Top Ten Ways To Protect Your Reputation

1. Give them nothing bad to talk about. Create procedures and training programs that ensure sanitation, quality and the best possible restaurant experience.
2. React quickly and genuinely even to the small things. Fix mistakes. Clean up spills. Take responsibility and act.
3. Perception quickly becomes reality in the eyes of the customer. The hint of a problem today will become a bigger problem down the road.
4. Don't wait for feedback; ask for it. You won't always hear what you want to hear, but get the feedback consistently and constantly.
5. Think sounds and smells, not just visuals. The restaurant experience encompasses all of the senses for the customer. How does your place feel?
6. Shop (secretly) the competition and ask patrons about their experiences at your own restaurant. Again, don't be afraid to hear the good, the bad, the ugly.
7. Become active in the community. Sponsor YMCA events, provide meeting space for civic organizations. Be a citizen first, a business second.
8. You can't overplay the impression of cleanliness. Change bus towels frequently. Train servers to over-emphasize sanitation, especially in front of the customer.
9. When in doubt, throw it out. A little lost revenue now can outweigh the larger problem of an outbreak in the long run.
10. In the case of the worse case, act quickly and honestly, and do everything in your power to get them to come back.

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