Independent Operators

How to handle food truck customer complaints

Customer complaints are part of every foodservice operation and how food truck operators handle them is critical given the immediate impact of social media and the quest to build a loyal food truck following.

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October 25, 2021 by Richard Traylor — Writer, WebstaurantStore

Customer complaints are a fact of life in the food truck industry.

No matter how much effort you put into ensuring guest satisfaction, you can't please everyone one 100% of the time. When something goes wrong, it's how you choose to handle customer complaints that matters the most. But what some food truck operators don't realize is that customer complaints can be invaluable to success.

Why do customers complain?

In foodservice, customers complain when expectations haven't been met. They anticipate a level of service from your food truck, and if the experience you deliver isn't on par with their expectations, a gap is created. Customer complaints help you close the gap and make sure the experience you promise matches the service you provide.

Benefits of customer complaints

You can take your business to the next level if you view complaints from customers as something valuable instead of detrimental. These are the benefits to customer complaints in your restaurant:

Improves your menu and service: Complaints provide you with valuable feedback about your restaurant and reveal opportunities for improvement. For example, if you receive multiple complaints that a dish is too spicy, you should improve your menu descriptions and talk to your servers about communication.

Creates a better guest experience: The number of customers who voice their complaints is very small compared to the number of unhappy guests who just leave and never come back. When you resolve one customer complaint, you improve the guest satisfaction for a larger group of customers than you realize.

Reveals guest expectations: Guest complaints and criticism help you understand what your customer base is looking for. This info can be used to shape new menus, create new services, and enhance your marketing approach.

How to deal with customer complaints

Any time you can handle a complaint in real time, consider it an opportunity instead of a failure. If a customer walks away and hasn't addressed their complaint with anyone in person, they are more likely to vent their frustrations in a review or to their friends. That's exactly what you don't want to happen. Handling customer complaints face-to-face gives you a chance to make it right.

Unhappy customers can range from slightly irritated to extremely angry. It's difficult for many people to face an irate guest and stay professional in the heat of the moment. That's why it helps to create a step-by-step response that anyone on your staff can follow. Here is a five-step complaint handling procedure:

Stay calm - When dealing with a complaint, keep your voice level and calm. Don't let your tone rise, or you may appear defensive or confrontational. Take a deep breath, make eye contact with the customer, and keep an open mind.
Listen - Listen carefully to the guest. In order to fix the problem, you must understand what happened. It could be multiple mishaps during service, and it could be one big mistake. Either way, give the customer your full attention.
Sympathize - This step can be tricky, especially if you're in the middle of a busy rush and a complaint catches you by surprise. Put yourself in the guest's shoes and sympathize with their situation, even if the issue seems minor. Use sympathetic facial expressions and body language. Don't impatiently tap your foot or look over your shoulder.
Apologize - This step seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how important it can be. Don't pass the blame or make excuses, even if the customer's complaint isn't directly your fault. Always accept responsibility on behalf of the food truck and apologize sincerely for the oversight.
Resolve - Every complaint will require a different resolution. This is where superior customer service skills and emotional intelligence come into play. The perfect solution could just be an apology, or it could require comping (paying) the bill for the entire table.

Customer service can slide if you're dealing with a staffing shortage. Unfortunately, one slip-up from an employee can hurt your food truck's reputation, especially if the customer takes their complaints to social media. Some examples of poor customer service are slow service and having a bad attitude.

In a perfect world, every customer doesn't wait long for their meal. But we know that in the middle of a busy shift, one little thing can cause a domino effect and slow down the steps of service. It could be running out of ice for drinks, no more clean dinnerware to plate orders, or too many orders at one time.

If the kitchen is backed up, it potentially affects the whole dining room. Be ready to do community with guests who are waiting. Offer complimentary drinks, snacks, or sides to hold customers over until their meal is ready.

Preventing customer complaints

Preventing customer complaints at a food truck is the first line of defense. There are specific actions you can take to avoid making mistakes. If you focus on prevention, you can put a stop to customer complaints before they happen.

Customer wait times

No one likes to wait, especially hungry customers. Give a realistic wait time. If you tell a customer the wait is fifteen minutes, and they end up waiting twice as long, they are bound to be unhappy. Give an honest estimate, even if it sounds too long.

Keep track of wait times. During a busy rush, time moves differently for employees than it does for guests. To hungry customers, ten minutes may seem like 30 minutes. To you, it goes by in a flash. If you record the time each guest arrives, you'll know exactly how long they've waited.

Keep guests informed. Customers notice who is being seated in the dining room and in what order. Sometimes they don't understand that a party of two gets seated faster than a party of six. If there is a reason that one party is waiting longer than other groups, keep them informed of the situation.

Menu descriptions

When dishes aren't described accurately on your menu, it can lead to an unsatisfied customer. You can meet and exceed guest expectations by using these menu tips:

List out all the main ingredients. You can't list out every single ingredient in a dish, but you should include the main components. Gravies, sauces, and toppings should be clearly identified and all included side dishes listed. If the dish comes with fries and the customer doesn't know, they might be upset if they order an extra side. Also make sure to call out ingredients that inspire a love-hate response, like onions!

Menu labeling. Today, it's very important to use a menu labeling system to help guests identify items that are kosher, gluten-free, or vegan. Calling out spicy dishes is very helpful too.

Keep hot food hot. Getting hot food out of the kitchen and and into customer hands as fast as possible is critical.

Complaints from customers are inevitable, but if you manage them the right way and prevent as many as possible, you can turn an unhappy guest into an ambassador for your food truck. You can also gain important feedback about your menu and the level of customer service your staff provides.

About Richard Traylor

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Richard Traylor graduated from Temple University in the winter of 2014 with a degree in Strategic Communications. After graduating, he taught English in South Korea for two years, during which he was fortunate enough to travel and see the world. In October 2016, he returned home and started to work in SEO Content at Webstaurant Store. This blog previously ran on Webstaurant Store.

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