This is because 25% of consumers eating out have stated that they choose a restaurant because they "regularly go there." This equates to an incredible 2.8 billion visits per year in Britain alone.

Recent reports have shown that delivery services such as Deliveroo are boosting the UK economy by an astonishing £372 million per year. Reaction to this has been widespread concern over the future of out-of-home dining. In spite of this, the NPD has revealed that the out-of-home market has also grown by 6.6% in the past two years. Evidence suggests that consumers patterns are changing to ensure that they know that if they eat in a certain place, then they will get what they want.

Habitual dining visits accounts for £12.6 billion of all of the out-of-home consumer spending every year. The director of foodservice in the UK for NPD, Cyril Lavenant explains: "with so much choice for eating out, customers should be 'promiscuous' and never settle for a favourite. However, nearly one in four of us are happy to go on 'autopilot' as long as we get good pricing, convenience and the right customer experience. The value of that 'autopilot' business is close to £13b – or nearly one-quarter of the sales value of the entire British foodservice industry." This type of dining has grown at more than twice the speed of the total out-of-home spending, by 13.4% in the past two years, compared to the 6.6% of the total dining-out spend. This is on top of the growing list of chain restaurants showing declining profits - with more convenient, local eateries in favour with Millennials. It is clear that the British Hospitality industry needs to capitalise on this growth.

It just so happens that there has been a huge push in recent weeks for the hospitality industry to endorse technology and loyalty schemes. This is all linked to the same idea in giving the consumer the best experience possible so that they consider your restaurant a good place for them to go for their next meal. The inclusion of chatbots and AI managed services to take bookings and reservations are soon to become a regular occurrence within the industry in the not too distant future. Technology can also allow for a personalised experience where customers behaviours can be learned allowing for repeat business to become an even more fruitful experience.

If customers are tending to go back to places that they know are good, it is clear that customer experience should be the focus of all businesses within the hospitality industry. Customer experience isn't just based on the food, in which you should already be extremely confident in. It has to do with the customer service and the atmosphere as well. Ensuring that when the customer sits down they feel comfortable and that they are in a quality environment. Creating the perfect atmosphere from the moment that the customer walks in and sits down is proven to set the scene and improve their experience from then on in. Handing them a carefully selected and bespoke menu cover as soon as they sit down is a perfect way to illustrate the quality of the establishment and acts as a way to break the ice, putting the customer at ease instantly.

Considering each aspect in which your guests will come in to contact with is proven to inspire them to come back and dine with you again. With this type of thinking becoming more commonplace within the industry it is pertinent to the businesses' success that they focus their efforts towards quality rather than margins. This will ensure loyalty and, in turn, boost the turnover and profits of the business for long-term success rather than instant and limited success.

138 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK, SY2 6AP

A Company Registered in England & Wales Company Registration Number: GB05069286 VAT Registration Number: GB867112521 Smart Hospitality Supplies is a trading division of The Smart Marketing & Media Group Limited

Simon Hubbard

View source