It's always a big deal, for example, when a popular chain changes its menu. Monthly planning, perfecting and testing often precede. But not always the same positive feedback can be expected.
Despite all the preparations for new offer you can not always predict the reaction of the guests. Dissatisfaction of guests can quickly spread over the various social media channels.
Social Test Kitchen Tips
That's exactly why we've outlined three ways to tackle calmer changes
1. Determine what customers want
Large restaurant chains invest a lot of money in research and development, but what if there was an easy way to find out what customers wanted?
In the US, some companies are already set to question their followers in advance. So a chain turned to their social media followers when the company wanted to introduce a new option for green tea. In the conversations, e.g. Asked questions like, "Who talks about green tea?" and "what is your opinion on green tea?". The managers of the catering group quickly learned that their followers always spoke of different flavors of green tea. The company knew that, to be successful, it had to be driven by a niche taste. They chose a green mango tea. Thanks to social media, the election was a hit and still a popular menu option.
2. Monitor customer responses and adjust them as needed
Today, social media for a restaurant is what a stethoscope means to a doctor. The social media shows very quickly what and where is currently announced or maybe critically questioned. When a social media team from another US supply chain noticed a growing number of complaints about a new "carnitas prescription", it immediately began to look for solutions to counteract (and correspondingly minimize) the negative mood. An active social media analysis has revealed the cause of the problem; At that time, many people pointed to a cinnamon taste that, in their opinion, did not belong in the "carnitas". So the team soon discovered that the individual restaurants needed more training and education to properly cook and spice up the pork.
3. Measure and evaluate the success
Thanks to this social media analysis, "Carnitas Burritos" tasted better nationally and above all the same. After following the conversations in the social media, one experienced a quick change of mood. The amount of conversation about the "bad" pork shrank quickly by almost 75 percent. Posts mentioning the new recipe were much more positive and commented. Even posts that expressed aversion and hatred were replaced by comments like "I love the new pork".
Changes in the catering industry are necessary to address the different guest demands and also to be fair. While social media can sometimes be seen as a hotbed of negative sentiment, it is precisely these that offer insights that can help improve business. They are an invaluable resource. Social media is the best source for public opinion and thus your perfect test kitchen.