Fast casual segment lagging behind

Confidence in hospitality remains strong with a consistent 95% feeling confident enough to return, but the growing customer base are still looking for improvements, according to this week’s Customer Sentiment Tracker from Feed it Back and KAM Media.

According to 7,395 customers who visited a hospitality venue in last week, 70% would definitely recommend the venue (scoring 9 or 10 to the NPS question) to friends or family and the industry net promoter score is creeping up week by week (59).

“50+ is generally considered an excellent net promoter score and at an average level the industry is scoring higher than pre-lockdown levels with some operators scoring 86 and 90” comments Katy Moses, MD at KAM Media. “NPS is a measurement of whether a customer would recommend you – which must be scored between 0 and 10 – and is a solid indication of a happy customer. These scores really are cause for the industry to celebrate”.

Despite a high score overall, some segments are doing better than others in their customers’ eyes with net promoter scores varying wildly. The ‘fast casual’ segment in particular has seen a considerable drop in NPS since lockdown (64 to 23 this week.) This segment includes venues which provide a takeaway, grab and go, or quick service dining experience.

Satisfaction ratings for ‘fast casual’ operators have also fallen with cleanliness ratings dropping from 4.6 out of 5 pre-lockdown to 4.0 this week. Value for money has fallen from 4.4 to 3.6.

The data captured from venues within this sector suggests that service expectations are not being met. The number one complaint relating to service in ‘fast casual’ alluded to not being satisfied with the ‘speed of service’ (22%). Food accuracy came a close second (18%.)

“Our feedback shows that the ‘fast casual’ segment is struggling to keep up with regards to customer satisfaction – it’s seen the biggest fall in NPS and also satisfaction ratings.” comments Carlo Platia, CEO at Feed It Back. “Obviously these scores will differ by operator but this should be a call to action for venues which sit within this segment. It’s only by listening carefully to customers’ feedback and concerns, on a regular basis, that the industry will be able to continue to grow” comments Platia.

Operators can trial the Feed It Back system for free right now and see how they compare with their industry peers. To receive the tracker directly to your inbox, please email allears@feeditback.com.

KAM Media

KAM Media is a boutique research consultancy, specialising in hospitality and retail. Our research and insights tools, and services, are designed to give our clients the critical knowledge needed to understand why, where, when and how to create an impactful and engaging customer experience, at every stage of the journey.

For more information contact:

Katie Jenkins – KAM Media – katie@kam-media.co.uk

Feed It Back

Feed It Back is a company that tracks the word on the street about operators, through immediate feedback on experiences and online review platforms, such as Facebook and TripAdvisor. It aggregates all feedback into one easy to use platform that allows operators to efficiently deal with feedback they otherwise wouldn’t have heard, reward employees for excellent service and turn negative experiences into positives.

It currently boasts a range of clients including: Loungers, Boston Tea Party, Tenpin, Brains, and Paul UK, to name a few.

For further information, contact allears@feeditback.com