I wrote a critical post yesterday about my sub-par experience at a Kashmiri restaurant. Emaad Muzaffar, the Director of Centre for Youth Progress and the Chief organizer of the Digital Conference where I spoke at, wanted to make sure I had a better impression of Kashmir.
He took me to 7C’s Cafe Fine Dine restaurant which is considered to be one of the best restaurants in Srinagar.
We got to meet the owner who was kind enough to reserve a table with a good view.
Having traveled the World (it helps to run one of India’s largest Pilgrimage travel agencies), he wanted to bring sophisticated dining experience to Srinagar.
We took advantage of the Biriyani and Kebab festival going on and ordered a Lahori lamb biriyani and chicken kebab. Succulent and juicy meat. Delicious taste.
Time and Time again I’ve experienced that the personal interaction with the owner always results in a better over all experience. It applies to all service industry, especially hospitality.
At the end of the dining experience, I was asked for feedback on how the customer experience can be improved. Here’s two I have for them. This applies to any restaurant, btw.
Don’t give a printed feedback form. This is old-school. Why waste a precious review? It’s better to have it on Zomato or Facebook rather than have it stuck in a paper. In an Increasingly connected World, reviews can make a big difference to attract new customers. This realization comes from my experience of consulting for hospitality biggies such as Club Mahindra and Sterling Holidays.
Second, please give free WiFi. Especially when you are collecting the customer’s contact details. The 10 minute limit is measly. It got worse when it said I had to wait 652 minutes to use Wifi again. At a time when Internet connectivity is getting cheap, don’t skimp on it.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience. The staff were very friendly and efficient. The best part of the restaurant was the food and got a chance to pass my appreciation to the head chef.
Come here for the ambience and food. And when you are here, you must try out their Lahori biriyani.