3 Ways to Improve the Restaurant Customer Experience

Fast casual and quick-service restaurant (QSR) customers are dining out less frequently. In fact, about 44% of consumers say they’re likely to spend less money dining out during the next 12 months.

And if you spoke to a group of customers and asked them why, you’d probably receive similar responses: inflation and the rising cost of menu items—especially over the past few years.

The increase in food and ingredient costs and the current economic climate are pushing restaurant brands to focus on how they can enhance the restaurant experience to drive sales, create a sense of customer loyalty, and entice consumers back into dining rooms. 

This makes deep customer insights and actionable feedback more important than ever. Here, we’ll examine three research-backed ways brands can improve the customer experience for when diners do decide to venture out.

Reduce your number of menu options

To help offset price increases, restaurant consumers are signaling they would rather see fewer menu items. An SMG study found about 34% of restaurant customers believe offering a smaller menu could help mitigate price increases and the overall cost of dining out on a regular basis. 

On a similar note, about 20% of customers believe reducing portion sizes would help restaurants stabilize menu prices while helping restaurants meet their operational and labor costs.

Interestingly, in both cases, customers do not believe a reduction in menu items or portion sizes would sacrifice the experience or enjoyment of dining out. 

Customer experience (CX) insights suggest that consumers prefer restaurants focus on the menu items or services they do best as opposed to introducing flashy new items or making big menu changes.

Ensure your digital platforms are consistent and work for your customers, not against them

Digital platforms like mobile apps, self-serve ordering kiosks, order tracking systems, third-party delivery systems, and even AI-assisted interfaces are simply part of the experience consumers expect from restaurants these days, especially those in the fast casual and quick-service markets. 

While bold innovation with your mobile app or online ordering system can help you attract customers, inconsistency across platforms or a UX that gives customers headaches can create frustration and even keep customers from engaging at all.

A recent SMG survey found that 26% of respondents had reported problems with a restaurant brand’s mobile app; 39% had reported difficulties with a brand’s ordering kiosk or tablet; and 40% had reported issues with quick response (QR) code technology. 

Putting resources into ensuring your digital platforms work for your customers can help you elevate the restaurant experience and your customer satisfaction scores.

Prioritize loyalty programs that actually deliver member benefits

Restaurant brands are devoting more time and money to developing customer loyalty programs, which can help improve customer perception, generate consistent, repeat business, turn customers into de facto ambassadors, and even poach customers from direct competitors.

The problem is many customer loyalty programs don’t actually deliver on what consumers want or expect. 

Difficulty accruing and redeeming loyalty points—both foundational elements of a successful rewards program—are two of the biggest challenges customers experience. While able to demonstrate a 2x ROI for restaurant brands, a loyalty program is only as good as its ability to actually deliver member benefits and forge a deeper relationship with customers. 

Improving the restaurant experience for consumers starts with a clear understanding of what customers are looking for, what customers expect when eating at restaurants, and how they perceive your brand. 

This is where a CX management platform can help brands use insights from customer satisfaction surveys and data from customer journey analytics to make strategic, measured decisions about how to enhance the restaurant experience their brand provides. 

SMG is the strategic customer and employee experience platform provider that can help you create the restaurant experience your customers want. Our report on four trends that will impact the restaurant customer experience in 2024—including the larger role we expect employee engagement to play—can help you learn more about what today’s customers want and expect from restaurant brands. 

Download the report to learn more.