Maintaining a high standard of customer service while expanding can be a daunting task for local businesses. Tony Gemignani, owner of Tony's Neapolitan Pizza in San Francisco, experienced his fair share of challenges as he created a restaurant he believed in despite the naysayers.

“Tony's is unique,” Gemignani says. “It's the first restaurant of its kind, and no one believed in it—multiple styles, multiple ovens, gas, wood-burning, coal, electric, rotary gas. Depending on the style of pizza you like, we've almost got Fifteen years ago, you never saw a Roman and Neapolitan guy on the menu. You never put them all together.”

With so many choices on the menu, Gemignani knew his staff had to be able to articulate variations on pizza styles and, more importantly, find the perfect fit for each customer.

“I like to tell my servers to go up to a table, ask them where they're from, how they're doing, and say, 'What style do you like?' Do you like it thick or thin? Do you like it in a pan, do you like it round or square?'

This approach personalizes it customer experience and helps guide them to a pizza they'll enjoy, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.

Another key aspect of customer happiness is adaptability. During the pandemic, Gemignani notes that many popular restaurants that relied on regular clientele were at a loss for how to stay afloat because they would not change their business model, such as packaging food for delivery.

Gemignani, on the other hand, did what many savvy business owners saw as their only option, and quickly upside down to new service methods. This ensured that his high-quality food was still accessible to customers through delivery, despite the challenges involved. He also emphasized the importance of having a digital presence so that new customers can find you regardless of the circumstances.

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Yelp reviewer Dominic B. echoed this advice, noting that when a business engages with its audience social media or platforms like Yelp, it helps consumers see the face of the company, hear the mission statement, and get a better idea of ​​the quality they can expect.

“Seeing what happens in the kitchen, behind the bar, behind the operations… I think it's all super fascinating and a great way to show people how authentic your ingredients are and where they (all) come from.” ,” Dominic says. “It's much more accessible to hear about it on a social media platform than to have someone go to your website, go to the 'About' section and then read multiple paragraphs about it.”

When discussing the advantages of building a digital presence, Gemignani emphasized the importance of engaging with customer feedback, especially online reviews. He understands that not all feedback will be positive, but sees critical reviews as opportunities to improve and connect with customers.

“Now I have people looking at them every day and getting to them as soon as we can,” he says. “Am I watching them every day? No. Every once in a while, my managers come up to me and say, 'It's been fantastic. We've had 20 5-star reviews and then we've had a bad one.” Maybe something wasn't clean, or it was loud ) better, and we want to educate customers and the team.”

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Gemignani has relied on these small business strategies to streamline operations and sustain growth, even in challenging times:

• Educate your staff. Make sure your team is knowledgeable about your products or services so they can help and advise customers with confidence.
• Adapt and innovate. Be willing to adapt your business operations to meet changing circumstances, requirements and constraints.
• Hire for adaptability and willingness to learn. Hire employees who are capable and eager to embrace your business methods and culture.
• Engage with customer feedback. Review regularly and respond to customer feedback. This shows that you value the customer's input and are committed to improving their experience.

Listen to the episode below to hear live from twins and Dominic, and subscribe to After the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday. Available at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora AND Soundcloud.

This article is part of our ongoing series highlighting family owned and operated businesses.

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Editorial contributions by Kristi Lindahl