Playing music in your cafe can have a positive impact on your businesses profitability. If a customer enjoys the tunes that you've been playing then they associate they enjoyable experience with your venue. Music can encourage patrons to spend more and visit regularly. It can also help motivate staff and act as a point of difference with competitors.

The Hospitality Directory cites a study that indicated on a weekend, venues that played music had an average uplift in sales of almost 50%. On weekdays the increase was 21%. 

As a cafe owner their are restrictions around what copyright music you can play. In most cases if you are playing music that has copyright restriction in a commercial environment (i.e. your premises) then you will need to apply for a license. It is against the Copyright Act and there are penalties if you decide to simply play a CD, digital download or use a streaming service without the licence. This is because recorded music as well as music videos are considered to be the intellectual property of their creators.

There are two licences that you will need to apply for if you want to play music in your cafe:

1. APRA AMCOS licence. This licence covers the copyright restrictions in the song (lyrics, composition). The body represents composers and publishers
2. PPCA licence. This licence covers the recording and music video of a song. The body represents recording artists and record labels.

APRA AMCOS is an Australian body that licenses organisations like those in the hospitality industry to play, perform, copy or record music. APRA AMCOS has affiliations around the world so you will be allowed to play any commercially released music from around the world. Licences start from $165 per year depending on where you plan to play music.

The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) is a not-for-profit music licensing company. The PPCA can offer cafe owners blank licences to play music. The licence covers almost any conceivable song that your business would wish to play. 

The cost of the licence for cafe and restaurant owners depends on the number of seats in your venue, the cost of the food you serve and the number of days your premises operates. It excludes areas where music is not played. The minimum fee charged is currently $52.50 per quarter.

To build customer loyalty for your restaurant, diners want to feel that you care about them. One strategy to do this is to put in place a system to ensure new dinners feel welcome and returning guests are recognised. This kind of attention makes diners feel special and increases the likelihood that they will return.

One tip when greeting new patrons is to share your name with them straight away. Ensure all your staff are trained to do the same. People feel a greater sense of connection when they know each others name. It also shows diners that you're prepared to be accountable. This small step can be the first step in building a loyal customer for your restaurant.

For returning customers it is important you and your staff remember names. If you have a system in place to remember when and what they last ate at your restaurant you are able to offer a more personalised service which they will appreciate. For example "Welcome back Jane and Jim, I remember last month when you ate with us you particularly enjoyed our seafood dish, well we've since updated our menu and I'm really keen for you to try out our new seafood pasta!"

You can build customer loyalty for your restaurant by paying attention to customer feedback.  Consider these tips to ensure your getting the feedback you need to consistently improve your business.

• Ask new customers why they have chosen you
• Ask existing customer what you do well and what can be improved.
• Review and respond to reviews left by diners online
• Encourage and make it easy for diners to provide feedback

By paying attention to customer feedback you have an opportunity to resolve any issues and improve your customer service. Customers both new and returning will see (with the help of some self-promotion) that you have listened and have improved. This will set you up to build long term customer loyalty.

It is important to remain in contact with customers to promote the fact that you care about their patronage. You could choose a number of methods by which to do this:

• Phone
  
• Email newsletter
  
• Social media

Whatever tool you use to reach your customers you should make sure they are aware of how your helping them through better customer service. If you fail to promote the fact that you have taken their feedback on board and have acted, then they may not notice. You could promote the fact that your now accepting online reservations or that you have introduced a special set menu following customer feedback.

Set up the mechanisms to reach out to existing diners and dedicate the time to maintain a database with which to contact them. This is especially the case on social media. If you're going to have a presence on social media platforms, ensure that when people visit they are greeted with up to date information.

What should be clear from these tips is that technology should play a central component in building customer loyalty. Technology can help make your processes more efficient. 

A POS system like ViViPOS can help maintain a customer loyalty program. This will help you record, organise and plan your contact with existing customers.

Sources: Inc.; Marketing Donut; Entrepreneur; All Business.

There is a reason behind every menu item. They entire menu comes together to deliver on the restaurant or cafes concept. Chefs consider it an insult if you go and completely change what they've spent time and care preparing. 

Requesting the vegetarian option or asking for the dressing on the side are reasonable requests. However when you request an item not on the menu or substitute ingredients and seasonings, that's when kitchen staff get annoyed.

If something can't be done the way you want it then consider another menu item. If there's nothing on the menu that you like the look of perhaps it's not the restaurant or cafe you were looking for.

Every staff member at a restaurant or cafe wants to provide great service to every guest. Don't make the mistake of thinking your more deserving than any other table. This includes the situation where you know the owner. 

Understanding that the task of running a restaurant is not easy will go a long way to improving your dining experience.

As customers at a restaurant we can help create a great dining experience. By ensuring our general tone and demeanour is positive we create a positive environment that is reciprocated by staff. Empathy can go a long way.

Via: Bon Apetit; City Lab; TopTenz; Serious Eats