Restaurant customer satisfaction grows despite rising prices, ACSI finds

Dive Brief:

Customer satisfaction with full-service restaurants is up 4% year over year, according to a study of the restaurant and food delivery industry released in June by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. ACSI rates overall customer satisfaction at 84 on a 100-point scale.
The highest-rated full-service restaurant experiences were food order accuracy and waitstaff courtesy and helpfulness, which scored a 92 and 90, respectively.
"What we're seeing is that restaurants are doing fairly well so far, maintaining and even improving on those elements of the customer experience over the last couple of years, and this is resulting in improved satisfaction,” said Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI.

Dive Insight:

Rising restaurant prices make dining out feel like a luxury, but elevated service helps consumers feel like they’re getting great value for their money.

Dining out ultimately is a value proposition, Morgeson said. If customers are often spending 5% to 10% more on meals than they were two years ago, they expect more in return for that money.

"Those consumers who are still willing and able to spend what is more of their money to eat out are going to be more focused on the quality and the finer points that go into that experience,” Morgeson said.

A great restaurant trip isn’t about any individual part of the meal — it starts when customers enter and doesn’t end until they walk out the door, according to Morgeson. Workers are responsible for improving every aspect of the dining experience.

They are the people who prepare the meal, ensure orders are fulfilled accurately and quickly, and smooth over any problems that crop up during the experience.

The power of good waitstaff was reflected in Texas Roadhouse’s score of 85, which was tied with LongHorn Steakhouse for highest in the study. The ACSI credited the restaurant chain’s heavy investments in its workers for its high customer satisfaction.

Better trained and treated employees stick with their employer for longer, and satisfied waitstaff deliver better experiences, according to Morgeson. Happy workers create happy customers, who are more likely to return and recommend the business to their friends.