According to social media review site WOMOW, visitors have surprised the owners with their comments on what makes an in-demand restaurant or dining experience.
The sites director Fiona Adler said that since the site collected consumer feedback, it gave business owners some clear insight into what’s working and what’s not in a particular industry.
“We thought we knew what customers were looking for when choosing a restaurant or café, but we’ve been surprised by some of the review comments posted on the site.
“The site is a treasure chest of valuable information on customers’ ‘loves’ and ‘hates’ because it offers them a chance to provide no-holds-barred feedback on a service.”
Ms Adler said she and her partners hoped that by sharing information on the dos and don’ts of keeping customers happy, they’ll “tout” the good, “out” the bad and help “dodgy businesses lift their game”.
“This information is invaluable to all restaurant and café owners, so we’ve collated some feedback you probably wouldn’t expect,” Ms Adler said.

Tips from customers:

1. Remember who’s paying the bill: Listen to what I want and don’t override it with what you think is best for me. While you may think the dish should be served in a certain way, you’re not the one eating it.
2. I want it now! I refuse to wait longer than 20 minutes for a meal. If I’m expected to wait longer, I’ll walk out, regardless of how good the food is supposed to be.

3. I like noise! I hate having to talk in hushed tones to my children when we go out to a restaurant.
Kids make noise and, as a parent, I don’t want to be worrying that my kids are too noisy.

4. I don’t want to be friends. When I go to a restaurant or café, I want to enjoy a conversation with the company I’m with, not the waiting staff.

5. Mum’s the word. If I’m unhappy with the food or service, I’ll rarely say anything for fear that you’ll do something to my food.

6. Don’t rush me. I hate it when waiters hover around waiting to whisk my plate away and replace it with the bill.

7. Cleanliness is next to godliness. If the bathroom or kitchen aren’t clean and well maintained, I’m outta there.

8. Practise good hygiene. Please use deodorant. If you have body odour, it turns me off my food.

9. Don’t overcharge! If you charge me too much I think you’re deliberately trying to rip me off.
For proof that the tips work you need only look as far as Sampe’s Pizza owner Renato Izzaolino, who said that the ratings the business got on WOMOW helped his business to improve.
“Great pizzas and excellent customer service – it’s our constant goal!
“At one point we had two or three ratings that weren’t all-together positive. It can get you down when that happens.
“But the only way of fixing things is to find out where we’re going wrong and unfortunately most customers won’t tell you face-to-face, but they’ll write about it online.
It’s definitely helped keep our focus on customer service,” Mr Izzaolino said.
“With people now taking word-of-mouth recommendations so seriously these days, we want customers to know when they’re entering a ‘dodgy–free’ service zone,” Ms Adler said.
The website enables customers to share their recommendations with each other. It uses word-of-mouth recommendations to help people find the best businesses and avoid the worst.
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