Restaurant: 8 mistakes that ruin the customer experience, without you even knowing it
May 23, 2025
The customer experience in the restaurant business isn't just a question of what's on the plate. Sometimes it's the more discreet details that make the difference (or scare people away).
Poorly thought-out menu, unclear interface, badly managed waiting, poorly targeted promotions... some mistakes can ruin the customer experience without you even realizing it. And they have a direct impact on satisfaction, loyalty... and your sales.
This article reviews 8 common restaurant mistakes that damage the customer experience without making a sound.
The aim: to help you spot and correct them, and simplify your teams' day-to-day work at the same time.
01. A poorly structured or hierarchical menu
Too many choices, no logical order, unclear headings or hidden options: this is the kind of detail that slows down orders and leads to lost sales.
A customer who struggles to understand what he can order, in what order, with what options, is a customer who's getting bored.
Worse still, it risks missing out on the most profitable products because they are not promoted.
Take the time to structure your card, whatever the medium (paper menu, order terminals, QR Code menu, point-of-sale advertising).
Starters, main courses, desserts, formulas, children's menus, veggie options... It has to be clear, quick to read and easy to click on in 5 seconds.
And if you want to push a dish bestseller or a combo offer, it might as well be obvious from the outset. The goal is for the menu to work for you, not against you.
02. Do not offer multiple order modes
Not all your customers order the same way.
Some prefer to use the terminalothers order from their table with a QR Codewhile others anticipate and use the Click & Collect to collect their order without delay. If you impose a single mode, you lose sales and create unnecessary irritants.
A customer in a hurry who arrives on the spot and discovers that he has to queue to order, when he could have prepared everything in advance online, may go elsewhere. If you just want a coffee to go, you don't want to wait for a waiter.
The right reflex: offer several points of entry. Kiosk, QR Code, Click & DeliveryIt all depends on your workflow (and your customers). The more choice you give them, the more you simplify their experience.
03. An unintuitive control interface
If the customer has to think to figure out how to order, you've already wasted time... and possibly a sale. An unclear, poorly thought-out or overloaded interface is a route that tires rather than helps.
Visuals that don't load, poorly placed buttons, endless scrolling to find a drink, or a "validate" button hidden at the bottom of the page.
Sounds harmless, but multiplied by dozens of orders a day, it creates annoyance on the customer side and mistakes on the kitchen side.
Your interface should guide, not complicate. It must adapt to mobile use, be fast, legible and logical.
Priority to flagship products, clear menus, clearly visible steps. And above all, no need to reinvent the wheel. A good course is one that works without explanation.
04. Unclear or poorly managed waiting times
Nobody likes to wait without knowing how long it's going to last. And yet, this is what happens in many establishments: the customer orders, and then... nothing. No information, no follow-up, no point of reference.
He starts to get annoyed, asks three times where his order is, thinks you've forgotten it or leaves with a bad impression, even if you're just busy.
Clear display of estimated waiting times, notification when the order is readyor a simple beeper, it changes everything. You avoid unnecessary round trips, reduce the pressure on your team, and above all, you reassure the customer. They know their order is on its way. No need to make him doubt it.
05. The feeling of never being recognized
He comes back every week, often orders the same thing, talks about your restaurant to his friends... and yet, in his eyes, he's still a stranger. There's no sign that he's a regular customer, no personalized benefit, no "welcome" that's a little warmer than usual.
It may seem trivial, but this feeling of anonymity breaks the bond. And when another establishment offers a small loyalty gesture or a targeted message, they're much less reluctant to change address.
With a good loyalty program and a well-built customer baseyou can make the difference Recognize your customer's habits, propose a coherent offer, wish them a birthday, or simply thank them.
It's not a question of gifts. It's all about relationships.
06. Undetected (and never corrected) errors
A forgotten drink, botched cooking, a dish that arrives cold... it happens. But if no one notices, if no feedback is possible, and if nothing is done to compensate, the customer remembers one thing: he was disappointed, and nobody was interested.
Mistakes aren't the real problem. What spoils the experience is the absence of reaction. And that's often where things get stuck: no channel for escalation, no follow-up, no message after the fact.
The solution: you can automate a post-order notification requestWe can even trigger a compensation offer if the customer's experience is poorly rated.
This kind of simple reflex can help you avoid losing regular customers due to chaotic service on a busy day.
07. Unsuitable or poorly targeted promotions
Sending -10 % on a chicken burger to a customer who always orders vegetarian is not only inefficient... it's also annoying.
You miss out on conversion, and give the impression that you don't know your customers.
Blind promotions, sent to everyone at the same time, are tiring. And expensive. A good promotion means an offer sent at the right timeto the right person, for the right products.
With a Connected CRM to your control tools, you can easily segment your customers We're always looking for new customers: those who haven't been here for a while, those who often order takeaway, those who come with their families on Sundays... And your promotions have a real impact. Because they're just right.
08. Loyalty that doesn't reward fast enough
If a customer has to wait until his 15th order to get a mini-benefit, chances are he'll pick up before then.
Offer visible benefits quickly A bonus after a few orders, a drink at the right time, a birthday present, a surprise on the 3rd visit...
Even better: mix loyalty and sponsorship to create word-of-mouth.
You show that every order counts, even the small ones. And that's what makes you want to come back.
Shall we take stock together?
It's rarely the big misses that drive your customers away. These are the little grains of sand, repeated and underestimated. The good news is that all this can be quickly corrected with the right tools.
Want to take stock of your customer journey? Contact us today.
