subject: Restaurants - What Customers Are Looking For [print this page] Everyone is different when it comes to their favorite restaurants, of course, but there are usually some common factors in making those choices. You won't find many people, for instance, that prefer a certain eatery because of the terrible service they receive when they go there. You may enjoy a place in spite of their service, but usually not because of it. Because most people find similar things to like about going out to eat, it makes finding relevant reviews fairly easy in the age of the internet. Here are some of the basic things people are looking for.
Prices
While people who only eat out every once in a while for special occasions may not be looking for a bargain when they do, frequent diners will usually want a decent deal on their food. Certainly, customers expect the food to be commensurate with the pricing. This goes for the service and the atmosphere as well. It is part of the reason why you'll often hear people complain loudly about the cost of popcorn at the movie theater, but not about the prices of expensive French restaurants. As long as customers feel as though they are getting their money's worth, it makes the bill a bit easier to swallow.
Convenience
This is especially important to young diners and those with families. The age of restaurants that allowed and encouraged diners to spend two hours savoring their meal and their company isn't dead, but it's certainly the exception to the rule. Today, convenience and quickness rule over luxury and inaccessibility. People want to get in and out, a phenomenon that gave rise to a nation of fast food. Even the chain establishments that don't quite qualify as fast food are as concerned with giving people low prices and quick service as much as great meals.
Quality
Of course, it would be foolish to ignore the quality of the food itself and the impact it makes on people who review restaurants. Again, this is a factor of the pricing and customer expectations. No one goes into McDonald's expecting a burger they will remember forever. At the same time, however, there are quality standards even at a place not necessarily known for having transformative food. Even people who don't expect a five star meal will be hugely dissatisfied if the food is inedible, burnt, or otherwise poorly prepared. Restaurants of all types owe it to their customers to provide them with food as advertised, or at least up to the standards the customer expects upon walking in. If they don't, a bad review will often follow.
