Managing Crisis

The restaurant industry is one that can be extremely volatile.  Managing and operating a restaurant is a difficult job as there are bound to be numerous crises that arise, no matter how prepared you are.  The key to managing crisis is being as prepared as possible and having some sort of plan that can quickly be implemented.  Some smaller crises that a restaurant could face during its day to day operations are poor customer service and food not being prepared properly.  More major crises that can seriously impact a restaurant are equipment malfunctions and possibly foodborne illness outbreaks. While it is possible to effectively handle each of these crises, handling them incorrectly can lead to negative customer reviews, lost business or even closure of the restaurant.

A good way to handle any crisis that arises is to reach out to customers using social media. In the case of a customer having a negative experience or leaving a negative review, Paterno’s could use Facebook, Twitter or review sites such as Yelp to directly reach out to the upset customer.  Using these sites to reach out to a customer is a great way to attempt to remedy any negative experience and to retain the business of the customer or other customers who may be turned away by the review.  In the case of a more serious crisis, such as equipment malfunction or foodborne illness, Paterno’s could use both Twitter and Facebook to their advantage.  Both Twitter and Facebook enable users to share messages quickly and to converse with other users.  When a crisis arises, Paterno’s could post initial messages explaining to customers what is happening and how it will impact operations.  After the initial post, Paterno’s could continue posting updates in order to keep customers in the loop and to prepare for normal operations.