Fast-food diners want a better experience overall, says Consumer Reports, who found that only 60 per cent of customers were satisfied.

This underwhelming statistic held true whether the method of service was cafeteria-style, by delivery, drive-through or a typical over the counter transaction.

What happens when customers are not satisfied with their fast-food dining experience? What could go wrong? How can you help protect your business against negative word of mouth?

Yelp, an influential restaurant review site, is just the type of platform where customers, whether they had good or bad dining experiences, go to voice their opinions.

Here’s what I found some ‘valued’ customers had to say about one Vancouver-based Mexican fast-food restaurant:

“It took almost an hour to wait for 5 people in front of me to ORDER (not to get their food, just to order!!). 2 people in front of me left for Wendy’s…” – Jhuri L.

“… [They] got every order wrong for the 4 people in front of me while I watched and waited my turn and then mine. The owners had better get a handle on it, it’s my last visit.” – Lee N.

“This place is FILTHY. I understand they were facing a dinner rush, but there were bits of food all over the floor… and food bits strewn all over the food prep area. It also looked like the glass separating the food from the customers hadn’t been given a good wipe down in a couple days.” – Pete S.

Comments like these can erode the hard work that goes into running a restaurant, and drag it’s reputation through the mud.

Therefore, it behooves restaurant owners to prevent such negative customer reviews by holding their employees to an expected level of service and cleanliness.

A professional business evaluator can be a benefit to an employer wanting to ensure their customers are taken care of and interested in protecting and enhancing the reputation of their business.

The criteria a business evaluator may use to evaluate a fast-food establishment include:

–       Timing of order taking and food preparation

–       Appropriate greetings

–       Cleanliness and presentation of establishment

–       Personal appearance of employees

–       Helpfulness regarding menu choice

–       Compliance with service expectations

–       Friendliness of staff

When researching various evaluators, look for experienced investigators with surveillance capabilities that accurately measure employee compliance to service and appearance standards.

Photo Source: Flickr