In the restaurant industry, there is never a point where you can sit back and say, “We have arrived.” It is an intrinsic part of the industry to continues to evolve. The market size, measured by revenue, of the Chain Restaurants industry is $54.2bn in 2023. While it is a given that you need to keep your restaurant moving forward, what action you should take to facilitate this largely depends on how satisfied your customers are. Therefore, learning about how your customers feel is key to the success of your restaurant. One of the most effective ways to find this out is through customer surveys.
The understanding you gain from customer surveys will help you to enhance the entire customer experience. By providing you with actionable insights to elevate your restaurant’s standards, you will gain a vital edge over your competitors.
Still not convinced? Read on and you will see how customer surveys help you up the ante on quality and put you ahead of the competition.
1. Customer surveys show you how your customers view your restaurant
This may sound like a non-statement, but it is very important. You and your staff will have a fairly distorted picture of your restaurant. This is because you are too close to the action to make proper judgments – it’s like being in the eye of a storm, where you are cushioned from the craziness around you. Your customers are the ones who are at the receiving end of all your efforts and since they are your biggest stakeholders their reactions to this experience count for everything.
2. Customer surveys provide specific feedback
You can choose which aspects of your restaurant you want feedback on and design your survey accordingly. Whether it is the quality of the food you serve or the prices and portion sizes or even the new decor, you can create a survey that deals directly with whatever it is that you are looking for input on. In that way customer surveys can be focused and targeted providing you with the exact information you require. This gives you a chance to pay closer attention to that area, making sure you are performing at your best.
Must Read: How Can Restaurants Benefit from Customer Surveys
3. Customer surveys help identify recurring themes
By looking at frequency and patterns in the content, you will be able to see which areas of your restaurant are consistently being talked about, either in a positive or negative manner. If many customers complain about the same things, then it is vital to sit up, take notice, and rectify. If there are multiple compliments about a given aspect of your restaurant, then look at how you can boost that to drive more business. Recurring themes give you a clear indication of the areas that are working and those that need improvement, allowing you to either enhance or fix and boost performance.
4. Customer surveys can take you to the root cause of problems
Customer complaints can help you track the cause of an issue, giving you a chance to directly address it. Say, for instance, several customers have complained that the service is slow. By observing the feedback more closely, you may notice that these complaints have been made mostly during the lunch rush. You can roster a couple more staff members for that slot and easily resolve the matter. The complaint is the symptom that allows you to treat the cause, enhancing customer experience.
5. Customer surveys lead to higher revenue
Feedback is an invaluable tool to increase sales. What is the connection, you ask? Well, once you have taken action in response to customer observations and suggestions, you could always reach out to the relevant people, thanking them and explaining the changes you have made. You present your restaurant in a very positive light when you show your customers that their views matter. This will prompt them to visit you again. They will also be more inclined to promote your restaurant among their friends.
The feedback you gain from customer surveys will help you to up the standards of your restaurant. The information revealed through these surveys will help you to improve on areas of weakness while consolidating on your strengths. And, as any restaurateur knows, this is how you stay ahead of your competition.