Do you think guests leave your restaurant happy? Do they intend to come back later? Or was it a one-time experience?
Restaurant guest surveys help restaurant brands gauge guest sentiment, understand what makes the difference between returning guests and disgruntled ones.
They’re not new. Guest surveys have been part of the hospitality industry for decades. However, it’s how you use them and act on them (if needed) that matters.
In this article, we’ll cover what guest surveys are for restaurants, how they work, how to share them, and much more.
A restaurant guest experience survey is a short list of questions restaurants use to gather feedback and measure guest satisfaction.
Restaurants send the guest survey as soon as the check is marked done in the reservation system. Some choose to schedule sending the survey within 24 or 48 hours of the guest leaving the restaurant.
If you are using Servme, you can automate sending the survey after you close the guest’s check in the reservation system.
The list of questions may vary depending on the purpose of the survey.
Was it to measure satisfaction for a specific restaurant menu? A special event? A new venue? All of the above?
Let’s face it. The restaurant industry is becoming more competitive every day. New restaurants with entirely new concepts are opening their doors.
The competition over guests’ attention and loyalty is increasing.
Whether it’s a restaurant, bar, poolside or beachside concept, a cruise-dining experience, something in between or covering all the above. There are many concepts today.
That’s why understanding guest sentiment and improving satisfaction are crucial for success and building loyalty.
Guest surveys contribute to the success and retention you’re trying to achieve.
One F&B concept that effectively uses automated guest surveys is Bla Bla Dubai. The venue houses a restaurant, pool, nightclub, and 21 bars! Using Servme, Bla Bla shares an automated survey within 24 hours of closing the guest’s check.
The image below shows Bla Bla’s overall rating of 4.83/5, with 5 being the highest rating possible.
Here are several reasons why guest surveys are becoming so important. They help you
measure and improve guest satisfaction
understand customer concerns
collect feedback on special events, menus, ideas
maintain the level of service across your concepts, if you manage multiple restaurant locations
showcase your ratings, scores, and testimonials to other guests
The higher your ratings, the better your guest reviews, and the more likely guests will keep coming back for the delightful dining experience you offer them.
Repeat business means an increase in your restaurant sales and profits, along with opportunities to grow. You may choose to expand and open new venues, introduce new dishes, events and more.
There are two main ways to collect guest reviews.
One traditional method involves providing guests with a physical review card that includes a list of questions and checkboxes.
Many restaurants also include a section for comments, encouraging guests to share feedback and suggest improvements.
However, this approach often falls short, as many guests either leave the comments section blank or skip the questionnaire entirely, eager to pay and depart quickly.
The alternative is a more tech-savvy approach: sending guests a survey link via email, SMS, or WhatsApp message.
Filling the survey is much easier. All it needs is a few clicks. Guests can do it from their smartphone and it takes less than a minute, making it far more accessible than traditional methods.
Restaurants using Servme have found this to be a much easier, cost-effective method for guests dining at their concepts.
Not only that, but the survey doesn’t take time out of the dining experience. Guests can complete the survey at their convenience, either shortly after leaving the venue or the next day.
By using a guest experience management platform like Servme, you can fully automate the survey process.
When you add guest details such as name and mobile number to your restaurant CRM, you can send guests an SMS or automated WhatsApp message with a link to the survey.
If you have guests’ email, you can send the notification via email. If you’re using Servme, you can automate survey notifications via all 3 communication channels.
Just make sure you don’t notify the guest 3 times about the same survey. This will prompt them to opt out of communications with your restaurant.
Before we look at how to automate guest surveys at your restaurant, let’s see the top types of questions shared.
MCQs
Most F&B concepts like to use multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
The restaurant poses a question and offers several options for the guest to choose from. You can let guests choose one answer or all that apply.
Forms
Some concepts use a form, with several questions where guests offer concise answers. These questions often include:
What can we do to improve your dining experience?
