Smilie’s Place, a New Way of Managing a Restaurant

Before starting a restaurant, Mr. Ge was just an ordinary computer engineer.  However, after years of sitting in the office, he felt it was time to face something other than the computer screen, so he made plans to start a restaurant. The economic situation in Edmonton supported small business owners and Mr. Ge steadily built up his restaurant striving to fulfill his customers’ needs. They motivate him to constantly add new elements and improvements to enhance their dining experience, making costumers chose Smilie’s Place again and again.

Under Mr.Ge’s leadership, Smilie’s has created a system called Advanced Customer Management for pickup and delivery. Normally among restaurants the only list that are being kept are black lists of troublesome customers. Instead, Smilie’s has very detailed entries for regular customers; a list of their special wants or needs, such as their allergies, spiciness preference, favourite sauces or desired combinations. This made ordering for the regular customers much easier and faster. The staff saves time asking in advance if customers still would like the same extras as last time, and in turn they feel happy and appreciated. It is this approach that makes Smilie’s has a good image and reputation among customers.

Another way for Smilie’s Place to keep satisfying customers is by periodically introducing new dishes. These new dishes are invented in two ways: one is the chefs trying something new to surprise the customers; another is listening to the customers’ advice. Their feedback is very much appreciated and will be used accordingly. Smilie’s Place has a large variety of food as a result. They not only provides Chinese food, but they also have some Western options.

So how to keep customers happy and make sure you keep competitive prices?  “Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction” Mr. Ge says. In order to provide good customer service, a well-established and dedicated team is the key. At Smilie’s, most of the staff has been working there for more than ten years. Therefore, employees know the regular customers’ quirks, such as favourite seating spot, their usual drinks, or other dishes they like besides the buffet items. As for delivery service, we try to satisfy our customers by offering free samples, giving back credits, and redelivering when there are conflicts or confusions with the order. The food supply expenses are rocketing up as we all know. It becomes critical for Smilie’s to keep the price low while providing the same quality. Mr. Ge insists that a very well trained team and new technology will help reduce the labour cost, and ordering wisely, negotiate with vendors and use multiple wholesalers will help to lower the food cost.

Community service is another important matter to Smilie’s Place. From supporting local sports league to disaster relief; from public school cultural events to community activities, Smilie’s believes that helping the local community and building up a positive relationship is critical for a successful business. 

There is no shortcut to success. You have to keep working hard and come up with new ideas. Mr. Ge brings these principles into practice. He pays a great deal of attention to his customers and staff keeping them happy and satisfied. Starting this restaurant with his approach, the ideas were not always fully understood at first. Change is always difficult, but the most important thing was that Mr. Ge kept trying and eventually got his ideas approved and accepted. When the staff understood his point and the customers liked the extra touches, trying something new made sense. It just needed time.

When asked about the objective of his restaurant, Mr. Ge mentioned he hopes that his business will boom step by step. Eventually he hopes to open a chain restaurant and bring delicious food and customer satisfaction to more and more people in Canada. With his hard work and innovative ideas he will surely do his best to make this dream come true.