Oddle | The Most Dangerous Words in Hospitality: “Everything is good.”

90% of diners don’t return after their first visit. Here’s how to make your one shot count.

From the Desk of Jonathan Lim, Founder & CEO, Oddle

The other night, I visited a trendy new restaurant I’d heard a lot about. I decided not to do any research beforehand — no scrolling through IG, no Google reviews. I wanted to experience it fresh.

When I sat down, I asked the server what was good on the menu.

His answer? “Everything is good.”

That reply told me two things:

The server wasn’t trained to guide customers.
The restaurant hadn’t thought through its first-time customer experience.

And here’s why that’s a problem: 90% of diners don’t return after their first visit.

One Shot, One Plate

Most restaurants get only one chance to impress. If a first-time customer orders something average, you’ve likely lost them forever.

Think about how people talk about popular spots:

“Oh, you didn’t like it? What did you order? You ordered the wrong dish. You should’ve tried their [signature]. That’s the best.”

This shouldn’t happen. A restaurant’s first-time experience must be designed, not left to chance.

The Common Mistakes

1. Recommending the priciest item

Upselling is good business, but pushing the most expensive dish feels predatory. Customers remember the pressure, not the food.

2. Asking “What do you feel like eating?”

It sounds service-oriented, but it’s lazy. Diners default to safe, familiar choices — rarely your signatures.

3. Too many “signatures”

One client’s Thai restaurant had 30 “chef recommendations.” When everything is a signature, nothing is.

The Psychology at Play

1. Default bias

Customers stick with what they know — even if it’s not what you’re best at.

2. Paradox of choice

Too many options paralyze decision-making. Diners retreat to “average” dishes.

3. Illusion of fairness

Restaurants think it’s fair to let customers explore freely. But customers don’t want fairness, they want guidance. Without it, they stumble into mediocrity.

Practical Steps Inside the Restaurant

1. Identify first-timers immediately

If it’s their first visit, recommend 2–3 knockout dishes. Make the experience consistent.

2. Design a homogenous first journey

Every first-time diner should walk away having tried your best. That’s how you control the narrative.

Check your POS. Are your best-sellers the same as your signatures? If not, rethink. Position your winners in the menu’s “magic spots” (like the top right corner).

4. Level up for repeat diners

If they’ve been before, ask what they enjoyed and guide them to something equally strong. That’s how loyalty is built.

Beyond the Table: Storytelling Before the Visit

Here’s the truth: most customers are already researching you before (and even during) their meal. Google, IG, TikTok — the phone comes out before the menu.

Don’t leave that to chance.

1. Engineer the “default order”

Upload professional photos of your signatures to Google Business, IG, and your website. Make it obvious what your winners are.

2. Use reviews as reinforcement

Highlight food critic write-ups and positive reviews of your signatures. Social proof nudges undecided diners.

3. Prime diners before they arrive

With Oddle, you can send reservation reminders linking to Oddle Lounge — a curated page that showcases your best dishes and reviews. By the time they step in, they already know what to order.

The truth is, a diner walking in “blind” shouldn’t even happen. With the right digital storytelling, you guide the experience before the first plate is served.

The Takeaway

Restaurants obsess over ambience, PR, and decor. But the real battlefield is the first dish a new customer tries.

You only get one shot with 90% of your diners. Don’t waste it on “everything is good.”

Train your staff. Script the first-time journey. Tell your story online before diners even walk in.

Make your signatures so obvious that customers second-guess themselves if they don’t order them.

That’s how you turn a first-time diner into a loyal regular.

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The Most Dangerous Words in Hospitality: “Everything is good.”