How Your Restaurant Can Build Trust During Coronavirus

Jul 23, 2020 | Marketing Tips, Restaurant/Cafe/Bar

It’s no surprise to anyone, but a lot of people are concerned about dining out right now. That doesn’t mean they’re not willing to do so. They just need to be reassured that their restaurant-of-choice is prioritizing the safety of its customers.

They need to make sure they can trust restaurants.

Why is trust so important? Building trust with customers probably isn’t something you normally think about on a daily basis. But right now? It needs to be one of your highest priorities. Thanks to the pandemic, people are thinking about a lot more than where they can get their favorite meal. They still want the food that they want. They just want it safely from the restaurants that they can trust.

With so much uncertainty, loyal customers will continue to be your most reliable source of revenue. Not only do you want to ensure they keep dining, you’ll want to ensure they remain loyal. Because if you lose their trust, you risk throwing their loyalty into jeopardy. The trust you foster today will have long-lasting implications.

You need to stay transparent. During uncertain times, maintaining transparency can be one of the best ways to make sure your customers know that you’re watching out for them. Even when the pandemic is long behind us, you should actively be practicing transparency anyway. According to Sprout Social, 85% of customers are more likely to maintain a brand relationship given a history of transparency.

Consider perhaps the most timely example relating to transparency. How do you respond when one of your employees tests positive for COVID-19? In terms of messaging, that’s the sort of thing you’re going to want to get ahead of. If you choose not to notify your customers, you run the risk of them finding out through other means. If they find out directly from you, it’s an act of transparency. It shows you care.

If an employee does test positive for COVID-19, please consult this guide from the National Restaurant Association.

Be specific about your safety practices. Customers want to know exactly what they can expect when it comes to your restaurant’s safety practices. According to a recent study from SafetyCulture, more than half of Americanas don’t feel comfortable dining in a restaurant or bar for the next three months. If you want your customers to feel more comfortable, you need to make sure they feel safe.

Just from my own personal experience with local restaurants, it’s been easy to see which are taking things more seriously than others. If the person delivering your curbside pickup order isn’t wearing a mask, that could be a sign that a restaurant isn’t taking things seriously.

SafetyCulture’s study presents a few data-backed ideas worth considering. More than half of Americans would increase their trust and confidence in businesses that implement the following practices:

  • A daily list of safety procedures for public areas, along with a notice of completion.
  • A list of hourly cleaning and disinfecting activities.

Chances are, you already have daily safety procedures and cleaning activities. You just need to let your customers know.

Build Trust With CoGoBuzz

With CoGoBuzz, we’re here to help your restaurant succeed as it moves forward from the pandemic. Our state-of-the-art digital marketing service can help your restaurant build and maintain a strong base of loyal customers, which will ultimately help your restaurant survive.

Our service directly promotes your services to customer mobile devices. Leveraging advanced WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, CoGoBuzz promotes your restaurant both in-store and out. It comes packed with a fully digital, text-based loyalty program, allowing you to let your customers know what services you’re offering – all with just a simple text. Click here to learn more about CoGoBuzz.

Whether you’re one of our current customers, or you’re interested in joining the CoGoBuzz family, we’re committed to helping businesses affected by COVID-19.

For current customers, we’re providing free text message service, allowing you to send a link to order online, purchase gift cards, and/or notify customers of new hours.

For new customers, we’re offering our hardware at cost, donating our services, time, and covering shipping costs. Prepare for the future with CoGoWiFi Free to collect your customers’ phone numbers. There are no contracts or monthly fees, and we offer unlimited customer data storage.

Message from our CEO

“From pricing to packaging, our mission has always been to provide customers with unbeatable value. That’s why, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we are seeking to provide the most aggressive offers to help suffering restaurants survive. We believe that half of small restaurants will fail in the year after operations return to normal. The restaurants that survive and thrive will be the ones that win loyalty and focus on bringing customers back over the following year.”

– Steve Gould, CEO

Click here for more details on how we’re handling the crisis.

How is your restaurant building trust during the pandemic? Let us know in the comments.

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