What dish did you enjoy the most during your visit?
Do you have suggestions for us? Leave them in the comment box.
Ratings
Alternatively, restaurants can add a number of items and ask guests to rate them.
The image below clarifies this.
Combination of all 3
You can combine several types of survey questions into one. You can add an MCQ, if you want guests to choose from a specific set of answers, along with a comment-type of question, and a ratings question.
Platforms to collect guest surveys
Whether you’re using Servme, or you’re on your own, you can collect guest reviews via various platforms. You can share surveys and collect reviews via channels such as:
Tripadvisor
Zomato (if it’s available in your country)
Restaurant mobile apps
Google reviews
How to create an automated guest survey in Servme
With Servme, restaurants have two options for collecting guest feedback. Guests can rate specific services or leave a review on a website or a platform of your choice.
The ratings option is private, meaning only your restaurant staff can view the guest’s ratings and comments. In contrast, the review option is public, as the guest’s feedback is published directly on the chosen platform as soon as it is submitted.
To set up Guest Reviews and Feedback in Servme, follow these simple steps:
Step 1. Enable guest reviews and feedback: Activate the feature from the Servme web app.
Step 2. Setup notifications: Enable the notifications for the restaurant survey questions and choose how you want to send the surveys, that is communication channel. You can choose from email, SMS, and WhatsApp.
Note that what you choose will depend on the contact information available in your CRM and your guests’ preferred communication method. For example, if you don’t have a guest’s email, you can’t send an email notification.
Step 3. Enable surveys by shift: Activate the guest surveys feature for specific shifts - or all shifts - and select the questions you want to include in the survey.
Step 4. Customize survey questions: Decide what you want guests to evaluate. You can include rating specific services, like food, ambiance, price,...etc. See the image below.
Or you can ask guests to provide an overall comment or experience rating.
For example, the image below lets you select which elements to include in your guest survey questions. Choose from food, ambience, cleanliness, price, service, and overall experience. You can add up to 5 options or categories.
Doing more with Servme’s restaurant guest experience platform
As mentioned, Servme helps restaurants collect guest feedback and ratings.
But that’s not all. As a restaurant reservation management system, Servme helps restaurants streamline reservations from various sources, including online, via phone, WhatsApp, and in-person.
Servme helps your restaurant get more reservations through integrations with channels like Tripadvisor, Zomato, Reserve with Google, Instagram, among others.
Besides more bookings, Servme helps restaurant operators boost their revenues by reducing no-shows and last-minute cancellations. You can also collect restaurant deposits directly through Servme and deduct them when guests receive their final bill.
Servme’s CRM is where you collect guest details and create guest profiles to create personalized marketing campaigns. The one-click guest profile feature has been a hit with many of our customers.
The Servme reservation widget acts as the basis for building your CRM. When a guest adds their details, they are automatically added to the CRM. Upon their next visit, if they add more details, their profile is automatically updated.
Additional tips and ideas for using restaurant guest surveys
It’s important to decide what you want to achieve with a guest survey. This will help you choose the questions and criteria for the survey.
One popular question in Servme’s automated guest surveys is asking guests to rate their experience.
The higher your guest ratings and reviews, the higher footfall and the more reservations you’ll get.
If you manage several venues, the guest experience survey will help you identify weaknesses or areas of concern across your locations. You can address those issues and ask guests directly about them.
For example, if a guest made a comment about the food arriving late at Venue B, you can follow up with them during their next visit about the time it took to get their food ready.
You can also use the content of the guest reviews to promote your restaurant, especially if you’re getting 4-star and 5-star ratings and reviews. Use them as social proof across your social media accounts and your website.
For example, if a guest has left a review via Tripadvisor or any other booking channel, you can share their testimonial on Instagram.
Want to see how Servme helps you create and automate guest surveys for your restaurant? Get in touch with Servme to learn more and try it yourself.
Nada Sobhi
Operations
