See you next week:

I had lunch at a new restaurant today. As I was leaving the hostess said “see you next week.” I had no contact with the hostess prior to that exchange. What struck me most was that, 1) there was an implicit “ask”, 2) she had total confidence in the experience that the restaurant had delivered, 3) she put a time limit on my response.

Every negotiating guidebook on the planet tells you that the secret to acquiring anything is to “ask”. This restaurant and this hostess clearly have the “ask” part down very well. The dining experience was fine, nothing extraordinary, however the “see you next week” comment reframed the entire experience in a positive fashion. By being specific “next week”, they are creating an obligation on my part. If I don’t visit next week I will be letting the restaurant down so of course I’ll visit.

Perhaps you need to reframe your guest experience, rather than close with “thank you for dining with us” or “see you soon”, close with “see you next week.”