Rethinking Food Service: Embracing a Restaurant Mindset

Tony Johnson
Apr 16
5 min read

Food service has long been thought of as more institutional than its restaurant cousins – but the lines between the two are blurring more and more each year. Guest expectations continue to soar and clients in these spaces want experiences that rival local eateries and create environments where people want to be.

As someone who has worked in both areas, it has been a journey that has seen universities, workplaces, and other away-from-home markets continue to demand more innovation, quality, and à la minute service.

It should be the goal to abandon “it is just a café” thinking. Anyplace guests dine should be thought of as a restaurant. Why? Because it’s about mindset.

Much as you should think of your customers as guests, you should lean into your role as a restaurant that serves amazing dishes rather than just being a food factory.

Let’s dig into what that means and the principles you must adopt.

The Restaurant Experience

At its core, a restaurant's mission is to deliver memorable dining experiences through quality food, exceptional service, and a welcoming ambiance. This mission shouldn't be exclusive to establishments that identify as “restaurants.” Whether you are running a cafe in a corporate office, a bustling concession stand in a stadium, or a coffee shop in a library, adopting a restaurant mindset can transform the customer experience you deliver. Consider that the upside to a more fixed clientele is the chance to deepen relationships and create community.

Quality Food: The Non-Negotiable

Restaurants thrive on the reputation of their food. Every dish served is a reflection of the restaurant's standards and their culinary expertise. Similarly, any food service establishment should prioritize high-quality ingredients, innovative recipes, and impeccable presentation. Often presentation is where food service operations lag – lean into intentional garnishes, clean lines, and individual portions. This commitment to culinary excellence will elevate guest perceptions and satisfaction, turning casual visitors into loyal patrons.

Exceptional Hospitality: It’s About Relationships

Hospitality will make or break the dining experience. Training staff to be attentive, responsive, and courteous - hallmarks of top-notch restaurant service - can significantly enhance the overall guest experience. Understanding and anticipating guest needs will set you apart from competitors who may only focus on transactional interactions. As mentioned earlier, this is the difference between serving customers and serving guests.

Welcoming Ambiance: Every Detail Matters

The ambiance of a restaurant is crafted to enhance the sensory experience of dining. Similarly, the physical environment of any food service venue plays a crucial role in attracting and retaining customers. It's not just about aesthetics, it’s about creating a space where customers feel comfortable and engaged. This could mean thoughtful seating arrangements in a cafeteria, depending on your guest needs or the approach to menus, signage, wayfinding, or even placement of electrical outlets. Every detail matters and tells a story about your brand.

Marketing: Tell Your Story

You have stories to tell - about your chefs, your history, and your signature specialties. It's essential to communicate this to your audience. What makes your operation special and why should they care? What makes your cafe's farm-to-table or sustainability approach unique? Effective storytelling through marketing can create emotional connections and a sense of community around your service.

Feedback: The Secret Ingredient for Improvement

Feedback - good and bad - is one of the key ways you can continue to improve. By encouraging and analyzing guest feedback, you can make informed decisions that propel your service forward. Whether it’s tweaking a recipe or retraining staff based on guest suggestions, feedback matters. Remember, that your team is full of great feedback and ideas, so take the time as a leader to listen and harness those insights as well.

At Food Craft by 4xi, we believe that food brings people together and creates community. Reach out to learn more about our food service consulting, including menu development, operational assessments, and employee training.

Take Our Assessment

Let’s break this down into daily tactics that you can start to execute right away – meaning you can start to take action today.

Pay Attention to What You Serve and How You Serve It

Review your offerings for flavor balance, seasonality, ingredient quality, and visual appeal. Even in high-volume settings, you can make food look appealing with the proper application of care and oversight. Upgrade your plateware, garnish with purpose, and serve with care.

Train Your Team in Hospitality, Not Just Service

Go beyond steps of service - teach warmth, eye contact, genuine greetings, and recovery skills. You can move from serving food across a counter to fostering personalized relationships, and make sure every item looks social-media-worthy.

Rethink Your Ambiance

Cleanliness, lighting, music, and signage all matter. Make the space reflect your brand and your food. You want to create an environment that brings guests back again and again – and that begins with ensuring a clean, organized environment that eliminates hassles.

Ask For Feedback, Then Act On It

Encourage real-time feedback from guests and staff through many touchpoints - dining committees, surveys, comment cads, focus groups, and table visits. Use what you learn to adjust menus, improve service, and refine processes regularly.

By adopting a restaurant mindset, every food service operation can provide experiences that resonate deeply with guests, encourages repeat business, and fosters strong brand reputation. It’s time to embrace your identity as a restaurant and let your guests see your culinary vision.

This could seem daunting, as you may be serving thousands of meals a day, balancing execution, speed of service, quality, and hospitality. But if you embrace your true mission as a restaurant, it will ensure that you start each day with the guest in mind and hospitality in your heart.

This is more than a strategy, it's a commitment to excellence in every cup, plate, and guest interaction. That’s a recipe for growth and success.

Tony Johnson

(Crafted by a human, not AI.)

Meet Tony Johnson

Tony is the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) for 4xi Global Consulting and leader of both the Evolving Experience practice and Food Craft. Tony is an internationally recognized thought leader and influencer in Customer and Employee Experience. He hosts the wildly successful Customer Service Academy podcast and is the author of two books on leadership and CX.

Tony has worked with some of the top organizations across the globe, including 3M, Baylor Scott and White Health, University of Virginia, Siemens, SHRM, and more.

He is also a seasoned food service operator who has a culinary background and has held roles as a District, Regional, and Global Leader in Food and Beverage.

Tony is available to help your organization with:

Customer Experience strategy
Executive and leadership coaching
Operational execution
Menu, food, and beverage development
General Manager and District Manager training
Food Service Operational Reviews and Fresh Eyes

Food Craft, a 4xi brand, focuses on food service and culinary operations. From fresh eyes to menu development, we can help you create profitable, loyalty building dining programs that build amazing loyalty with guests.

We work in all markets, including corporate dining, higher education dining, leisure + travel, sports + entertainment, theme parks, and cultural attractions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FOOD CRAFT

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