Restaurant customer satisfaction is no doubt at the top of every restaurateur’s mind. When guests are happy and satisfied, they will not only come back for more, but they will tell their friends and family.
Likewise, they will share their experiences on online rating sites like Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Facebook.
Plus, not only will they become ambassadors for your restaurant, but they will also be likely to spend more money on each visit.
With a deep-seated culture of focusing on guest satisfaction, your restaurant business can reap the benefits.
There are a variety of reasons why restaurant guest satisfaction is so important. Let’s take a look at some of the more recent powerful and telling statistics.
The Importance of Good Service in Restaurants
According to American Express, 7 out of 10 U.S. consumers say they’ve spent more money to do business with a company that delivers great service and satisfaction.
The Tempkin Group also reports that a merely moderate increase in customer experience generates an average revenue increase of $823 million over three years for a company with $1 billion in annual revenues.
Obviously, your restaurant may not be generating $1 billion in annual revenue, however, the numbers, in this case, speak for themselves. Imagine seeing this percentage of return on your annual revenue in just three years.
Customer satisfaction in restaurants can make a huge difference in revenue and generate more guest spending for higher guest lifetime values.
Customer Satisfaction Leads to Better Restaurant Reputation
A highly quoted Harvard Business School study found that a one-star increase in a restaurant’s Yelp rating correlated with a 5-9% increase in revenue.
OpenTable also found that 25 percent more people turn to consumer reviews on sites like OpenTable, Yelp, and TripAdvisor than those who rely on reviews by professional food critics.
To add to that, 60 percent read reviews before going out for a meal, a habit that takes precedence over getting directions to a restaurant or looking at food photos.
It’s obvious that having a great online (and word of mouth) reputation can go a long way.
Keeping your guests satisfied and happy is key to maintaining a consistent stream of positive online ratings and reviews. This can lead to increased guest lifetime values. Also, it can provide an increase in new guests visiting your restaurant or ordering online.
Should You Offer Freebies to Improve Restaurant Customer Satisfaction?
Many restaurateurs feel that they need to offer special incentives to help improve their overall customer satisfaction scores.
While this may not always be the case, some studies show that it can definitely help improve guest satisfaction.
Other things, such as providing guests their choice of music or television station, or allowing guests to choose their own table can also go a long way.
According to OpenTable, diners say that complimentary extras (69 percent) and seating preferences (65 percent) would go far in increasing customer loyalty.
How To Handle Negative Customer Experiences
No matter how much focus you and your staff place on great customer satisfaction, there will always be times when a guest is unhappy about something.
Consider these statistics about the effects negative online reviews can have on your business.
- 75 percent of consumers will not visit or patronize a restaurant with negative reviews about its cleanliness. (Harris Poll for Cintas Corporation)
- 38% of all customer complaints are on social media and review sites. Restaurants get only 14% of all complaints. (Jay Baer, Food Service Magazine)
- After one negative experience, 51% of customers will never do business with that company again. (New Voice Media)
Negative experiences are bound to happen, it’s just the nature of the hospitality business.
It is how you handle the situations that is crucial. Offering effective restaurant customer service recovery can not only mend the situation but can create an even more loyal guest.
Controlling negative situations and creating a positive outcome for these guests will keep them from leaving negative online reviews. In fact, they may even turn into positive ones.
Tips for Providing a Great Restaurant Customer Experience
We recently posted a great article that includes tips on providing a great customer experience for your guests. We suggest incorporating these tips at your place of business.
To summarize, a great restaurant customer experience includes:
- Make sure your menu is easy to navigate and offers something for everyone.
- Keep your dining area clean and clutter-free.
- Train your staff to be friendly and attentive.
- Offer prompt and consistent service.
- Use quality ingredients in your recipes.
- Price your items fairly.
- Reward loyal guests with discounts or special offers.
To read details about these and many other tips, check out the article here: Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Tips and Trends
Bloom Intelligence Restaurant Guest Data Platform
Bloom Intelligence gives you the ability to track the results of every campaign you create. All the way down to a guest returning to your place of business and/or redeeming an offer. Bloom’s WiFi analytics detect the device of any consumer that walks back into your location that received one of your offers, messages, or surveys.
To learn more about the ways the Bloom Intelligence growth tools can help you improve your restaurant marketing to drive more sales, improve overall customer experience, measure customer sentiment and grow your business, schedule a free demo today.
To see more of what Bloom can do for your restaurant or coffee shop marketing, schedule a free demo today, or call us at 727-877-8181.
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