1. The 4 main sources of customer dissatisfaction
In the fast-paced world of the restaurant business, customer experience is often given top priority. But what are the real triggers of customer dissatisfaction? A variety of factors can have a negative impact on the customer experience, and understanding these aspects is crucial for any restaurateur committed to service excellence.
1.1 Excessive waiting times on arrival and at checkout
Waiting time is often one of the first points of friction. Imagine a customer coming in enthusiastically but being faced with a long wait before even seeing their order.
With Zenchef, you can create waiting lists to optimise your table fill rate and improve customer satisfaction.
If you wish, you can test our widget and its various functions free of charge here.
Waiting isn’t just annoying when arriving at a restaurant or being seated—it’s also a real issue at the end of the meal. For many British diners, waiting too long to pay the bill (often between 5 and 10 minutes) can dampen the whole experience. In fact, around a third consider this final wait to be the most unpleasant part of dining out.
With Zenchef's table bill payment, your guests who skip dessert for fear of the bill taking too long to arrive will be delighted. After all, they're 7 out of 10.
1.2 Poor service
More than 1 in 5 people who have stopped going to a restaurant have done so because of the poor quality of the service (28%) and the poor quality of the staff's welcome (21%).
Human interaction is at the heart of the restaurant customer experience. Poor service - whether from rude, poorly trained or distracted staff - can quickly undermine customer satisfaction. An ill-prepared waiter may not know the menu well, be unable to answer customers' questions, or fail to make meaningful contact. Excellent service is often what turns a simple visit into a memorable experience.
Order-taking errors are also one of the main reasons for customer dissatisfaction in restaurants.
Unless you belong to the Karen's restaurant chain, where waiters are obliged to be unpleasant or even nasty to guests, we advise you to work on the quality of service.
1.3. Food quality not up to scratch
This is the number one reason for customer dissatisfaction, and rightly so, since people go to restaurants to eat well. 51% of English people who no longer go to a particular restaurant explain this by the poor quality of the products (Vertone - Qualimétrie).
The quality of the food is, of course, paramount to customer satisfaction. Customers expect tasty, well-presented dishes made from fresh ingredients. According to a report published by Tendance Hôtellerie , 66% of customers are prepared to pay more for high-quality ingredients. A mistake in the kitchen, a dish that doesn't meet expectations or that differs from what was promised, can result in immediate disappointment.
1.4. Cleanliness
Cleanliness is an often underestimated key factor in customer loyalty. Studies show that over 80% of customers attach importance to cleanliness when choosing a restaurant (Source). A dirty space, whether in the kitchen or in the dining room, can not only drive customers away immediately but can also lead to bad reviews online, tarnishing an establishment's reputation.
For example, dirty cutlery or badly washed glasses can be bad indicators for your restaurant's guests. And among the worst complaints that customers can leave are Google reviews that mention food poisoning.
Google had even developed a tool based on AI in real time that can be used to flag up restaurants that do not comply with food hygiene standards (FINDER - Foodborne IllNess DEtection In Real time).
By understanding these key triggers for dissatisfaction and keeping a close eye on these critical aspects, restaurateurs can not only avoid bad reviews, but also create an atmosphere that invites customers to return. Every point of contact with the customer must be optimised to ensure that the experience is always pleasant and memorable.
2. Types of customer and their specific expectations
Taking into account the different types of customer is essential to offering a personalised service and improving overall satisfaction. Within the diversity of a restaurant's clientele, we can distinguish a few typical profiles, each with their own needs and expectations. Let's take a look at some of these profiles and what they are generally looking for when they visit a restaurant.
2.1. Families with children: 56% of French people
Families often come to enjoy a meal together. They are generally looking for a welcoming environment, children's menus, and spaces adapted for the little ones. Attention to children's needs - such as high chairs or colourful placemats - can turn a potentially stressful evening into a pleasant experience for parents.
For more than 1 in 3 people who go out to eat with their children, the choice of restaurant often depends on their children's tastes (Vertone).
2.2 Business travellers
Professionals on the move tend to favour efficiency and speed. Whether they are between two meetings or organising a business meal, these customers are looking for a fast but quality service. A stable Wi-Fi connection, available power sockets and a menu that allows them to have lunch in the shortest possible time are essential.
2.3 Tourists
Tourists are often looking for authenticity and a service that reflects the local culture. They appreciate a warm welcome and explanations of regional specialities. Offering a multilingual menu or recommendations on local attractions can enrich their experience and encourage them to share their discovery with other travellers.
Zenchef can automatically translate your menus to satisfy your foreign customers.
2.4. The premises
Regular customers in the region tend to look for consistency in quality and service. This is a clientele that can ensure a regular base of visits. To meet their expectations, restaurateurs need to ensure a consistent experience on every visit, while offering a touch of novelty from time to time to keep them coming back.
3. Concrete solutions to improve customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is at the heart of a restaurant's success. In fact, according to a study published by Harvard Business Review, a mere 5% increase in customer loyalty can boost a restaurant's profits by up to 25%. To improve customer satisfaction in practice, it is essential to act on a number of strategic levers, each of which has a direct impact on the overall experience of diners.
3.1 Reducing waiting time
Waiting is often cited as a major cause of dissatisfaction by 65% of customers, according to a study carried out by Lightspeed. To remedy this, we need to anticipate and optimise.
