WTF?! These restaurant acronyms will make you LOL
What’s your favourite acronym? Here on the simpleERB blog we’re still partial to a WTF. ROFL and LMAO feel pretty dated now, and don’t get us started on YOLO. Incidentally, we just found out the ubiquitous BAE stands for Before Anyone Else. You learn something new every day.
Restaurant acronyms
Of course business acronyms are very important too. Everyone knows B2B, ROI and KPI, but were you aware of OIBDA (Operating Income Before Depreciation And Amortisation) and GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles?) There’s an acronym to suit every situation, a fact exemplified by recent revelations regarding New York restaurateur Danny Meyer.
Meyer keeps a list of each customer who books at any of the restaurants within his Union Square Hospitality Group and uses acronyms to take notes of their quirks, notable features and preferences. A mole within the Union Square Hospitality Group claims it is the most thorough customer system they have seen in the various restaurant groups they have worked for. Here’s some of the acronyms and codes Meyer uses in his customer database with an explanation of what they mean.
FTD: A first time diner
NL: A customer who will “Need Love”.
LOL: A customer who will need “Lots Of Love”
SOE: A customer with a “Sense Of Entitlement”.
BIG SIGN: A customer who may well be wearing a sign saying “pay attention to how important I am”.
NO FLY ZONE: A person who will find all of Meyer’s restaurants mysteriously booked up whenever he or she tries to make a reservation. (The mole says the designation is often used for fake names used by companies that make, then resell, reservations.)
MUST DO: An important customer who will always get a table, no matter what.
How simpleERB can help
Meyer’s codes and acronyms are extensive, but a useful way to keep track of customers needs and offer a tailored customer service experience. If you fancy making up your own restaurant acronyms, simpleERB can help. We store a complete database of all your customers and their preferences, so if you have a LOL or a SOE, you’ll know about it in advance and can prepare accordingly.
Just make sure your acronyms aren’t too offensive or NSFW. If a staff member let them slip, JK probably wouldn’t be defensive enough – and you may find your customers go AWOL.
Want to keep a record of all your customers preferences? Sign up to simpleERB – free for small restaurants and easily affordable for bigger ones.
