Satisfaction Guaranteed
An immediate discount turns unhappy customers into loyal customers at R.J. Gator’s.
By Donna Hood Crecca, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 10/15/2005
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When a mystery shopper informed a server at an R.J. Gator’s Florida Sea Grill & Bar that no one had greeted the party immediately upon entering the restaurant—a component of the chain’s service guarantee—the server quickly got the manager, who gave the undercover diners 10 percent off their check that day and a gift certificate for a free entree during a future visit. In response, the mystery shoppers identified themselves and presented the server with $100 cash and each employee on that shift with $20 cash.
“Talk about motivation to deliver,” says Tim Timoteo, president, CEO and founder of the Jupiter, Fla.-based chain. “We’re focusing on execution and getting back to basics and needed a program that would help us break through on service performance. That’s where our 110% Guarantee comes in.”
Introduced this year, the 110% Guarantee promises guests 10 percent off their check if they are not satisfied on several fronts: cleanliness of the restaurant, including the restrooms and lobby; food quality, consistency and speed of service; and friendliness of the staff. R.J. Gator’s trains its staff specifically on those points.
“Every guest must be greeted with a smile within a minute of entering the restaurant and again by their server within a minute of being seated,” Timoteo says. “We strive for ticket times of 15 minutes or less, checks must be processed in one minute or less, and we have service points to hit on cleanliness.”
Delivering on service is a priority at R.J. Gator’s as it gears up to open 50 locations—mostly franchised—by 2010. The casual-dining chain has eight company stores and 15 franchised units in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and North Carolina. Each restaurant features a Florida Everglades lodge motif with kitschy signs, stuffed alligators and a full bar serving specialty cocktails like the Frozen Gatorita and Alligator Alley Punch.
The coastal Florida cuisine includes alligator dishes such as the Florida Alligator Tail and the Blackened Alligator & Cheese Quesadilla appetizers. Popular entrees include the Siesta Key Seafood Bucket with fried shrimp, grouper, clam strips, scallops, popcorn shrimp, fries and homemade coleslaw; and the daily selection of Market Fresh Seafood.
The 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot restaurants seat 300 on average, and ring up $2.5 million in annual sales on average checks of $15 per person. The new service guarantee is contributing to positive sales gains, says Timoteo: Systemwide same-store sales are up 5 percent so far this year.
He won’t reveal how many certificates are redeemed monthly or specific increases in customer counts. “More importantly, it’s ensuring that guests come back to us,” Timoteo says. “They’re so blown away that we made good on a mistake and gave them an incentive to give us another chance that they’re returning to the restaurant.”
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Making Points
While service parameters had been in place for some time, mystery-shopper reports and guest feedback revealed that consistency of delivery was lacking. So the company launched the 110% Guarantee in March. At unit-level meetings, managers explained that if R.J. Gator’s did not satisfy its service points, guests will receive a 10 percent discount off their checks and a gift certificate for a free entree good for their next visit. Servers and staff learned about the incentives relative to the mystery shops, received Credo Cards laying out the service guarantee, and participated in role-playing exercises.
Posters throughout the restaurants, table tents and server badges herald the 110% Guarantee to guests. R.J. Gator’s locations distribute an average of 100 discounts every month.
When a guest returns to a restaurant and presents a 110% Guarantee gift certificate, the server alerts the manager, who visits the table and discusses service and satisfaction levels with the diners. Weekly manager meetings review customer feedback on service problems so the company can address issues immediately, according to Timoteo.
Road to Recovery
“Things happen in a restaurant, and this gives us a way to recover, but it’s really proactive. When the kitchen is in the weeds for one reason or another, the manager can go around to tables and tell the guests that we want them to be satisfied, but we’re having a problem in the kitchen today and their meals are a bit delayed,” Timoteo explains. “The manager can offer them 10 percent off their meal as well as an entree on us when they return. When you ultimately surpass their expectations, people remember that and they come back.”
R.J. Gator’s management anticipated some server resistance when the program was initially introduced but was pleasantly surprised by their positive response. “Whenever you can recover from a poor performance, it makes the server happy because they’re usually part of the recovery presentation, and that positively affects their tip,” Timoteo notes.
“Also, the chances are excellent that you’ve made a lifetime guest, and that’s just good for everyone.”
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