Why Guest Satisfaction Matters to TacoTime Franchises

Guest Satisfaction on the Decline in Restaurants

Treat the customer well, and everything will fall into place. That’s been a business mantra as long as anyone can remember, but it appears that good advice isn’t being heeded in parts of the fast-casual dining sector. A recent article in QSR Magazine pulled back the curtain on the issue, sitting down with Adam Leff, co-founder of Merchant Centric, which recently released its Restaurant Industry Guest Satisfaction & Opinions report. That study looked at satisfaction trends and identified brands that have been doing well, or not.

There’s a lot to unpack, but a huge takeaway is that people are willing to pay more — a factor with current inflationary price increases — for good service. That creates an ongoing opportunity in the fast-casual sector, Leff says in the article.

“Guests want the experience of high quality and flavorful food served by friendly and attentive staff,” he explained. “While all restaurant segments can address this, and recognize of course that there are other key themes, casual-dining restaurants can specifically benefit from the impact of higher-touch staff engagement. If they can differentiate experience on these two key themes—quality/flavor of food, along with staff demeanor and dedication—they may benefit from higher guest satisfaction for greater comp sales.”

Why the decline?

It’s important to understand that even the best-run business, restaurant or otherwise, has endured a couple of extraordinarily difficult years. For fast-casual restaurants, there were pandemic shutdowns to navigate. Reopening was often done in a limited fashion, with only drive-through or curbside service available.

That has been followed by supply-chain issues, which may have resulted in not all menu items being readily available. Then there have been staffing issues, with many workers finding other employment opportunities in the community. All this was happening as people were eager to resume a normal life, including such things as visiting their favorite eateries and expecting everything to be as it was. It’s all added up to a complicated landscape for the food-service industry overall, and some hits to guest satisfaction, Leff said in his interview.

“Many brands experienced an influx of clients while they were simultaneously experiencing significant new operational protocols and staffing challenges,” he said in the article. “From the guest feedback, we see that complaints about staff demeanor have increased, indicating that understaffing is stretching resources and frustrating staff, while guests become less tolerant of negative behavior.”

How TacoTime™ continues to Satisfy Customers

Now pivot and look at TacoTime’s 60+ year history of guest satisfaction. This is a business built on supporting employees and teaching them in turn to provide an outstanding guest experience to customers. The result, even in highly complex times, is a team behind the counter that’s dedicated to providing great-tasting, affordable food through an engaging, satisfactory guest experience.

“The ‘TacoTime™ experience’ is why this brand has lasted as long as it has in the very competitive Mexican food sector of fast-casual dining,” says Ray Zandi, Vice President of Franchise Development. “From the very beginning, TacoTime’s founders were laser focused on providing great food made from high-quality ingredients in an affordable, fun way. That has been a brand mantra ever since, and it’s why TacoTime continues to deliver value in the communities it serves, and why it’s expanding into new markets and creating a whole new set of loyal customers.”

TacoTime continues to Satisfy Franchise Owners

Now blend that legacy with the wraparound operational support every TacoTime franchise owner gets from franchisor Kahala Brands TM.

“People don’t realize just how much expertise Kahala has in building and operating very well-known brands,” Zandi says. “Kahala understands the unique value proposition of TacoTime relative to other Mexican food brands, and so brings that to the table from the very first day of new-owner training.”

That initial and ongoing support, for instance, carries into the nuts and bolts of daily operation, including things like back-office systems for payroll and inventory. That means a new TacoTime Mexican food franchise owner isn’t trying to buy the right software, but has a system in place from day one that’s tapped into a larger network of support.

“Kahala has built a world-class support system that includes everything from employee training to the computerized systems that help the business run smoothly,” Zandi says. “And because they are always working to improve these systems, franchise owners benefit from enhancements and upgrades without having to do all that work themselves — they can focus on running their business.”

Own a TacoTime Franchise today!

TacoTime is ready for the spotlight. With more locations across the United States and Canada, the popular Mexican food franchise is ready to break out of its home turf in the Pacific Northwest and hit the national stage. TacoTime is looking for entrepreneurs who are passionate about bringing authentic and affordable Mexican food to their communities. TacoTime is led by a veteran franchise team and dedicated brand support team as part of the Kahala Brands™ family.

To learn more about TacoTime, visit our research pages, or fill out our inquiry form here to request more information.