Chips are so important to customers when eating out in a restaurant that three in ten diners will actually vote with their feet and leave if the kitchen runs out of chips. So discovered The Dining Out Happiness Index, a survey of 1,000 people who have eaten out in the past six months, conducted by The Happiness Index in partnership with chip experts McCain.
What’s more, the higher the quality of chips a customer receives directly correlates to a higher star rating that they will give a pub, bar or restaurant. The chip may be a humble staple of many a pub and restaurant dish, but it’s also a vital one.
It’s, of course, no surprise that food quality is the deciding factor when it comes to diner satisfaction and a resulting online review. In fact, according to the Dining Out Happiness Index, food is the most important ingredient of an enjoyable meal out, with 34% of respondents saying it makes the largest contribution in generating happiness and influencing leaving a positive online review. In second place comes service, with 27% of people citing this as the most important part of a meal, then value (21%) and finally the dining environment itself (18%).
Quality is king
Taking these four pillars of food, service, value and environment, McCain have taken a closer look at what really ticks customers’ boxes. When it comes to food, quality is king, with 34% saying good quality is the most essential part of a food offer, followed by a good food range, including sides, (23%), portion sizes (19%) and the ability to personalise their meal (13%). Chips are so important, that 10% of respondents say the quality of chips have a direct influence on how happy they are with the overall food offer – and a happy customer often leads to that all important glowing online review being posted.
Digging deeper into the numbers, the research finds that 47% of diners experience ‘decision-making paralysis’ when it comes to ordering off menu and are finding it more difficult, or tiresome, to make decisions in their leisure time. A short but varied menu that’s well signposted can ease this ordering tension. Sides are a great way to add choice without complexity, while at the same time allowing an element of personalisation.
Peri good idea, that: McCain's loaded peri peri fries
Service with a smile
We all know service can make or break a restaurant experience; good service can compensate for less than acceptable food while poor service can leave a bad taste in a diner’s mouth. But what does good service look – and more importantly – feel like? Speed and efficiency is key, with 42% of people saying this is a main driver for whether they consider service to be up to scratch. Given that people now expect the average dining experience to take just 20 minutes, it’s not hard to see why the efficiency of wait staff is regarded so highly. Yet, speed alone isn’t enough; brusque staff are a no-no, with friendliness and attentiveness also rated highly, at 32% and 26% respectively.
The detail is in the decor
A clean restaurant is a happy one, with 27% of people citing cleanliness as the most important part of the restaurant environment. While that might not come as a surprise, the stats also show the importance of decor for diners, with 22% of people placing this at the top of the list. In today’s Instagram-friendly world, having an unique or striking decor can be a deciding factor in where people choose to eat – and show their friends where they are eating. To allow customers to take that killer photo it’s essential to get the lighting right: 21% of people say this is the most important part of the dining environment experience.
Value for money equals a good review
When asked to consider what makes value for money, price is the overarching factor, with 76% of people placing it top. But that doesn’t mean the cheaper the meal the happier the customer and the better the review. Some 65% of diners will pay more if they are reassured by a venue’s excellent online reputation. Guests are happy to pay for quality and keen to avoid places that are said to not deliver it, with 85% of people not even considering a venue if it has less than a three-star rating. Happy customers equal positive reviews, so ensure you’re offering value for money.
Don’t forget the chips
Where does the humble chip feature in all this? Chips are often one of the first food encounters a diner has with a restaurant or pub and first impressions really do matter – 53% of customers will leave a bad review if their chips do not live up to their expectations. So what’s the perfect chip model? Taste generates the most happiness, followed by crispiness and fluffiness. Get these things right – as well as the heat – and you’re 80% on the way to chip perfection. But be warned, get them wrong and 40% of diners will leave a poor review after a bad chip experience. And don’t forget, there’s more than one way to chip a potato, from triple cooked, skinny skin-on and lattice to chunky, medium cut and topped, the more creative you are, the more reasons your customers will have to be cheerful.
Discover the secrets to brilliant online reviews
McCain has teamed up with global research agency The Happiness Index, whose scientists use real-time data, neuroscience and AI machine learning to measure happiness on behalf of some of the world’s leading brands. The brief was to uncover what really makes diners happy when eating out and to better understand how that leads to positive reviews. McCain unearthed how elements of the dining experience impact on reviews and explored the relationship between British diners and the humble, but oh so important, chip! Download the full report here.