• 11 Ways to Improve your Nigerian Restaurant Abroad

    I have to commend the efforts of many Nigerian business owners in the diaspora because many of them have not had any formal training on how to run a restaurant or even how to manage a business so many people are learning as they go. Life lessons are always the best resources but they should not be at the expense of tarnishing your business name and possible future clientele. 

    Services like yelp and other rating services have introduced a way for potential customers to get a feel of what they should expect when they visit the restaurant and it helps the customers make the decision of whether to go or not. Every time I visit a new city, I try to check out the Nigerian restaurant there and they all seem to have a common theme in terms of the reviews. 

    The food tastes great but the customer service sucks. 

    While I understand the pressure that takes place in a restaurant especially during peak periods, customer service is what people remember and it is what defines if people will provide referrals for your business or even provide repeat business. Here a few tweaks you can incorporate into your restaurant to make a difference and improve your yelp reviews.

    11 ways to improve your nigerian restaurant abroad

    1. Hire people that naturally have a heart of hospitality. They will incorporate their warm personality into your restaurant and improve the service.
    2. A smile goes a long way.
    3. Once customers walk in the door, ensure you signal to them that you are going to be with them shortly. Ensure you attend to them within the first minute even if it’s to put their names on a wait-list.
    4. If you have fewer items than what is listed on the menu, mention it to the customer immediately so they know their options right away.
    5. Ensure your restaurant is clean when people walk in.
    6. If your opening hours are 8-5pm open at 8am not 8:30
    7. Incorporate a fun unique thing to do with your customers. I went to a restaurant that the customers clapped each time a new person walked in. Or have birthday offerings to a celebrant. 
    8. Let your recipe be consistent. If someone visits your restaurant today and eats jollof rice, they should not come back tomorrow and your jollof has a porridge texture.
    9. Plate your food nicely. So many food bloggers have provided inspiration on how to plate your food differently.
    10. Pick up your phone and be courteous when people call. Reply emails in a courteous manner as well. 
    11. State your method of payment when your customers walk in and if you only take cash, direct them to the nearest ATM. (Ideally, incorporate as many payment options to avoid customers leaving the restaurant.)

    While this list is in no way exhaustive, it certainly is a good place to start and these low-hanging fruits are easy to implement.These minor tweaks would make a big difference in your service to your customers and they are more likely to leave positive reviews about your restaurant on yelp. 

    Have you been to a Nigerian restaurant outside of Nigeria? What did you like or dislike about your experience?

     

     

     

    13 comments on “11 Ways to Improve your Nigerian Restaurant Abroad”

    1. 9jafoodie Reply

      Great list Atim. 4 is especially very important, it’s okay to have a small menu but not having food items clearly listed on the menu is unacceptable. I was in edmonton last summer and we decided to order food from a Nigeriam restaurant. We googled them, found their menu and called… First off, the person who picked up answered with “yes?”, we asked to order ayamase and they said they didn’t have any. Okay, Jollof? Nope, non of that either … Then they offered rice and stew.. Okay sure..but they would have to cook it, and it was going to take an hour 45minutes . I was so so angry.
      I could go on for days with stories I have been told, from North America to UK.

      • afrolems Reply

        wow that is horrid. People need to be held accountable. This cannot continue anymore. Hopefully more people leave comments and suggestions and others learn from it too.

    2. Awo's Kitchen Reply

      Thank you for this! I’ve been to a Nigerian restaurant in New York a few times and the service is so inconsistent. You never know what the rice will be like, or what mood the waitresses will be in. A very helpful list you have here!

      • afrolems Reply

        Consistency is key!!! It sets the expectation for when people plan to return.

    3. Kemi H Reply

      A major one for me is plating! Very few Nigerian Restaurants make the plate of food attractive, they love heaping the food on the plate which kind of puts you off.

    4. D Reply

      I used to be one that looked for Nigerian restaurants anytime I visited a new city but that has since stopped . I think you really covered all the major problems that plague many Nigerian restaurateurs. Just like you mentioned customer services always sucks!!! I have only been to 1Nigerian restaurant (Lagos Island Café in Houston Texas) where our waiter made us feel good unfortunately when I visited again he was no longer with the company but I went not for the food but for the experience I had. I can go on with tales of woe but I will spare us details we all know. I strongly believe the problem is many of us (Nigerians) get
      into business for money and money alone. We neglect to understand that to make money, you need to cater to needs of people, that is, your customers. The food business like many others is very customer focus and until Nigerian restaurateurs understand that I doubt we will see any change with regards to online reviews. I wonder if they even go online to read the reviews out there.

      • afrolems Reply

        People need to understand exactly what you said. It is very customer focused and the experience is what people pay for.

    5. Nigerian Food Recipe Reply

      Reminds me of a Nigerian restaurant in London. We walked in and the woman (owner) was like “Yes ki lo de?” that means “Yes, what happened or what is it?” …I froze right on the spot and looked at my friend’s face in horror. We sat and ordered Abula (Amala, ewedu, gbegiri and assorted meat) and were told it’ll take nearly 2 hours. I asked why and the owner say “if you are not happy to wait, there’s another Naija buka down the road”. I can’t make this up, my hunger left right there. We ended up driving to McDonalds. The attitude in Nigerian restaurants is appalling and we wonder why the world is yet to embrace our food.

      • afrolems Reply

        Wow!!!!!! I felt your pain from that comment. That sucks. There needs to be more accountability so that things like this do not happen. Thank you for sharing your experience

    6. Tara Reply

      I have been to Nigerian restaurants in the Tri State area, DC metro area, Chicagoland, London and one theme is consistent, they all smelled like stockfish, had very dim lighting and just not modern at all! Maka, why? Why now?!

      • afrolems Reply

        Hahaha at stockfish smell. Part of the ambiance maybe? hahaha stockfish smell is pretty hard to mask. Not impossible though

    7. 'Funmi Oy (The Village Pot) Reply

      Thanks for this list. May I add:

      12: Have at least 2 members of staff present. I’ve been to restaurants where the person who welcomes you takes your order and then proceeds to cook your meal. The Israelites fo don reach Canaan before the food go ready. Ah

      Many times, restaurants take for granted that Nigerians are ‘their people’ and so they can take us for granted. It quite ridiculous. When I think of it, I’d rather just cook than visit the 2 ones we have here. Restaurant outings are 80% experience and 20% food for me, because I could very well cook exactly what I want to eat.

      I’m really looking forward to a fine dining Nigerian restaurant experience in Scotland…I mean, with POLITE servers, well-plated dishes, and a creative variety on the menu,

      I would go there in a heartbeat.

      • afrolems Reply

        I completely agree. More man-power equals better service to some degree versus just using one person to serve 10 customers. Thank you for saying that.

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