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"Tablevibe makes guest feedback more quantifiable and actionable", An interview with Aussie Chef Darren Farr, owner of The Lokal in Singapore
Restaurateurs who use Tablevibe are motivated by the belief that sustaining and growing their business is all about putting guests first. In our #restaurantsuccess series, we share how leading restaurateurs use Tablevibe to expand their business. We interviewed Aussie Chef Darren Farr, owner of The Lokal in Singapore.
Hi Darren! Could you tell us a little bit more about The Lokal? What’s the story behind your success?
Sure! Back in 2013, I saw that there was a niche in the market in Singapore for good quality food to go along with good coffee, which — in my opinion — didn’t exist at that time. There were plenty of cafes with good coffee, but not many offered good food, so I opened The Lokal in June 2014 with that concept in mind. I wanted it to be something like an extension of your home, a casual place that you can head to for brunch, dinner & drinks.
That’s great to learn. How would you define a great guest experience?
A great experience is coming into a place where people recognize you, where they remember your likes and dislikes, where you can chat with the chef about the new menu. That’s our goal with the open kitchen concept — there are no “barriers” between customers and us. I believe it’s critically important to always listen to our guests. Constructive criticism helps us know what our strong suits are and what we can improve upon. It also assists in getting better online reviews.
What would you say is the added value of Tablevibe? What has changed since you adopted it?
We always check in with guests to ensure that everything is okay. Tablevibe builds on that by making guest feedback more quantifiable and actionable. It helps us identify staff members who are performing at their best and those who still have things to improve upon for example. The comprehensive reports help us understand daily feedback trends. Giving a 10% discount voucher in return for providing feedback also entices guests to come back. It increased our repeat business.
What is a noteworthy piece of feedback you acted upon?
Some guests shared that they would like to see more variety on our dinner menu. We acted on that by bringing in more seasonal produce, especially for bigger groups. We now also have specials like Beef Tomahawk, T Bone Steaks and Whole Fish. We are also looking into refreshing our dinner menu more often based on our guests’ opinions.
That sounds delicious! What is your highlight in working with Tablevibe so far?
The data is presented nicely and makes our performance really easy to understand. It’s great information to share internally with our kitchen and front of house team. Tablevibe increases our repeat business and helps us gain a much better understanding of staff performance.
Would you like to benefit from Tablevibe as well? Book a free demo with one of our restaurant experts today!