- Use reservation management software.
High-performance software such as Zenchef, which specialises in the restaurant sector, can accurately predict the number of customers by analysing historical data. This makes it possible to adapt human resources effectively and can reduce average waiting times by up to 30% during peak periods. - Optimise internal organisation.
Clear, structured team management, thanks to solutions specifically adapted to restaurants such as Combo, improves the fluidity of service. According to Combo's figures, a better organised team means an average 20% increase in service speed. - Manage your stocks and suppliers efficiently.
Digital tools geared towards the foodservice sector provide optimum order management with reliable suppliers, reducing stock shortages by up to 25% according to their internal study.
3.2. Strengthen staff training
According to a survey carried out by Zendesk, 75% of customers say that well-trained staff improve their restaurant experience. Legitimate complaints from a restaurant customer must always be received and dealt with professionally by your teams.
All staff must be aware of the impact of their behaviour on the restaurant's image. Platforms provide specific training for the restaurant sector.
Practical workshops and regular coaching sessions, provided by recognised experts in the restaurant industry, ensure that staff skills are continually improved.
According to Deloitte, training your team to memorise the preferences of regular customers can increase the loyalty of regular customers by up to 40%, creating a much-appreciated personalised experience.The setting and atmosphere in a restaurant are the main choice criteria for 41% of your customers (Vertone study).
3.3. Prioritise Food Quality
85% of consumers say that the taste quality and freshness of food directly influence their satisfaction, according to a survey carried out by OpinionWay.
2/3 of people rank "good value for money" as a key criterion in their choice of restaurant (Vertone survey).
Favouring fresh produce from short circuits through specialist platforms such as Terroirs d'Avenir, guarantees superior quality and can significantly increase customer satisfaction. ⅔ of customers favour local products (Tendance Hôtellerie). In 2024, 16% of people make their purchasing choices based on the production method (Greenflex ADEME Responsible Consumption Barometer): +8% compared to 2021.
According to Nielsen, highlighting the origin of ingredients reassures 70% of consumers about the quality of the food served.
Gathering regular customer feedback and adapting your offer accordingly using tools such as the automated management of customer reviews in the Zenchef module can increase overall customer satisfaction by up to 25% according to Zenchef internal data.
Example of automated reminder for Google customer reviews
3.4 Guarantee impeccable hygiene
Hygiene in catering is a major criterion, cited as essential by consumers according to a study carried out by implementing precise, documented routines ensures an irreproachable environment, reducing the risk of dissatisfaction linked to cleanliness.
Every member of the team needs to be trained and involved in the ongoing maintenance of hygiene, thereby promoting a high level of customer satisfaction. Using specific restaurant tools such as Zenchef to rapidly analyse customer feedback on cleanliness enables immediate reaction to any problems that may arise.
3.5. Tailor the Customer Experience to Each Profile
To fully satisfy your diverse customer base, tailor your offer to their specific needs.
For families, child-friendly menus and dedicated areas.- For professional business meals, reliable Wi-Fi, comfortable work spaces, fast service and tailored formulas.
- For tourists, multilingual translated menus and local culinary experiences.
- For regular customers, attractive loyalty programmes, exclusive events and personalised service.
Zenchef lets you send targeted email or SMS campaigns based on your customer segmentation.
5. The true cost of customer dissatisfaction in restaurants
As mentioned in the introduction, an unhappy customer will cost you dearly in terms of your online reputation. But in practical terms, there are ways of calculating what that dissatisfied customer has cost or is going to cost your restaurant.
The Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) indicator is particularly useful in the foodservice sector. It corresponds to the ROI generated per customer acquired. It is calculated using the formula: CLV restaurant = Expenditure per guest per month / Customer churn rate per month.
The churn rate is the rate of customers who stop coming to your restaurant for a defined period of time. If this customer never comes back, they are considered to be "churned" or "lost".
Let's say you spend €10 per customer per month. In a given month, your churn rate is 20% (1 in 5 customers is considered lost), so your CLV is €50/month. This means that for each customer you retain, you will have an ROI of €50/month.
This means that, conversely, you lose between €400 and €1,000 in ROI if your customer churns and talks about it to others (between 8 and 20 people for the most dissatisfied). And this figure should be multiplied by the average retention time of a customer in your restaurant. Let's say your average customer retention time is 6 months, so you lose €300/customer, €3,200 for 8 informed customers and up to €8,000 for 20 informed customers.
6. Why choose Zenchef for your restaurant?
Zenchef offers a comprehensive, intuitive solution specially designed to meet the day-to-day challenges faced by restaurateurs. Here are the main benefits:
Centralised and Optimised Reservations Management :
Zenchef centralises all your table reservations on a single platform intuitive, making it easier to anticipate peak periods and proactively manage your teams. Thanks to precise management of customer data, you can offer a personalised welcome and anticipate everyone's expectations.
Direct and personalised communication:
Strengthen your relationship with your customers with automatic, personalised messages, whether confirming bookings, sending reminders or thanking them after their visit. This regular, attentive communication helps to build long-term customer loyalty.
Simplified monitoring and management:
Zenchef's comprehensive dashboard provides a clear overview of your day-to-day operations. Easily identify areas for improvement and track the performance of your teams and your business in real time.
Find out for yourself how Zenchef can transform your daily life and optimise your customers' experience with a free demonstration.
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