“The customer is always right”, this famous saying shows that customer satisfaction is the real measure of any restaurant’s success, not just the quality of food or the speed of service. With competition increasing day by day, understanding the customer experience has become a strategic necessity.
Restaurant surveys are one of the best tools to turn customer opinions into actionable steps. They help restaurants improve food quality and service, and create a comprehensive experience that leaves a lasting positive impression.
In this article, we will review the top 15 questions you should include in your restaurant survey to improve customer satisfaction, along with an explanation of how to turn feedback into practical actions that increase loyalty and boost your business success.
What are restaurant and café surveys, and why are they important?
Restaurant and café surveys are structured tools for collecting customer feedback about their dining experience. This includes food quality, service, ambiance, and pricing. Their purpose is to measure customer satisfaction, identify strengths and weaknesses, and provide accurate insights that help restaurants improve service, develop menus, and continuously enhance the guest experience.
5 Benefits that highlight the importance of restaurant surveys:
1. Measure customer satisfaction: Surveys help you understand how satisfied customers are with food, service, and ambiance, and pinpoint areas for improvement.
2. Identify preferences and improve quality: Customer feedback enables you to adjust menus, train staff, and identify popular dishes and customer tastes for better planning and marketing.
3. Boost customer loyalty: Customers who feel their voices are heard are more likely to return and recommend the restaurant to others.
4. Spot weaknesses before they escalate: Early negative feedback allows you to address problems quickly before they damage your restaurant’s reputation.
5. Increase engagement with the brand: Involving customers in improving the experience makes them feel connected to the restaurant, as if they are part of its success.
Top 15 Questions to Include in Your Restaurant Survey
1. What is your age and gender?
Type: Closed (multiple choice / numeric field).
✦ Purpose: Helps you understand different demographics and tailor experiences or offers accordingly. Age reveals behavioral trends (e.g., seeking lively vs. quiet settings), while gender helps analyze preferences and customize promotions.
2. How often do you dine out?
Type: Closed (multiple choice).
✦ Purpose: Indicates the customer’s level of dining experience. Frequent diners compare your restaurant to many others, making their feedback especially valuable.
3. How did you first hear about our restaurant?
Type: Closed (multiple choice).
✦ Purpose: Shows which channels attract customers most, such as word-of-mouth, online platforms, or social media. This helps optimize marketing strategies and reach new customers.
4. How would you rate the quality of the food? And why?
Type: Closed + optional open comment.
✦ Purpose: Food is the heart of the experience. This question reveals whether taste, ingredients, and preparation meet expectations. The comment section complements ratings by capturing details that numbers alone can’t.
5. Were you satisfied with the speed of service?
Type: Closed (rating scale 1–5).
✦ Purpose: Long waits ruin dining experiences. This helps determine whether your staff needs better coordination or efficiency improvements.
6. Were our staff polite, courteous, and attentive to your needs?
Type: Closed (rating scale 1–5).
✦ Purpose: Friendly and attentive service makes guests feel welcome and increases the chance of return visits.
7. Were all items ordered correct, and was the food served at the right temperature?
Type: Closed (Yes/No).
✦ Purpose: Assesses order accuracy and food temperature. Any mistake here can create an impression of unprofessionalism and reduce satisfaction, even if the food tastes good.
8. What dish did you enjoy the most?
Type: Open-ended.
✦ Purpose: Helps identify customer favorites, allowing you to promote popular dishes and improve less-ordered items.
9. What do you think of the restaurant’s ambiance and décor? Is there anything you’d like improved?
Type: Open-ended.
✦ Purpose: Ambiance is a key part of the dining experience. This question measures lighting, décor, noise level, and cleanliness. Comfortable settings significantly boost customer satisfaction.
10. Were you satisfied with the variety of our menu? (You may add notes about missing items or suggestions.)
Type: Closed (rating scale 1–5) + open comment.
✦ Purpose: Menus directly influence customer diversity and visitor numbers. Satisfaction with the menu often translates into higher sales, while feedback uncovers valuable improvement ideas.
11. How would you rate the value for money?
Type: Closed (multiple choice).
✦ Purpose: Evaluates whether customers feel they’re getting fair value for what they paid, and provides insight into pricing alignment with food and service quality.
12. What did you like most about our food?
Type: Open-ended.
✦ Purpose: Understanding what customers enjoy most helps reinforce strengths and elevate every aspect of hospitality, from food to service.
13. How likely are you to recommend our restaurant to others?
Type: Closed (rating scale 1–10).
✦ Purpose: Measures customer loyalty and is part of the Net Promoter Score (NPS). A willingness to recommend signals strong satisfaction and advocacy.
14. How likely are you to visit our restaurant again?
Type: Closed (rating scale 1–10).
✦ Purpose: Gauges overall satisfaction and loyalty. A high likelihood of return means your restaurant successfully left a positive impression.
15. Do you have any other suggestions you’d like to share?
Type: Open-ended.
✦ Purpose: Open-ended questions uncover insights closed questions may miss, such as specific incidents or innovative suggestions for continuous improvement.
How to Turn Feedback into Actionable Decisions with BSure?
After collecting feedback through surveys, the most important step is turning each comment into a tangible action:
Follow up directly on feedback: Stay aware of what guests love and what needs improvement.
Share insights with your team: Use feedback for staff training and service improvement.
Make data-driven decisions: Adjust the menu or improve operations based on customer insights.
Test changes and measure results: After improvements, use short surveys to check satisfaction with updates.
Monitor online feedback: Gather customer reviews from social media to strengthen the overall experience.
Repeat surveys regularly: Keep collecting feedback to ensure ongoing development.
10 Reasons Why BSure is Your Best Partner to Enhance Restaurant & Café Experiences
1. Organized feedback management: Collect customer comments and suggestions in one place for continuous service improvement.
2. Customizable surveys to evaluate food & service quality: BSure enables you to create tailored surveys to measure food, service, and ambiance for accurate customer satisfaction tracking.
3. Real-time analysis of customer feedback: Gather and evaluate opinions instantly to continuously improve service and experience.
4. Specialized technical support: A support team experienced in restaurant and café needs, offering fast and professional assistance.
5. Track customer engagement over time: Tools to monitor feedback trends and ensure sustained customer interaction.
6. Improve operational efficiency: Analyze customer data to identify weak areas and optimize performance.
7. Provide personalized customer experiences: Create surveys tailored to service type, ensuring unique experiences for each guest.
8. Customizable interface: Design a survey interface that reflects your brand identity, making it easier for customers to interact.
9. Multi-language support: BSure supports translations in 10+ languages, simplifying communication with diverse staff and customers.
10. Integration with enterprise systems: Connect BSure with your internal systems to enhance services and improve digital experiences for both staff and customers.
Conclusion
Surveys are an essential tool to truly understand your customers and their base. They provide clear analysis that allows you to turn feedback into actionable decisions. By following this process, you can elevate food and service quality, strengthen customer loyalty, and keep your restaurant as their top choice.
With BSure, no comment goes unnoticed. Every piece of feedback becomes an opportunity to improve service, raise satisfaction, and ensure a better experience with every visit.
Start today with BSure, choose your plan, and make customer satisfaction your top priority!
