Effective customer service consulting (for restaurants and foodservice, as in other industries) starts by figuring out the customer’s point of view. Then — and only then — you consider the other stakeholders: IT, frontline employees, marketing, management, and, eventually, the shareholders. (Let me be clear here: This does not mean these stakeholders are less important than customers. But if you can’t make something work for a customer, there’s no reason to do it. So that’s where you start.)
In the case of Panera Bread fast casual restaurants, I was able to get the customer’s viewpoint, at least informally, by having a pretty delicious lunch.
First, I have to tell you a secret (can you keep it?) Panera has a new “hidden menu.”
Does having a hidden menu make any sense? Does it make sense for Panera itself, or for other restaurants that are trying something similar? Most importantly, would it make sense for your business to follow suit? (Consider this question literally if you’re in foodservice, or figuratively if you’re in another industry that serves a public with varying tastes.)
My answer? “Well, maybe!”
Here’s how, over lunch, I saw the lay of the land.
On the one hand, having a supposedly secret or hidden menu can come off to your customers as at least borderline silly. Customers are pretty much clued in that the menu is public knowledge by the QR-coded magnet near the register, by the postings on Facebook, the info that comes up if they simply Google “menu.” And anyway, in Panera Bread’s case, they’re publicly traded and little that they do* is really secret, or, as they put it, “hidden.”
* (Including, I’m afraid, allegationsabout their employment practices.)
But it’s not easy to succeed in business without risking looking a bit silly, or at least playful, from time to time. So I certainly don’t hold this against Panera, and I doubt another customer would.
So let’s probe further into how a hidden menu feels to a customer.
If a customer finds out about the hidden menu and wants one of the items (mostly low-gluten, low carb, lowish calorie offerings), ordering from the hidden menu actually can help a customer to feel special. At least a bit. The hidden-menu concept can give a customer a slight sense of sharing something insiderish with the employees.
And–and this is a huge thing in today’s world–it’s fast. Rather than acting like a high-maintenance prima dona in an Altman movie, asking to substitute out nearly every ingredient in the original recipe, you can order hidden menu item 2, or 4. Done.
Of course, most customers don’t want anything to do with the items on a secret menu. (If most people do want one of the hidden items, the item should be moved to the regular menu.). So it saves time for uninterested customers to not to have to sift through these rarely-ordered items.
And of course, it keeps you on brand. Why would a haven for gluten lovers like Panera, which even has the word “bread” in its name, want to bring up the carb or gluten concepts? It wouldn’t. Except if you are in need. And want to be in the know.
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Micah Solomon is the business keynote speaker, author, and customer service consultant termed by the Financial Post ”a new guru of customer service excellence.” Solomon offers keynote speaking and consulting on customer service issues, the customer experience, and company culture ”” and how they fit into today’s marketing and technology landscape. See Micah in action ”” including video and free resources ”” at https://micahsolomon.com. Or, click here for your own free chapter of Micah’s latest bestseller, High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service (AMACOM Books).
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© 2013 Micah Solomon. Portions of this post may also have appeared in Micah’s previously published work.
