It’s not only how your restaurant’s look and feel that matter, but how you make your customers happy and satisfied of their entire stay at your restaurant. When they have a good time over-all, they will surely come back and take new friends or relatives with them, and when their friends tell their friends as well, you know what’s going to happen next.

Make sure that your restaurant’s atmosphere is friendly all the way through to any customers that you receive. When you have a happy disposition with your business, it reflects that same character to your customers as well. Don’t forget to tell your employees to always give a welcoming smile to whoever comes in your establishment. It’s always important that customers feel your appreciation because they visited.

Even when a customer makes a reservation, your front desk employee should always smile in answering the phone because customers can tell the sarcasm of the answering party’s voice on the phone. It’s not only the positive attitude that matters in a restaurant business, there is also promptness, attentiveness and of course, alertness. You wouldn’t want any of your employees be dubbed as incompetent by one of your customers now, would you?

Promptness should always be observed especially when customers make sudden requests. Also, special requests in food or drinks are always made by customers…so the minute instructions are given, attention should be set right there and then only for the customers. Your employees may drop glasses at one point or place the wrong plate on the wrong table, but it will happen. Instruct your staff properly but not harshly. They’re your front liners and when they’re not around, who would be?

Shareen Aguilar is a writer for http://restaurant-business-secrets.com which has information about restaurant management and restaurant operation techniques.

How important are first impressions to restaurant owners?

First impressions are formed based on the primacy effect, which states that information people see or learn about you is more powerful than what is learned later. Therefore, when people initially see a small piece of you, that’s all they know about you – and the restaurant, for that matter.

So I think no matter how delicious the food is, how ambient the room looks or how reasonable the prices are, if a guest walks in and some small behavior rubs them the wrong way, he may never eat there again. I can recall several times in my life when I’ve walked out of a restaurant and stated, “I can’t believe what just happened – I’m never coming back!” And I never did.

What do your recommend companies do to make a good first impression for guests?

Have a meeting with your employees and create the following list: “Top Ten Reasons A Guest Would Leave Our Restaurant and Never Want To Come Back.” Then think of solutions and ways to prevent those problems. You can even site specific incidents from past customer problems. Once the list is finished, make copies for everyone and post an abbreviated list in the kitchen, the bathroom stalls, the break rooms and the smoking area.

What can result in a BAD first impression for a restaurant? How do you avoid making those mistakes?

I spent several years working in food service/hospitality, and too many of my coworkers made bad first impressions because of one simple error: they forgot that the job wasn’t about them. It’s common place – mainly for a server – to be in a bad mood, stressed out or upset. (Hey, it’s part of the job!) But sometimes a server will “spill” his emotions on his customers instead of sucking it up. Not cool. The bottom line about first impressions in the hospitality industry is: it doesn’t matter if you have a bad day. It only matters if the guest has a good day.

Can you differentiate between the things restaurant employees should do to make a good first impression when 1) seating 2) taking phone orders/answering the phone 3) interacting with new guests at the table?

When seating guests, why not take the few seconds you have while walking them to their tables to strike up a conversation? In so doing, the host may discover that there’s an anniversary or birthday to be celebrated. And wouldn’t it just MAKE THE GUESTS’ DAY if the waiter came over, who’s never seen the guests before, and said, “Happy 35th! My name is Jack and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.”?

Anyone who answers the phone needs to know the entire menu, hours of operation and most importantly, directions on how to get to the restaurant from all parts of town. A good suggestion is to post directions on the host stand, or have an easy-to-grab reference available so hosts can avoid the “Let Me Find Someone Who Knows How To Get Here” trap.

When a new guest comes to your table, the worst thing a server could ever do is not tell the guests his or her name, or not wear a nametag. Some restaurants think they’re too nice or to fancy for nametags. They’re wrong. Nametags are vital tools for service providers. A nametag makes it easier for customers to gain the attention of an employee from whom they need service. Without it, the customers will either find someone else to help them, or won’t get what they need. And if someone’s mouth is burning hot from too much crushed red pepper on his pizza and he needs a refill, nothing will make a worse impression than hearing that person say, “Hey, what was our server’s name again?”

How quickly are first impressions made?

