If you’re looking for the best restaurant survey questions to ask your customers, this guide has your back.

In this guide, we’ll list 12 of the best restaurant survey questions you can add to a questionnaire.

These questions are designed to get the best feedback possible from your customers, so you can make positive changes in your restaurant business.

We’ll also outline the importance of they surveys and give you a template you can use to ask them.

The importance of restaurant surveys and customer feedback

Restaurant surveys and customer feedback are like gold in the hospitality world. They provide a real and tangible way to make improvements based on what customers want to see.

Here’s why they’re so important:

Customer satisfaction and experience

Customer feedback has a huge impact on customer satisfaction and the overall dining experience.

So by creating a customer satisfaction survey, restaurant owners can gather valuable insights into guest experiences, from the ambiance and service quality to food quality and menu items.

This feedback provides a direct line to understanding customer preferences, including dietary restrictions or preferences for dine-in versus takeout options.

Improvements to food quality and your menu

Feedback surveys often highlight areas for improvement in food quality or suggestions for new menu items that restaurants can add to their wheelhouse of amazing dishes.

This direct guest feedback allows restaurant owners to adapt their menu to include family-friendly options, accommodate dietary restrictions, and innovate based on customer demand, ensuring the restaurant remains relevant and appealing.

Boosting online ordering and delivery services

With the rise of food delivery and takeout services, customer feedback can help optimize an online ordering system, making it more user-friendly and efficient.

Insights gathered from surveys can guide improvements in the delivery services offered, impacting the guest experience positively even outside the restaurant’s physical location.

👋 Looking to add online ordering to your restaurant? Check out our online ordering system guide.

Enhancing marketing and operations

Restaurant feedback provides restaurateurs with a clear picture of their demographic, which can be incredibly useful for targeted restaurant marketing.

Social media platforms and email campaigns that reflect customer preferences and highlight popular dishes or promotions (like a loyalty program or gift card incentives) can attract more patrons.

Additionally, understanding customer loyalty and preferences helps in refining operations, from streamlining the reservation process to enhancing the overall restaurant experience.

Building customer loyalty and trust

Encouraging repeat business is all about building a relationship with your customers. Surveys show that you value their opinion, and acting on that feedback demonstrates a commitment to their satisfaction.

A loyalty program incentivized by completing surveys or providing feedback can further enhance customer loyalty.

So now we know the benefits, let’s get into the questions you can ask. Afterward, we’ll give you some tips for delivering these to customers, both online and in-house.

12 restaurant survey questions to improve customer experience

In this section, we’ll outline 12 restaurant survey questions you can ask your customers depending on the type of feedback you’d like to receive.

In each section, we’ll give you a couple of options along with the benefit of these questions and their format.

Questions for improving food quality

Example Question: “How would you rate the quality and taste of your meal?”

Benefit: Direct feedback on the meal’s quality can pinpoint what dishes excel or need improvement, guiding menu development and ingredient sourcing.

Format: 5-point scale from “Poor” to “Excellent”.

Example Question: “Were you satisfied with the presentation of your food?”

Benefit: Presentation impacts the dining experience and customer perception of value; this question helps in understanding its effectiveness.

Format: Yes/No, with an optional comment box for details.

Questions for improving customer service

Example Question: “How friendly and attentive was our staff during your visit?”

Benefit: This assesses staff performance, highlighting training needs or areas of excellence in customer interaction.

Format: 5-point scale from “Not at all” to “Extremely”.

Example Question: “How quickly were you seated and served?”

Benefit: Speed of service is crucial to customer satisfaction, especially in peak times. This identifies bottlenecks or efficiency successes.

Format: 5-point scale, “Too Slow” to “Too Fast”, with “Just Right” in the middle.

👋 Want some tips for improving customer service? Check out our restaurant customer service guide.

Questions for assessing ambiance and comfort

Example Question: “Rate the overall ambiance and comfort of our restaurant.”

Benefit: The dining environment contributes significantly to the overall experience. Feedback here can inform décor, layout, and music choices.

Format: 5-point scale from “Very Unsatisfied” to “Very Satisfied”.

Example Question: “Was our restaurant clean and well-maintained?”

Benefit: Cleanliness is non-negotiable for diners; this ensures standards are being met or exceeded.

Format: Yes/No, with space for comments if standards are not met.

Questions for evaluating menu diversity and options

Example Question: “Did you find our menu options diverse and accommodating of your dietary preferences?”

Benefit: Insights on menu diversity can help in catering to broader customer needs, including dietary restrictions.

Format: Yes/No, with an option to specify dietary preferences not met.

Example Question: “How satisfied were you with the variety of beverages offered?”

Benefit: Beverage options can complement a meal and increase customer satisfaction, offering insights for potential expansions or changes.

Format: 5-point scale from “Very Unsatisfied” to “Very Satisfied”.

Questions for measuring value and pricing

Example Question: “How do you rate the value for money of our food and services?”

Benefit: Understanding customer perceptions of value can guide pricing strategies and highlight areas where customers see (or lack) value.

Format: 5-point scale from “Poor Value” to “Excellent Value”.

Example Question: “Was the portion size satisfactory for the price paid?”

Benefit: Portion size can affect customer satisfaction and perceptions of value, informing menu pricing and dish composition.

Format: Yes/No, with a follow-up question for suggestions if “No”.

Questions for gauging customer loyalty and referral potential

Example Question: “How likely are you to recommend our restaurant to friends and family?”

Benefit: This measures the Net Promoter Score (NPS), an important indicator of customer loyalty and word-of-mouth potential.

Format: 0-10 scale, where 0 is “Not likely” and 10 is “Highly likely”.

Example Question: “Would you visit us again?”

Benefit: Directly assesses repeat customer potential, indicating overall satisfaction and loyalty.

