10 Statistics Showing the Importance of Customer Experience for Restaurants

Delivering an outstanding customer experience is especially important in a restaurant setting. Going out to dine is usually paired with the expectation of having a unique experience or enjoying a special meal. In most cases, a customer goes to a restaurant so they don’t have to cook themselves and enjoy the company of friends and family. Therefore, your restaurant should be operating with a focus on service and convenience for the customer.

In order to better understand the impact of customer experience in the restaurant industry, below are 10 statistics on customer preferences and the importance of putting in the effort for a splendid customer experience:

• Seven out of ten U.S. consumers say they’ve spent more money on brands that deliver a great service and experience. (American Express)
• A Harvard Business School researcher found that a one-star increase in a restaurant’s Yelp rating correlated with a 5–9% increase in revenue.
• People rely on peer review rather than on professional critics, with 25 percent more people choosing consumer reviews on sites like OpenTable, Yelp, and TripAdvisor than those relying on professional food critics. Over half of consumers (60%) read reviews before going out for a meal. (OpenTable)
• Restaurant and diners say that complimentary extras (70 percent) and seating preferences (65 percent) would go far in increasing customer loyalty. (OpenTable)
• Customers appreciate the extra mile in service when restaurant know and remember their names (65%) and their favourite drink (50%). (OpenTable)
• An increase in the customer experience proved to result in an average revenue increase of $823 million over three years for a company with $1 billion in annual revenues. (Temkin Group)
• Three out of four consumers will not visit a restaurant with negative reviews related to its cleanliness. (Harris Poll for Cintas Corporation)
• 40% of all customer complaints are on social media and review sites. Direct complaints to the restaurant only amount to 14% of all complaints. (Jay Baer, Food Service Magazine)
• A textual analysis conducted on more than 330,000 online reviews of more than 1,300 restaurant locations, the keyword “service” was the most significant and frequently used. (ReviewTrackers)
• After one negative experience, half of consumers will never do business with that company again. (New Voice Media)

Data is pointing to the fact that customer experience and service is a main proxy for people when choosing where to go out for a meal. As a restaurant manager or owner, use this to build customer loyalty, as well as differentiate yourself from the competition.