The Third Visit

Sound familiar?

• Can't count returning guests, so every marketing spend is spent blind.
• Recognises regulars through one staff member's memory, and that person can quit.
• Only hears complaints from the few who speak up; most guests leave quietly.
• The same dish differs between visits, with no way to catch it.

Each chapter answers one question

1. Chapter 1: If I don't count return visits, is marketing working?

   Of last month's hundred customers, how many came back this month?

   If you cannot count returning visits, every marketing spend is blind spending.

2. Chapter 2: First visit: am I selling food, or a reason?

   What do customers remember about their first visit to my restaurant, apart from price?

   The first visit does not sell a dish; it sells a reason for a second visit.

3. Chapter 3: If nobody complains, is everyone happy?

   Why did people who stopped visiting my restaurant stop?

   Customers leave silently; they rarely complain before they disappear.

4. Chapter 4: Do loyalty cards create regulars, or just reward them?

   Who is my loyalty programme rewarding?

   Points cards reward people who were already coming back; they rarely create new regulars.

5. Chapter 5: Do regulars pay for food, or for being remembered?

   What does my restaurant do differently for someone on their tenth visit?

   Regulars do not buy cheaper food; they buy the feeling of being recognised.