When customers choose a restaurant, they are looking for a memorable gastronomical experience. Along with the quality, freshness, and taste of food, their experience also depends on the restaurant décor, ambience, hygiene level, staff courtesy, and prompt service. Soliciting customer feedback provides restaurants with insights into what customers like and dislike about the restaurant. Taking regular customer feedback also effectively increases the standards of customer service. Based on their comments and opinions, restaurants can work towards not only delivering an exceptional dining experience to customers but also build repeat patronage and boost brand image.
Methods To Obtain Customer Feedback For Your UAE Restaurant
Customer feedback not only helps the restaurants enrich the customer experience but also acts as a report card for the restaurant. There are various methods of collecting feedback from your patrons. Based on your business format, you can choose any feedback collection technique ranging from face-to-face feedback collection to using technology. Here are eight different methods of obtaining customer feedback, which operators in the UAE can implement in their restaurant:
- Face-to-Face Feedback: The waitstaff directly asks the customer for feedback.
- Feedback Forms: Distributing printed forms among the customers to obtain their input.
- Mobile POS Feedback System: Using a tablet connected to a POS system to collect customer feedback, based on customer order history.
- Social Media Feedback: Responding to comments on different social media apps and platforms such as UberEats or Deliveroo is vital for the online reputation
- Online Customer Feedback: Another technique to obtain customer feedback is sending an online survey form that the customers can fill at their convenience.
- Focus Groups: Collect customer feedback by creating focus groups of your target audience and interviewing them. This method of customer feedback collection must be carried out periodically.
- Community Groups And Discussion Boards: Be a part of different social media groups and communities to understand what customers are saying about your restaurant.
- Web Analytics: Use your POS and analyze the performance of various dishes and feedback you have collected from your customers to understand what they like about your restaurant.
How To Obtain Customer Feedback Using Different Methods
Now that you are aware of the different methods of obtaining customer feedback, this is how you can execute each one of them.
1. Face-to-face Feedback
In this method of collecting customer feedback, your staff must directly interact with the customers. As your waiting staff is the best suited to communicate directly with the guests, train them to develop a rapport with them and gauge their reactions, expectations, likes, and dislikes.
2. Paperback Feedback Forms
Many restaurants prefer to collect customer feedback via a printed and structured questionnaire. In this method, you can circulate a feedback form to the guests while they are clearing the bill.
If you have a suggestion box at your restaurant, you can request that guests drop the feedback forms there.
3. Mobile POS Feedback System
By implementing a MPOS (Mobile POS), you can enable guests to provide their feedback in just a few clicks. Due to its ease of use, this method has gained popularity among many restaurants. Hand over a handheld device to customers at various customer interaction points. Gather customer feedback with a feedback management app that allows you to set immediate alerts for poor reviews, and enables better damage control measures.
4. Social Media Feedback
According to a recent study, restaurants are the most searched industry by consumers through both mobile applications and browsers. Therefore, restaurant operators cannot defy the influence of opinions customers to express on social media platforms. Consider conducting polls or ask open-ended questions about your restaurant’s food, services, or and overall experience.
You must also keep a tab on the reviews customers post on your official social media accounts and review sites such as Foursquare, Zomato Tripadvisor, etc. If you are gathering feedback from social media, it is advisable that you reply promptly to both positive and negative reviews, either by thanking the customer or addressing their grievances.
5. Online Customer Surveys
Upload a questionnaire on websites such as Surveymonkey.com and send emails to the customers requesting them to fill the survey. As many respondents may tend to skip the survey, you can offer them a discount or coupon upon completing it. This marketing tactic will encourage customers to fill the survey and garner better feedback. The technique of collecting customer feedback online is more useful for cloud kitchens or takeaway eateries that do not have much face-to-face interaction with their customers.
6. Focus groups
Restaurateurs can also conduct focus group interviews to gain real-time insights about how customers perceive your brand. In this method, select a group of 10-40 people and question them on their expectations with the restaurant and service reviews. Consider offering the respondents a free meal or discount coupon to encourage them to participate in this activity.
7. Community Groups and Discussion Boards
Use social listening to enable personalized interactions with customers on community groups, social media and discussion boards, where you can infer information from like-minded customers interacting with each other. You can utilize this information to offer tailor-made recommendations to your customers and elevate their experience.
8. Web Analytics
This method is capable of generating exceptional results for online food ordering restaurants. Based on your customers’ ordering history and information such as the most popular food items, which areas attract the most orders, etc., you can understand your customers’ wants and serve them better.
Gather customer feedback using these methods, and remember to act upon it promptly!
