So on a trip to Jamie’s in Bath on a warm June weekday I, along with Cheryl and two of our children, took lunch, mystery shopping Jamie’s latest addition to his culinary empire. I approached the task using a process we use in formal client engagements which we call Walking Two Moons. The full process involves taking the journey customers take across several channels noting everything that has a positive, negative or indifferent impact upon the customer experience. However on this occasion we (I’m training my off spring) used the principles to review our lunch experience.

The restaurant is located in a popular corner of Bath in Milsom Place around which there are boutiques and a few other eating places. Jamie’s has no overt branding on the outside, it’s just like any other bistro that one might come across in such a corner of this spa City. On entering the restaurant we were greeted by a friendly hostess who guided us to the first floor dining area. On the ground floor there is a degree of theming which has been set up to suggest an Italian style, hams and salamis hanging around the food preparation area which is on full view to the customers. There were a few crates of pasta and flour in corners again suggesting we were eating in the local bistro where we would experience an ‘Italianesque’ approach. On display were some of Mr Oliver’s books for sale along with other branded items. But the theme was only a suggestion, not sufficient to give a really  memorable experience, certainly no WOW.

Once upstairs we were promptly seated, our order taken and our meal and drinks delivered without delay. The experience was efficient, prompt and without fuss…but no more than a transactional experience. The point that was missing here was that in any experience it goes beyond just these basics it includes all the stimuli that reach our senses – sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch. So it goes almost without saying that when we are sat in a restaurant these senses will be stimulated by what we experience and through these we begin to make judgments comparing the experience against what we expected. In this case I was disappointed with tables cleared but not cleaned immediately. Waiters with aprons hanging down around their hips almost to the point of slipping off. Shirts un-tucked, staff not engaging with their guests. Music not in keeping with the theme. All these elements are part of the customer experience. It’s not just about the food. If in Bath again would I make an effort to go to Jamie’s again? Well I might give it a second chance but only maybe.

Beaten by Bill’s

Contrast this to Bill’s in Brighton (Bill also has a restaurant in Lewis). Bill’s is a feast for all the senses. They have a unique proposition where the restaurant is part of a fruit and vegetable store along with a wide selection of other food – canned, bottled and packaged. Bill’s provides a unique and memorable experience. I have eaten their several times and so great was the experience that I made a special trip to their sister site in Lewis to compare the experience there…it was just as memorable. What makes Bill’s a more memorable experience than Jamie’s is the sensual overload. It’s impossible not be drawn in by the colours, sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of the restaurant and store areas. I’ve had several experiences of Bill’s now and the food has always been excellent, different and original. In many ways far better than Jamie’s. The service has been far more engaging and Bill’s theme (a restaurant amidst a fruit and veg store) rich and intense. Would I go out of my way to eat at Bill’s – without hesitation. Next time I’m close by I will make a point of it. No…. in fact I’d drive out of my way to go to Bill’s.

So what can we learn from this comparison?

The point of this exercise is not to say that an experience at Jamie’s will never be a great one but merely to learn from the contrast.

• As consumers we are saturated by choice, for your customer experience to stand out it needs to be intense, to indulge the senses, to be rich in every respect. It needs to be emotionally engaging. Being bland is not an option on the route to success. Unless of course you want to deliver an experience deliberately void of such things.

• Remember your core offering is not the experience. It’s only part of it, everything that’s wrapped around it plays its part too.

• Customers intuitively assess their experience against their expectations, so organisations need to constantly assess their performance against these expectations.

Your Call to Action

• So how rich is your customer experience?

• Are you delivering an experience that is bland and transactional or one that is rich and intense, one that stimulates all the senses?

• Where could you make improvements?

As for Jamie?

Top tips based upon our experience:

• Staff to smarten their presentation and recognise they are part of the experience

• Staff to engage with customers more, at a level that is appropriate to their guests

• Music to be empathetic with theme

• Clean and clear as you go. Don’t clear with the intention of coming back to clean – you may get distracted and tables end up being cleared but not cleaned.

• Build the experience from the moments that you step toward and enter the establishment.

• Walk Two Moons Jamie and experience it yourself. Not as Owner/Chef but as a customer would do.

• Waiters to explain what’s on offer with a passion, with interest and sizzle that matches Jamie the chef.