Restaurant Customer Comment Card Example

Restaurants are one of the most competitive small businesses out there. It is one business that most people use on a regular basis. People who eat out a lot know what they like and dislike about their dining experiences. Obviously the more money that is spent the more likely a customer is to share their thoughts about the restaurant. Successful restaurants understand the need to pay attention to the customer experience and incorporate customer service into the way they do business.

Good customer service is no longer an option but a necessity. The fact of the matter is, good customer service is what sets mediocre restaurants apart from industry leaders. Taking the time to assess customer needs and expectations is a critical first step in creating customer loyalty.

There are many different ways to solicit feedback from customers. Conducting customer focus groups, utilizing customer satisfaction surveys and a new model today is text analytics. One tool that provides immediate feedback on the customer experience is customer comment cards. The intent of customer comment cards is to gain the customers perspective when it is fresh in their minds.

Sample questions to ask on a customer comment card:
Please rate:

1. The quality of food.
Poor Good Excellent
Comment: __________________________

2. The food portion size.
Poor Good Excellent
Comment: __________________________

3. The food preparation as compared to expectations.

Poor Good Excellent
Comment: __________________________

4. The friendliness of the servers.
Poor Good Excellent
Comment: __________________________

5. The cleanliness of the dining room.
Poor Good Excellent
Comment: __________________________

6. How likely are you to refer this restaurant to a friend.
Poor Good Excellent
Comment: ___________________________

7. Your overall dining experience.
Poor Good Excellent
Comment: __________________________

8. What are some things we can do to improve your dining experience. __________________________

Optional

Name: __________________
Address: _________________
Email: ___________________
Phone number: ___________

This template can be modified and customized with the company logo to make it specific to your organization. Comment card questions should be kept brief to encourage customer participation and anonymous to protect the person filling out the card.

Other things to think about:

• Customers should have easy access to comment cards.
• Comment cards can be placed on dining tables, restaurant lobby or near the cash register.
• A box to hold the comment cards should be displayed to make it easy and convenient for customers to drop.
• Comment card boxes should be emptied on a regular basis so that if issues are identified, service recovery can be done in a timely manner.
• It is important to create a comment card database so trends over time can be identified and acted on.
  
  On a final note, customer comment cards are just one of many tools that can be used as part of an effective customer service strategy. Understanding your customer’s experience is critical to keeping current customers, gaining new customers and ultimately achieving business objectives.