I’ve read hundreds of books and articles on first impressions and not a single one offers consistency among increments of time in which you must make a first impression. You only have three seconds…Connect in under a minute…People decide if they like you within the first ninety seconds…Make the sale in the first five seconds…You get the job within four minutes…Always make a friend in less than 30 seconds…

Ahhhhhhhhhh!! Which one is right!?

There’s no need to adhere to a specific number of minutes, hours, days or milliseconds to which your words and actions must adhere in order to “wow” the other person. The bottom line is this: every situation and every person is different. Only you can decide how much time you’re allotted before the guest thinks you’re fabulous!

Can you apply some of your Front Porch philosophies to restaurants? The front porch is a idea that means, “Any object or behavior that increases approachability.” Front porches create comfort, break the ice, engage and build rapport with customers. Here are examples of both types as they pertain to restaurants.

• Nametags – Sigmund Freud said that a person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten. By wearing a nametag you put customers at ease because they know your name. As a result, you are more approachable to them. Macaroni Grill actually teaches its servers to write their names UPSIDE DOWN in crayon on the tables, which makes an unforgettable first impression, not to mention keeps their names in front of the guests during the meal.
• CPI – this stands for “Common Point of Interest.” If you want employees to connect with guests, they need to get to know them. Not their entire life stories, but enough so that common ground can be established. The most effective way to discover the CPI is by asking open ended questions allowing the guests to share a little bit of who they are, i.e., What are you gentleman up to this weekend? What a great way to break the ice and engage with people!

After all, a front porch is a symbol of approachability and the key to making unforgettable first impressions. The question is: are you going to build one in your restaurant?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are there any restaurants you REFUSE to go to? Why?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Pretend you just opened a new steakhouse. Write out your “First Impression Strategy.” Email it to me and I’ll use it in my next article, book or speech!

© 2006 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker and the author of HELLO my name is Scott, The Power of Approachability and How To Be That Guy. He helps people MAXIMIZE their personal and professional approachability – one conversation at a time. To book Scott for your next association meeting, conference or corporate event, contact Front Porch Productions at 314/256-1800 or email scott@hellomynameisscott.com

You want your business to stick in a customer’s mind, after all. That’s the kind of business we dream of – when a customer remembers your experience years later. The kind of great service that a happy patron can relate years later, as an example of service above and beyond the call of duty.

The Emergency Check-Out
My wife and I were in the first years of our marriage, with the kids still in the toddler stage. We had gotten away on one of our short weekend vacations from the kids, much-needed rest for both of us, and had booked a room at a casino in Laughlin, which was only one city away. This was only to be for one night and one day. We opted for in-home babysitting, split up into shifts between two teens. The one had been our baby-sitter for years and was a trusted family friend, but the other we’d hired out of the paper and we didn’t know too much about her.

Anyway, we’d stayed at the hotel overnight and arose the next morning and the first thing we did was call in at home to check. The more experienced sitter answered, and informed us that she had arrived early and witnessed the other sitter being abusive with the kids. One of them was sporting a mark. If your heart just skipped a beat, you are a parent who can empathize with how we felt. Even though we had the room for the rest of the day, we immediately crammed our belongings into our luggage and ran down stairs to check out.

There was a huge crowd checking out at the exact same time. Only one check-out clerk was working the desk, with a line of about 20 people milling about. My wife and I skimmed the scene and then button-holed a passing clerk and explained our situation.

This saint of a clerk immediately sprang into action, opening another window just for us at the check-out desk and speeding us through the minimum motions required to get us on our way. We had another day paid for that we didn’t use, but we didn’t care – they could keep the money, we just wanted a fast exit – and out the door we got. All eventually ended well when we got home, but we returned to that hotel later to personally thank the staff.

the Best Date Ever
This was when my future wife and I were dating. We had discovered a gem of an Italian restaurant tucked away in a downtown area, and this was the most memorable place we’d been to. It was huge and quirky, with two stories and a basement. The furnishings were incredible; a “monster gallery” was set up in the basement sharing space with a wine cellar, the restaurant proper was a practical museum of artwork, and the second story was a maze of balconies looking out over the floor.

