Looking to get better at handling restaurant complaints this year? This guide is here to help.
Most complaints you receive will only stay negative if you ignore them and never address them. But if you want to turn complaints into an opportunity to showcase great customer service, avert catastrophe, and save face, you’re in the right place.
Instead of ignoring restaurant complaints, we’ll show you how to prepare and positively handle them in-house and online and prevent further complaints in the future.
Throughout this guide, we’ll cover the following:
- Why customers complain about restaurants (and examples of the most common restaurant complaints)
- How to handle customer complaints in a restaurant — within your establishment and also online.
First of all, let’s explore the main reason why a customer might complain about a restaurant.
Why customers complain about restaurants
Customers will complain about a restaurant when an expectation isn’t met.
This means that there’s something that was supposed to happen that didn’t. For instance, the food quality was subpar, the service might have been slow or rude, or the delivery person arrived late. In any event, your customer was inconvenienced or worse.
When the problem is severe enough for the customer to reach out (and complain), they’re undoubtedly upset.
Some might complain directly to you in person, while others will share their complaint with other people, friends, or family by word of mouth. Others will take it to social media or leave a bad review on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, etc., or whatever online review sites you’re listed on.
In fact, according to a study, 1 in 25 unhappy customers will complain directly to you. An overwhelming 95% of unhappy customers don’t complain openly. Instead, 13% of them will share their complaint with more than 15 people out there. Around 40% voice their dissatisfaction on social media platforms and review sites (and they expect a response from you in one hour).
In any case, all the outcomes are bad unless you deal with them appropriately (we’ll give you a hand on this).
The first step in effectively managing complaints is to identify and understand the most common types of complaints that customers might have about your restaurant. Where do these complaints originate?
What are the most common restaurant complaints customers have?
Some of the most common restaurant complaints customers can raise include:
- Food and drink-related complaints. Such as low-quality food or drink, order mix-ups, inadequate portions, unavailable food products, food poisoning, and so on.
Some 70% of incorrect food temperatures as a major turnoff. 62% complain of receiving the wrong order. Another 52% say food doesn’t look or taste as described in the menu.
- Uncleanliness (and other safety concerns). Poor server hygiene, dirty restrooms, etc. This is not to mention that the pandemic added new anxieties regarding health and safety.
- General atmosphere. Noisy or disruptive diners nearby, poor table placement (near the door, kitchen, close seating arrangements, etc.), loud music, poor lighting, etc.
- Poor customer service. 72% of customers find servers rude, have a bad attitude, ignore guests, or can’t answer simple questions. Slow service is another frequent issue.
Customer service complaints in restaurants are relatively common. Additionally, 59% say servers remove their plates before they finish, and 61% feel rushed through meals, etc.
- Online ordering complaints. Slow restaurant website or app, lack of menu varieties, delivery arriving late or cold, online payment problems, etc.
- Food pricing. Overpriced menu items, automatic gratuities added to guests’ bills, incorrect check calculations, etc.
- Miscellaneous complaints. There are long waits for a table, reservation issues, allergies and dietary restrictions, insufficient nutritional information, parking issues, etc.
All these are valid reasons for a restaurant customer to voice their complaint with your establishment.
So, how do you handle such complaints from unhappy diners so that you both experience the most pleasant outcome possible? Or, let’s put it better – how do you prepare to manage such complaints and avoid them altogether?
How to handle complaints in a restaurant
If you resolve complaints in a customer’s favor, they’re likely to do business with you again 70% of the time.
And up to 95% of customers will give you a second chance if you successfully handle their complaints. But if you get it wrong, that customer may never come back.
Therefore, after identifying the most common restaurant complaints within your establishment, the next step is to figure out ways to address them effectively. Be prepared to handle customer complaints as they arise and work to resolve them smoothly.
We’ll walk you through practical tips on handling complaints within your establishment and online next.
How to handle and improve restaurant complaints in-house
The following are some tips to reduce and handle customer complaints within your establishment.
Constantly evaluate the entire in-house dining experience
The overall dining experience in a restaurant is made up of several moving parts. These include the food quality, atmosphere, ambiance, customer service, cleanliness, menu and pricing, food service, wait times, comfort, etc.
These are the things guests usually pay close attention to when they arrive at your establishment. If their first impression is wanting, a complaint is sure to follow.
Questions to ask yourself
To evaluate your in-house dining experience, begin viewing your restaurant through the eyes of the customer. What do they see when they first arrive at your restaurant? Do they see missing lights in your sign or smudged prints on the entrance door glass?
What happens when they first enter your restaurant? Do they clearly understand the seating arrangement or ordering expectations? Are they properly greeted? Is the dining room and restrooms clean? Are tables bussed?
How about when they approach the service line or get seated at a table? How long does the appetizer or entree order take to arrive at customer tables?
All these things (and more) need to be systematized to ensure the expected guest experience – as well as systems for dealing with mistakes. If you need a place to start, follow our guide on how to improve restaurant customer service.
Generally, such analysis can help identify areas of improvement, reinvent your dining experience, and ultimately reduce complaints.
Training staff members in handling complaints
Who do your guests mostly interact with in your establishment? It’s likely the host/hostess, waitstaff, bartenders (if any), bussers, managers, and occasionally the chefs or cooks.
Because of this, all team members should receive proper training on handling guest complaints during their stay. Train them on how to react, respond, and deal with different restaurant complaints, such as food quality, service speed, or billing issues. And how to follow the appropriate procedures and escalate the problem if needed.
For instance, 24% of customers dislike being called pet names like ‘honey,’ ‘sweetie,’ or ‘dear.’ So, train your staff to ask customers for their names. Only a few employees ask for the customer’s name 21% of the time. So, address customers by their names.
Most importantly, develop a structured plan to handle complaints. Part of this plan should train your staff to listen, apologize, provide solutions, record feedback, follow up, and thank guests.
