Did you know that it costs three times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing customer happy?  Customer satisfaction survey cards can help you keep your existing food truck customers.

Very rarely do food truck customers speak with their mouths, they speak with their feet. When they’re unhappy, they simply don’t come back. Why? Could be bad service, price increases or a change in portion size. Most food truck vendors will never know.

Use A Customer Satisfaction Survey To Build Loyal Fans

Don’t spend big bucks on mass mailers, newspaper ads, and weeknight specials to attract new customers. Focus on keeping the customers who already know and love you. And if something does go wrong, set up systems to intercept unhappy guests before they walk away from your truck.

A well-executed customer satisfaction survey card system gives you the vital information you need, shows that you care about your customers, and offers a simple, hassle-free way to give feedback—good or bad.

Be creative. Design a customer satisfaction survey card that people will want to complete. Include a section for rating food, service and setting. Another section should include a space for short answer, open-ended questions. The last section should ask for customer information. Here’s where you can start building a valuable data base.

Sample Customer Satisfaction Survey:

Please rate the following areas on a scale of:

1 – Unacceptable
2 – Needs improvement
3 – Fair
4 – Good
5 – Excellent

Your server:
Friendly
Knowledgeable
Prompt

Food:
Portions
Taste
Presentation

Cleanliness:
Truck
Line/Queue area

Menu:
Variety
Description
Prices

Other questions to include:

What did you order today?

How often do you visit the truck?

  • First time
  • 1-4 times a year
  • 1-2 times a month
  • Once a week or more

Would you like to be on our email mailing list?

Please add any other comments that will help us improve your dining experience.

Encourage your customers to fill-in the card completely by giving incentives such as a complimentary dessert on the next visit. Birthday and anniversary “treats” are good incentives too.

RELATED: Marketing Truths ALL Food Truck Owners Should Know

The Bottom Line

You’ll increase frequency of existing customers simply by asking these questions and offering a “thank-you” gift to be redeemed at a future date. And equally important, if something goes wrong, you have the chance to make it right…almost immediately. Don’t let that customer walk away from your food truck for good.

Do you have any other suggestions or tips for the use of customer satisfaction surveys? We’d love to hear from you is you’ve got experience in this area. Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Twitter | Facebook