Amazon sends them. So does your dentist. Probably your yoga studio. Your bank definitely does. And they are on Every. Single. Restaurant Check. “Tell us how we did!” Surveys are great…but they have big limitations. And using them inefficiently can set you back more than you think.
The Survey Problem
The survey requests on your receipts?
They’re probably costing you money while providing minimal useful feedback… or worse: bias feedback.
Survey fatigue is real.
We’ve spent decades analyzing restaurant data.
Although surveys used to be the standard, it is becoming increasingly clear that they often result in biased data.
Surveys are designed to focus on what you care about as a business.
Meanwhile, what actually matters to your customers is flying under your radar and it’s costing you big time.
The Cost
Let’s break down the real costs of traditional surveys:
- Receipt printing costs
- Survey platform fees
- Staff time managing programs
- Annoying your customers
- Incentive programs to get responses and encourage employees to ask
- Total? You’re looking at $20,000-50,000 per year for feedback from less than 2% of your customers that is likely not accurate in the first place. A big chain: Add a few zeros
Why Google Reviews are the clear winner
Here’s why Google Reviews are simply better:
1. People Actually Use Them
- There are 5.9 million Google searches per minute
- 87% of customers engage with businesses that have a 3-4 star rating on Google
- Reviews happen naturally as part of the customer journey
2. The Feedback is More Authentic
When someone writes a Google review, they’re not following a script or answering predetermined questions. They’re telling you what actually mattered. That amazing server who remembered their allergy concerns. The hostess who went above and beyond to accommodate their large group. These natural insights are gold for improving operations.
3. They Impact Your Bottom Line
Google Reviews directly influence your local search ranking. Better ratings and more reviews mean more visibility, which means more customers. It’s that simple. Better reviews = More Revenue
Average Star Rating vs. Average Weekly Sales
“But how do we make sense of all these reviews?”. This is where AI comes in and makes surveys a relic. Tools like Black Box Intelligence can now:
- Analyze sentiment patterns across all of your reviews.
- Alert you to emerging issues & trends
- Track your performance against competitors
- Identify specific operational improvements
- Show the impact on sales and traffic
Real Results from Real Restaurants
ASR is a real driver to success for restaurants. Moreover we don’t just see it backed by data, but also we hear the impact from major players in the industry.
We recently spoke to Marketing leaders at Keke’s Breakfast Cafe and Velvet Taco.
“Average Star Rating is actually a leading indicator to where sales are going,” said Brooke Perry, VP of Marketing at Velvet Taco.
Their restaurants were able to get more granular with their data, get a top down view, and monitor their overall brand health.
Meanwhile, Jenna Law, Marketing Director at Keke’s Breakfast Cafe, highlighted how reviews helped drive operational changes:
“It really starts first with guests’ experience that you give in the four walls. So, anytime we can close the feedback loop and make sure that we’re actually effectively communicating the trends that we are seeing- or any patterns that we’re seeing- and that that is translating into actions taken and coaching where needed…”
The Bottom Line
Why spend time and resources on inaccurate feedback from a fraction of your customers?
Invest that money in tools that help you understand and engage with the group providing you feedback on Google.
It’s time to stop relying so heavily on surveys and start leveraging the power of Google Reviews.
Your customers are already there – join them.