We showed up at an odd hour, and since the place wasn’t too busy, we got the full service treatment. First we got an interesting guided tour, then were offered our choice of seating anywhere we liked. We picked a cozy alcove, and our meal spanned a couple of hours, during which time every single waiter, server, and somelier appeared out of nowhere right on cue, performed their duties, and left us with some alone time. The food and beverages were so excellent, we still talk about that place fondly even ten years later.

Towards the end, a little band of musicians assembled on stage, mainly to get set up for the expected crowds later that evening, but seeing just us, they improvised a little musical number just for us. I think the whole restaurant staff could tell a young couple of sweethearts when they saw one, and I swear there was a coordinated effort behind the scenes to give us a night to remember.

the Best People Skills
We were at a large inn in a tourist location. It was a very popular and busy place, and the rest of us had grown noticeably uncomfortable waiting for our tables in the lobby, all because of one loud and unruly man. He seemed very emotional, was definitely intoxicated, and was hostile and abusive with the hostess and the headwaiter. Finally one of them paged for the security guard, who arrived to handle the situation.

This guard had to be a psychiatrist moon-lighting as a security guard! Where others might have been brisk, stiff, and formal ushering the guest out of the building with his loud protests and making a scene, this officer was the most respectful and personal professional I’d ever seen. He talked to the guest, listening to what he had to say. The guest rambled on, babbling about this grievance and that, but the guard had a quieting effect on him.

The guard listened and nodded a lot, saying “I understand.” and phrasing a lot of the conversation with sentences starting with “So you feel…”. In ten minutes, the guest was calmed down, his anger averted, and the guard actually persuaded him to leave on his own, which he meekly did. We were in awe. I hope that guard later got a job as an international diplomat.

the Cheerful Waitress
I was traveling on business, and of all things found myself stuck in a strange city on Christmas Day. What’s more, my whole family was several states away, and as if missing my loved ones dearly on that day weren’t enough, the whole trip had been a series of annoying mishaps, with not even the business part going as I’d hoped. I’d completely forgotten to eat, on awakening late Christmas morning, and had stepped outside to find some food only to be confronted by a city mostly deserted, as it seemed nearly every business was closed with its staff home enjoying the holiday while I shuffled through the streets alone and hungry.

You can imagine when I did eventually find a restaurant after walking for blocks, I wasn’t in the best of spirits. I got in and ordered a table, and noticed that the whole place was busy, probably the only restaurant open for miles, and the rest of the crowd was in groups and families. In the middle of all this, the waitress, who had to have been almost too busy to bother, noticed my low spirits as I ordered and stayed to talk to me.

She was incredible, handling orders for about ten tables with large families at each one, yet I got equal time. When she asked why I looked so down and I related the situation, she said, “We’ve all been there once.” I kept my order simple, but even though I didn’t want to be any trouble she made extra time for me, taking time to talk to me and visit, making it clear that just because I was one person in a wall-to-wall crowd that it didn’t mean I was any less important.

This small bit of personal thoughtfulness alone made my holiday. It was such a small thing but by the end of the day it was all that mattered.

Freelance writer for over eleven years.

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So it follows that good customer service is the most important aspect of your restaurant business as well, perhaps even more important than the quality of food served. And in good customer service, the SMILE is the most important element. The essential attributes of cordiality, warmth and affability are all enshrined in the radiance of a “SMILE”. The smile sets precedent to smooth communication between you and your guest, allowing you to serve him better. Even the food they say, tastes better when conjured by hands of love and served with a smile. Even in a telephone conversation, a smile should be mandatory for it reflects in the tone of voice. In this context, it is pertinent to mention that a phone call must be answered in not more than 4 rings. A prospective customer can then start to feel “Welcome” at the point of placing the reservation itself.

In the case of the restaurant business, customer service seldom rests in the hand of one or a few individuals. Every member of your staff forms a vital link in the chain that bolsters your effort to ensure cordiality and good customer service. From the person taking the reservation to the doormen to the receptionist in the lobby to the waiter at the table, the warmth and degree of geniality should be maintained. Never be curt in your replies and allows be willing to take that extra step by offering alternatives such as another dish on the menu should a guest’s choice be unavailable or out of season.

If telephone etiquette means that a phone should be answered promptly, the same protocol must be adopted while dealing with the customer in person. By all means, you should avoid making your guest wait too long for a table if he hasn’t made a reservation.

