot forward. And if it smells nice, all the better!
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Father of Five , married to the love of his life for over 40 years and a business Card that reads; “The Idea Guy”, Steve lives in a world of creativity. He attended the University of Maryland where he majored in mass communications that help to fuel that creative streak. His Foray into Hospitality and his creative ideas and concepts has allowed him to have fun all of his professional career. He has owned five award winning restaurants and that has fueled his passion for “thinking out side of the box”. His restaurants have received accolades including “Top 100 in America” and Steve was named the State of Maryland’s “Restaurateur of the Year”. Steve has a passion for Philanthropy and his Restaurant Group has helped to raise over 7 Million Dollars for Charities. He is passionate about writing, public speaking and Maine Lobster with drawn butter.