Yelp: Great Customer Service Always Beats Great Taste

When it’s time to eat and home cooking just won’t do, how do you pick a restaurant? Perhaps you’re looking for great tasting, mind-blowing cuisine. Or maybe you’re in the mood for something on the cheap. But how often do you say to yourself, “I’m looking for a restaurant that has great customer service?” Probably not often. 

That’s why the results of our recent data analysis of customer reviews were so surprising. We found that when it came to 5-star reviews, “customer service” far outpaced cost and taste. In fact, for every 5-star review that mentions “great taste,” there are 13 that mention “good customer service.”

And this makes sense when you think about it. You could make the filet mignon that’s out of this world, but if guests are feeling neglected before the food arrives, they won’t be in the right state of mind to enjoy much of anything. 

Customer Service Can Make or Break a Review The data also suggests that customer service cuts both ways…