In the restaurant business as in any other, it is important to be a good listener. Right from the point of taking a reservation, listening skills have to sharp. There is nothing more vexing than explaining to someone what you want or what your problem is, like allergic foods, and then discovering that that person hasn’t understood or paid attention and you have to explain it again? For this purpose, it may also be good to have staff that is multi-lingual.

By following these basic rules in maintaining good customer service, you forge a relationship with your guests, a relationship that helps your business grow and prosper. Exceptional customer service keeps people coming back.

Lydia Quinn writes for R & I Solutions, makers of Cost Genie restaurant costing software. Get a free demo at

It does not matter how well your restaurant is doing or what marketing you have planned, there are always lots of little things you can do that cost virtually no money. Here are some great ideas that we find are very effective in building customer loyalty…. other than just our great nutritious food (and sometimes they have provided some great free publicity):

11. Offer a free meeting room

Where it is appropriate, especially if marketing to executives, offer a free meeting room, or set aside a special area. Make sure you let your customers know the room is available.

12. Offer free umbrellas during wet weather

You can get inexpensive ones to give away or large solid ones that are printed with the restaurant name and website on them. The big ones can be returned on their next visit or dropped back any time. Or they can be given away too when appropriate.

13. Offer a calculator with the bill

This is handy for large groups.

14. Make adjustments for customers with disabilities

While you already meet all legal requirements, it is good to promote that you go that extra mile for any special needs.

15. Create a Wall of Fame for regulars

Regular diners like to feel special. It works the same for take away too. You can take a photo, add a short bio and even include their favourite meal. You can do the same on your website.

16. Buy regular guests a bottle of wine

You know who the regulars are. They are also one of you strongest marketing people. Treat them accordingly. Take the wine to them personally. The results will be repaid ten fold.

17. Start a mug club

This idea can be applied to countless possibilities, but the mug idea can be used almost anywhere. They can be kept at the café or bar and the patron even pays a fee for the purchase of the mug, or glass, or expensive bottle of Whisky or Brandy in Licensed restaurants.

18. Be a teacher

Offer food education nights or lunches or even mornings on the weekend. Cooking shows, demonstrations or classes can all be very popular and can attract free publicity.

19. Have the chef deliver or accompany the food occasionally

This is a sure fire way to impress guests. They love it. It makes them feel important and it allows the chef to get out of the kitchen and speak to the customers.

20. Name a menu item after a customer

Just asking a customer for this privilege is a great compliment to them. Don’t do it too often unless you have an extensive menu that you want to use this method as a theme.

21. Always give a bit more than you promise …(like we have right now with this extra 21st suggestion)

This is what every business, including restaurants, should do. Anything extra, small or large is always appreciated.

Of course there are many other things you can do, and maybe this list will help you think of many others too.
———————–

Ian Macdonald as founder and owner of Macdonald’s Gourmet Burgers combines his passion and knowledge of food, wine and nutrition with savvy business tactics. He is also the MD of a corporate consulting firm that advises on strategic negotiation, dispute resolution and workplace change. Clients are mainly from top 100 corporations. For lots of free resources from their extensive website go to: http://www.MacdonaldsGourmetBurgers.com

This article was compiled with the guidance of Darrell Berg-Smith, CEO, DBS Worldwide Marketing Co., Ltd. For lots of great free low cost marketing resources go to: http://www.darrellberg-smith.com

This article can be republished for free as long as the author information and website links are included.

1. Have menus in Braille

Braille and picture only menus can be created at www.brailleenterprises.com or through www.hotbraille.com. In Australia contact www.visionaustralia.org.au. You may also want to include some training for your staff members so they will be prepared to deal with customers with special needs.

2. Provide reading material for single diners

When single guests come in for a meal, you can help make their experience more enjoyable by providing free newspapers, books, magazines for their reading enjoyment. Maybe even subscribe to a publication that a regular enjoys reading. You can also use information, like articles, from your website like we do. They are very popular.

3. Have a delivery service for the elderly

Elderly diners sometimes find it difficult to leave the house in order to eat at your restaurant. Keep their business by making them feel special. Give them a menu to keep at home and you could even distribute them to seniors’ activity clubs and other appropriate venues.