Format: Yes/No, with an optional prompt for reasons if “No”.

Open-ended feedback for additional thoughts

Example Question: “Please share any additional comments or suggestions you have for us.”

Benefit: Open-ended feedback provides customers the opportunity to share detailed thoughts, uncovering valuable insights not captured by structured questions.

Format: Open text box.

So now we have a selection of important questions to ask, let’s take a look at how you can deliver these questions to customers.

How to acquire customer feedback using feedback surveys

Gathering feedback in the restaurant world is all about asking your customers the right questions at the right time. Whether it’s through snappy online surveys or face-to-face in your dining room, the insights you collect are invaluable.

So let’s take a look at how you can gather this feedback in a more practical sense with some tools and techniques. Below we’ll cover how to collect feedback online and in-house.

How to craft the perfect online survey

Online surveys are your secret weapon for understanding what ticks for your customers.

Start with a solid survey template that covers all bases – from the restaurant atmosphere to the specifics of restaurant service. The types of questions you include can make or break your survey. Mix in multiple-choice questions for quick insights on aspects like noise level or the speed of service, ensuring you get a broad understanding without requiring too much effort from respondents.

Don’t forget to sprinkle in some open-ended questions, though. They’re your go-to for uncovering the gold – honest feedback that gets to the heart of your customer’s experience. These allow diners, especially first-time visitors, to share their unique perspectives in their own words, offering valuable nuggets on how to improve restaurant operations.

A smart survey also balances its questions with a straightforward rating scale. This approach makes it easy for your customers to quantify their feelings about your food, service, and ambiance, boosting the response rate and giving you clear metrics to work with.

Tools for creating your online surveys

You have your restaurant survey questions, but you now need to put them together into an actual survey you can show customers.

If so, here are some tools you can use to get it done:

Online survey tools

1. SurveyMonkey: One of the most popular online survey tools, SurveyMonkey offers a wide range of question types, including multiple-choice, open-ended, and rating scales. It’s user-friendly and provides analytics to analyze survey responses effectively. You can easily embed SurveyMonkey surveys on your restaurant website or share them via email or social media.
2. Google Forms: A free tool that integrates seamlessly with other Google services. Google Forms is straightforward to use, allowing you to create custom surveys with various question types. Its simple embedding options make it a great choice for adding surveys directly to your website. Plus, responses are neatly organized in a Google Sheet for easy analysis.
3. Typeform: Known for its visually appealing and user-friendly design, Typeform improves the survey experience with its conversational interface. It’s particularly effective for engaging customers with its sleek, modern design. Embedding Typeform surveys on your website provides an enjoyable way for customers to leave their feedback.

WordPress plugins for surveys

1. WPForms: WPForms is a versatile WordPress plugin that enables you to create not just contact forms but also detailed surveys and polls. Its drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to craft custom surveys, and its survey addon offers powerful features like survey reports, interactive graphs, and real-time insights. You can embed these forms anywhere on your website, from blog posts to dedicated feedback pages.
2. Formidable Forms: Another powerful WordPress plugin, Formidable Forms, offers advanced capabilities for creating surveys. With its extensive customization options and ability to create complex forms, it’s ideal for gathering detailed feedback. The plugin also supports conditional logic, allowing you to tailor the survey experience based on previous answers.

We’ve picked our restaurant survey questions and created our survey using online tools. Next, we’ll take a look at how to deliver it to customers.

Encouraging feedback during the online ordering process

Integrating feedback collection directly into your online ordering process is an efficient way to engage with your customers and gather valuable insights.

Utilizing a WordPress plugin like Orderable can significantly enhance this process by seamlessly incorporating feedback mechanisms that engage customers right at the point of purchase and beyond.

Here’s a more detailed look at how to leverage Orderable for gathering customer feedback during the online ordering experience:

Automating post-purchase feedback requests with Orderable

One of the most effective strategies with Orderable is setting up automated post-purchase messages.

After a customer completes an online order, you can trigger an automatic email or notification thanking them for their purchase and inviting them to share their experience.

This immediate follow-up feels natural to the customer and can lead to a higher response rate because the experience is fresh in their mind.

Implementing the strategy:

• Customize your message: Craft a message that feels personal and appreciative of the customer’s business. A simple “Thank you for choosing us! We’d love to hear about your ordering experience.” can make a big difference.
• Link directly to the survey: Ensure the feedback request contains a direct link to your survey. The easier it is for the customer to access the survey, the more likely they are to complete it. Using Orderable, you can embed this link within the thank you message or email.
• Keep the survey short and sweet: Respect your customers’ time by designing a survey that’s quick and easy to complete. A few carefully chosen questions that cover the essentials of the ordering experience, food quality, and overall satisfaction are all you need.

Collecting feedback in-house with a personal touch

When it comes to in-house feedback, it’s all about the approach.

Consider using tablets with your survey loaded and ready to go- hand them over as customers finish their meals. This method makes leaving feedback feel like a natural part of the dining experience.

Printing QR codes on receipts is another low-effort, high-reward strategy. It’s a gentle nudge for customers to voice their thoughts once they’re home and settled, likely when they’re reflecting on their experience.

And never underestimate the power of a personal request from your staff. A simple, “We’d love your feedback on how we did today,” can make customers feel valued and more willing to share their insights. It shows you’re committed to improving every aspect of your restaurant, from the first welcome to the final thank you.

Get to grips with restaurant survey questions to ask today

So there we have it, some of the best restaurant survey questions to use for your restaurant questionnaire next time you create one.

These questions will help you make improvements and gather insight to improve the customer experience for visitors to your restaurant.

Ask these survey questions to in-house patrons and add these to your restaurant website and improve your online experience with Orderable.