Where do your customers park?

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Well, the easy answer is…in the parking lot! But even the parking of vehicles has a number of things to consider. Sometimes you have a restaurant that has a tremendous amount of parking. Sometimes it is limited parking. Sometimes it’s a beautiful day. Sometimes it’s raining and cold. Maybe you’re in a Mall. Maybe you are all alone in a standalone building. So, where do people park?

We made it a policy to tell everyone that we hired where they would be allowed to park. That sounds a little silly, but if your employees take all of the parking close to the building, particularly in inclement weather, then guests arriving may decide that they don’t want to walk a long distance through the rain to get inside. Elderly folks, not using the handicapped parking passes are also looking to park near the establishment. They don’t want to walk 50 yards to get inside. Your staff may think that they should be allowed to park close by, because they arrived early when the lot was empty. However, if the customers can’t get in easily and they go away, that costs you revenue and costs them tips. One of my restaurants would have the parking lot jammed and so we required the staff to park at the farthest end of the lot. They didn’t like it, but it was a business decision. They did however enjoy the money they earned when the restaurant was full of hungry and thirsty patrons!

Sometimes we would host an event like a mixer for the Chamber of Commerce. These events were at the end of the day and of course everyone drove separately. If 75 guests are attending, that means 70 cars. On those days, we had the staff park around the back of the building. We needed to maximize every space that we had. Then as guests were arriving, I would stand out front and direct traffic to the closest available parking. It seems like a lot of work, but if 25 guests can’t get into your restaurant because the staff took all of the “Good” spots it’s costing you money.

I mentioned that we have it in that onboarding package where we describe what is required of employees. ( see “all Aboard) Then, when you tell them, they can argue, but it is one of the terms of their employment. And if they were smart, they would see the wisdom of it. Now that I have shared that, I will give the opposite approach. One of my restaurants has a good lunch business, but not great. So having three or four cars in the lot near the front door subconsciously says ”Hey, were open and people are here.” No one wants to go into an empty restaurant, and by having cars near the restaurant, it gives the appearance of diners. It never hurts to appear busy, and a lot of cars gives that impression.

When I posted the blog about turning tables (when it’s time, it’s time) one of the reasons that we want to turn tables quickly is when the happy guests leave, they free up a parking space. I have had regular customers tell me that they “Always drive by our place first AND IF THEY CAN FIND A PARKING SPACE they come in. If not they go somewhere else”.

Don’t overlook how important getting guests in and out easily impacts your bottom line. Make sure that your lot is clean. Make sure that people aren’t parking where they shouldn’t be. Don’t let delivery trucks tie up your spots. You might have to tell the vendors who sell to you what they can and cannot do with their deliveries. No deliveries at 5 O’clock because of happy hour parking. By this point in the story, you should be getting the picture. Invest in a couple of traffic cones. Get a fluorescent vest for identifying you when you act as Traffic Cop. Pay attention to how your guests park and get in. If it’s easy and efficient, they’ll be happier customers. And spend more money!

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