4. Create a designated driver program

You could have free non alcoholic drinks for the designated driver.

5. Guarantee everything

Would you be more likely to buy something if you knew you couldn’t lose?? It’s not so much a refund offer as a promise that your food and service is exceptional.

6. Give free postcards

Are you in area with lots of tourism? Then you can offer free postcards to guests. You might even offer to mail them. You can even create your own. Regulars might like them to send to friends or family that are away.

7. Offer free event cakes

When customers are celebrating Birthdays, anniversaries, or special accomplishments, it’s a compliment to you and your restaurant. People that tend to celebrate also tend to bring larger parties and spend more money.

8. Offer free samples of new menu items

People love to taste before they buy. They also love getting anything that is complimentary. You can even do this while they are waiting, or even give them something to take home if it does not need to be warm.

9. Offer hooks for purses at the table

This is one of those things that drives some people nuts!! It allows things to be kept off the floor, it provides a sense of security for you guest and it makes them think that you are always thinking about them. This can make a big difference to diners.

10. Provide imaginative after dinner treats

We have all received that complimentary mint after dinner with the bill. But why be ordinary…make an impact! It can be a flower, or a toy for the kids, or a key ring or a small diary at the beginning of the year. There are lots of options that can make an impact.

Of course there are many other things you can do, and maybe this list will help you think of many others too.
—————————

Ian Macdonald as founder and owner of Macdonald’s Gourmet Burgers combines his passion and knowledge of food, wine and nutrition with savvy business tactics. He is also the MD of a corporate consulting firm that advises on strategic negotiation, dispute resolution and workplace change. Clients are mainly from top 100 corporations. For lots of free resources from their extensive website go to: http://www.MacdonaldsGourmetBurgers.com

This article was compiled with the guidance of Darrell Berg-Smith, CEO, DBS Worldwide Marketing Co., Ltd. For lots of great free low cost marketing resources go to: http://www.darrellberg-smith.com

This article can be republished for free as long as the author information and website links are included.

The true secret to increasing the number of guests in your restaurant is, ‘Do it Right’. Whatever you decide as your theme or menu for your restaurant doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you focus on what you do well, and nothing else.

Let’s start with the menu. Are your portions the right size? How many of the plates being brought back to the kitchen are empty? If the plates aren’t empty, what items remain? These are questions an owner or manager should be asking the servers regularly to ascertain which portions are too large and which are too small.

Do you have too many items on your menu? In the hopes of attracting more customers, restaurants have begun to diversify their menus by offering exotic foods and delicacies. The end result is an overloaded menu that provides too many choices for the guest. A typical menu should contain no more than 8-10 appetizers, 10-12 main courses and 4-6 desserts. There are two reasons why this formula works. The first reason is that by limiting the number of items the kitchen has to produce, they become faster and more skilled in the preparation of those dishes. When diners go out for dinner they have a rough idea of what it is they want to eat. By providing a simplified, but well-balanced menu means the guests can spend more time enjoying the ‘dining experience’ and less time selecting the meal.

Now that you have the menu and the kitchen in order we need to look at the service. There is no better way of increasing the number of guests in your restaurant than by providing excellent guest service. Think yourself, how many times you have returned to a restaurant that had great food and lousy service. For most of you the answer will be never. Now think about how many times you have returned to a restaurant that had great service and mediocre food. Most of you will probably say that on at least one occasion you have gone back to a restaurant because the service you received was outstanding.

Service-staff are the front-line workers for your restaurant and therefore the strongest impression of your product. Having a capable service team is a huge challenge for any restaurant, but the best way to reduce theses challenges are training and consistency. Train your team to perform each task in the same manner every time and you will see dramatic results. If every server serves each guest the same way (exclusive of individual personalities) every time, you will see their speed increase, their ability to assist other team members increase and most importantly their accountability will increase.

At the end of the day it comes down to the owner or manager to follow-up on standards and training. If a restaurant has an incredible service package that is never enforced, then there is really no service package at all. As an owner or manager you should visit each table and speak with as many guests as you can to get a ‘true’ feel of how your service and kitchen teams are performing. Remember, these challenges can be overcome with a little planning, lots of training and consistent follow-up. It’s your business, if you don’t take an active role in ensuring its success, who will?

