Top 5 Concerns of Dine-In Customers

As restaurants continue to open back up across the country, customers are beginning to feel more comfortable dining in. Restaurants have put several precautions in place to reassure customers of their health and safety practices, including social distancing graphics, table reconfigurations, and facemask mandates. Even so, some customers are still wary of dining in.

Saputo Foodservice recently did a study of the top 5 concerns of dine-in customers. These include:

1. 40% of consumers want spaced-out tables.

Depending on the table configurations of dine-in seating, some restaurants are marking tables as “closed” or “open” with table markers. Others have completely removed or reconfigured their tables and chairs and opened up more patio space.

2. 39% of consumers want employees to wear face masks.

Whether you’ve opted for disposable masks or custom facemasks, customers want their foodservice workers to wear facemasks while handling food. This includes food delivery as well.

3. 39% of consumers want common areas visibly wiped down.

It’s not just enough to sanitize common areas. Customers want to actually see sanitation practices in place. Some restaurants are using sanitized labels as visual indicators of when and how often tables and common areas have been sanitized.

4. 39% of consumers want “extremely clean” restrooms.

Now more than ever, it’s important to demonstrate your restaurant’s bathroom cleanliness. This means more frequent cleaning and sanitizing of restrooms. Aroma is a key indicator of cleanliness as well and can affect customer perception. Use fragrances in restrooms to reassure customers.

5. 38% of consumers want employees to wear gloves.

Gloves are another visual indicator that the proper safety measures have been put in place to protect the customers. It’s also important to visibly show employees changing gloves throughout the day to a fresh pair.

There are many ways restaurants can encourage more dine-in traffic, but starting with these five key areas will help to reassure customers and give them peace of mind. Restaurants going even further may choose to set up hand sanitizing stations and use social distancing floor graphics and aisle markers to make customers feel safe in-store.