How Do You React When Customers Say They See No Value?

If you're lucky, the customers and guests of your dining, catering and conference services will tell you candidly what they like and don't like; what they'd like to see on the menu; whether your hours of service are convenient; whether your staff is courteous and efficient, and much else.

It's something to encourage, because it's your best tool for ensuring your operation is satisfying employees or students and learning what you need to do to ensure your service is of greater value to them than their other alternatives.

Here are some comments from among 214 in a customer satisfaction survey we're currently running for a corporate client.

"Prices are too high. Too few choice [sic]."

"I am quite dissatisfied with the food quality, variety [and] vegetarian options. The price is quite high for what we receive."

"Clear deterioration in the price/value ratio."

"Staff are nice and very efficient. Managers are useless."

There were more than 100 comments along these lines (as well as some saying the opposite about food quality). Clearly, the dining service has a problem with its customers' perception of value.

How would you respond to this type of complaint? Send us your suggestions at info@clariongp.com and we'll publish them here and in the Spring issue of Dining Insights.