Lydia Quinn writes for R&I Solutions, developer of Cost Genie, a leading restaurant costing software package. Visit CostGenie.com for a free demo. http://www.costgenie.com

People Skills,

You need to be good with people, because you will have different customers almost every day, you will have repeat customers who have higher expectations, a high-maintenance shift-based staff to manage, suppliers who won’t always meet your expectations or time frames and creditors who want their money now.

Accountancy skills

You will have to balance the books, arrange the daily banking arrange for staff wages to be paid, manage your ratio of costs to profit margins, manage your BAS payments, pay your creditors on time.

Creative Skills

You will need to monitor your advertising campaign. Create promotions, change the menu periodically and provide an atmosphere that is conducive to return patronage.

Management Skills

You will need to maintain security, monitor the opposition and stay ahead of any potential problems or conflicts.

You will need to manage: · unhappy customers · suppliers who are no longer reliable or now too expensive · the waste management people · the cleaners · the new staff · the old staff · the part-time staff · the full-time staff · the staff that don’t show up · the bar staff · the kitchen hands · the chef

Budgeting Skills

You will need to manage the restaurant promotions and image, replace broken crockery and lost and stolen items, and get by without everything you think you really need.

Human Resource Skills

You will need to adjust staffing levels to meet customer demand. Interview prospective staff, manage your shift managers, have extra staff available on call, and try to manage a day off for yourself now and again.

Negotiating Skills

You will need to handle any number of people including: · the landlord · the bank manage · your silent partner(s) · the local council · the health inspector · the pest exterminator · your suppliers

Culinary Skills

You don’t have to be a chef but you must know enough to be in control such as: · cuts of meat and types of fish, and their prices · seasonal produce · the market rate for fresh produce · storage times and conditions · spices and condiments · comparative rates between suppliers · specific delivery requirements · produce rotation and use-by dates · kitchen equipment · presentation and preparation times

You will require the patience of a saint. You will be open six or seven days a week. You will definitely start earlier than you thought and have later nights than you bargained for. It is relentless day in and day out with no sign of a break.

And you still want to get by with an Accountant who just does tax returns?
About the author

Kelvyn Peters CPA and Associates is a specialist small business adviser with a particular expertise in the hospitality industry. Kelvyn Peters CPA, our founder, is a director of Restaurant & Caterers Queensland Inc.

Kelvyn has devoted over 20 years to research and experimentation to perfect the delivery of advice to small business.

We are providing it to our local clients now we are going global…and remember we are only an e-mail away

The premises of the restaurant and/or bar and especially its interiors are to be made plush and cozy for diners to get a special experience. The restaurant supplies provided adequately helps in ascertaining that the activities of the restaurant are carried out well and customers are satisfactorily catered to.

The availability and proper management of restaurant supplies features alongside marketing, service standards, décor and such other factors to spell success for the restaurant/bar. Supplies ranging from ice machines to knives and bar supplies assume crucial roles in sound conducting of a restaurant’s business. The selection and stocking of such supplies go a long way to enhance business prospects of the restaurant.

There is categorization done for placing the supply items suitable under different heads to ensure their appropriate use in delivering finally a perfect dining experience. Sections devoted for preparation, preservation, storage and serving are usually set up and the supplies like processors, dishes and trays are placed under them appropriately. The restaurant supplies of food products are classified into perishable and non-perishable sections respectively and the food supplies placed accordingly.

Select items of kitchen supplies, catering supplies, restaurant furniture, bar furniture comprise the restaurant supplies which are usually procured in wholesale. There may be excess supplies purchased in which case adequate storage arrangements may need to be made to prevent spoilage. The kitchen and catering supplies perhaps have the most crucial role to play in delivering an amazing dining experience while supplies pertaining to other restaurant concerns help provide a better ambience for dining.

So, with the right restaurant supplies in place you, a prospective diner-customer, can be assured of an awesome dining experience. Herein will be the real success of the restaurateur- in ensuring that you enjoy every moment of being in the restaurant by enjoying not only the food served but also everything else that restaurant supplies make possible.

***You may use this article on your website as long as the two URLs are hyperlinked***

Tania Penwell is a contributor for A1 Restaurant Supply, where you will find information on stocking your own restaurant with great kitchen supplies.

