6 Diner Types & Their Needs

Understanding Your Diners

By understanding the 6 diner profiles and preferences, you can cater your restaurant to your target audience.

1. The discerning diner

Quality of food is the most important consideration for the discerning diner. He is a gourmet who knows what he wants, and expects nothing but the best in terms of an overall experience. Here are a few tips on how to satisfy the discerning diner:

• Atmosphere – Simple and elegant
• Menu – Informative and enticing
• Dining room arrangement – Professional table setting with a good selection of cutlery, linen and glassware
• Service – Well-trained and knowledgeable service staff
• Drinks – Exclusive and unique wines and beverage list

You can also learn more about pleasing the discerning diner.

2. The entertainment-seeking diner

Looking to have a good time with friends, the entertainment-seeking diner seeks enjoyment in food and company. Take a look at tips that’ll help appeal to entertainment-seeking diners:

• Atmosphere – Lively cheerful and exciting
• Menu – Reasonably priced
• Dining room arrangement – Simple arrangement that encourages conversation
• Service – Informal, fun, enthusiastic
• Drinks – A range of entertaining, unique drinks
   

3. The high-end diner

The most important thing for the high-end diner is ambience and experience. Price is not an issue for them as long as the food, service and overall dining experience meet their expectations. See how to satisfy the high-end diner:

• Atmosphere – Exclusive and sophisticated
• Menu – Must communicate luxury, quality and exclusivity
• Dining room arrangement – High quality, formal and elegant
• Service – Impeccable, well-trained and knowledgeable
• Drinks – Impressive wine list to pair with food
  

4. The adventurous diner

Always up for a new experience, the adventurous diner is confident, self-assured and takes pride in finding new places that have unique concepts and menu offerings. Here are a few ideas on how to attract the adventurous diner:

• Atmosphere – Offer a unique dining experience
• Menu – Distinct, exciting and new
• Dining room arrangement – Non-traditional, fun
• Service – Prompt, informal and fun
• Drinks – Beverages unique to your restaurant
   

5. The social diner

Slightly different from the entertainment-seeking diner, eating out for the social diner is more about connecting with friends and family over a nice quiet meal. Below are some ideas to help you cater to the social diner:

• Atmosphere – Warm and welcoming
• Menu – Wide range of cuisines with communal dishes to promote sharing
• Dining room arrangement – Informal and allows interaction among guests
• Service – Friendly and well-trained
• Drinks – Simple, refillable and suitable for serving
   

Marketing strategies

Now that we’ve looked at the different types of diners, their preferences and how to cater to them, it’s time to start developing a marketing plan. Here are some general guidelines:

• Determine your market – Find out who your diners are
• Determine your unique selling point – What makes your restaurant different
• Analyse the competition – Compare prices and offerings of your closes competitors
• Identify untapped business opportunities – Like delivery, takeaways and business lunches
• Determining the marketing expense budget – Direct mail, entertainment costs, advertising budget
• Determine marketing activities and time frame – Introduce an action calendar to organise the marketing activities and strategies