Where to get it

Probably your best bet is to hire a freelancer online. Freelancer’s websites such as RentACoder.com, Elance.com, and iFreeLance.com work like a community job board: post your job (“looking for a web designer to build a web site for our restaurant”), watch the bids roll in, pick somebody whose price is right and whom seems equal to the task, put the money up with the site, and collect your work. The average going rate for a custom site is anywhere form $200 to $1000 dollars.

If you decide to do the design yourself, most web hosting providers include some website building tools to get you started. You don’t need to be a ‘geek’ to get started with building a web page, as today’s tools are usually “what you see is what you get”. If you can use office software, you can build web pages. Many hosts also provide easy-to-use templates, which are like “skeleton pages” that you just drop in and fill with your content.

The only downside of doing it yourself is that good web design is a matter of artistic talent, not technical skill. It’s up to you to decide if you can bring this job home. Visit the websites of other businesses in your industry and compare – can you make it look that good? You can also just put up the basic framework of your site, then hire freelancers for smaller jobs like adding graphics artwork. A common strategy is also to toss out the basic site content without decoration, then hire a designer to go over it and spruce it up.

Logistics

When picking a web host provider, your needs will be very basic. Since the front page for your hospitality business won’t need nearly the bandwidth that a ‘big name’ website will have, you can usually pick the cheapest package with no problem. Web space today is so cheap, it’s almost free; packages are out there for as little as $5.00 / month with an annual domain registration fee of $15.00 or so. Compared to newspaper ads and even Yellow Pages advertising, a web site will be the most economical publicity for your business you ever had.

Functions

At the very least, your business website should have the following features:

- Locations and hours. The easier it is to find this information, the less your staff will have to answer that question over the phone.

- A way to make reservations. The reservations registry process should be simple to use, and all on one page. Whether booking a table, a room, or a dance hall, the process should be consistent and convenient.

- If you have any kind of delivery service, by all means set the site up to take orders over the Internet. Internet users love being able to summon a pizza delivery right from their computer.

- Information about what your business provides. Describe your menu, your suites, your services offered, and so on. If you’re thinking of it like a magazine ad or brochure, you’re thinking in the right track.

- Images! At the very least, have a few pictures of your most sumptuous meal offerings or your ambassador suites at their best-looking. The web is a visual medium, so having pictures of the best you have to offer is crucial. Hire a professional photographer and schedule a day for this event; spare no expense.

- “About us”… most hospitality sites have a separate page detailing the business’ commitment to quality, excellence of service, awards won, testimonials from customers, rave reviews from critics, etc.

Design

Because a service business in expected to have a little flash to dress it up, you can go a little further with the graphics than what you would normally find on a web page. By all means have everything look as good as possible. Your page should be harmonious with your business’s style and motif.

However, avoid the temptation to post a Flash animation as your website’s entry page. Flash animations take time and processing to download, and a guest who’s been here three times and just wants to quickly reserve a room wants to get on with the transaction. Flash movies are certainly impressive, but at the most they should be small side items on your business’s front page. Also, make sure that the Flash animation doesn’t start automatically, make it so the user can start it at will with a click or mouse-over.

When we say you can go a little further with design spice than the average page, we mean tasteful and not gaudy. Avoid too much dark color, which will make the pages difficult to read. Avoid too much white space, which will make the page seem too plain. The text any any given page should be descriptive of your services, but not go on at a legth greater than what you would find on a single page of a news magazine. You should be able to scan the whole site in about 20 minutes.

Usability

The designated guru of web site usability is Vincent Flanders. His website is called “www.webpagesthatsuck.com” (Alexa) and while he’s a little on the crude side, his site is chock-full of wisdom for the business starting out to make a web presence. Just browse through his list of “top ten mistakes” and check to make sure you’re not making any of them. If you can pass this simple test, you’re doing better than almost half the Internet already!

Lots of web design for the online part of a business is common sense. Your site should be easy to navigate, with clear and descriptive links telling the user where they’re going. A rule of thumb is that no page of your site should be more than two clicks away from any other page of your site. The average web site for a hospitality business should be no more than ten pages total, for the basic necessities outlined here.

Freelance writer for over eleven years.

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