6 Friction Points That Drive Restaurant Guests to Your Competitors

Some restaurants lose guests before they even walk through the door. Others lose them before the first bite. The worst part? It’s not always because of the food.

A clunky ordering process, bad ambiance, or outdated info online can be enough to send guests looking elsewhere. The best restaurants remove friction at every step, making it easy for guests to choose them over the competition. Here’s where too many operators go wrong.

1. Your Online Info is Inaccurate

When a guest looks up your restaurant and sees the wrong hours, an outdated menu, or conflicting information about reservations, they don’t call to confirm. They pick another spot. If a guest shows up expecting dinner service and finds a closed restaurant, they won’t give you another shot.

Fix it: Google your own restaurant and check what comes up. Update your Google Business Profile, Yelp listing, website, and social media every time your hours, menu, or policies change. Use a reputation management tool to monitor and correct inaccuracies across platforms.

2. Your Phone is an Afterthought

Calls are still a major booking channel, especially for private dining and large parties. If guests are met with endless hold times, missed calls, or a staff member who doesn’t know basic information, they won’t wait around for clarity.

Fix it: Secret-shop your own phone line. Call at different times and see how long it takes to get an answer. Are staff confident? Do they know how to handle common questions? If phone calls are a pain point, it’s time to train better, or automate.

Get a free 2-week phone audit and see exactly what’s happening when guests call. No guesswork, no extra work for your staff—just real insights that could be saving (or losing) you revenue. Claim your free audit now.

3. Your Ordering Process is Frustrating

Hungry guests don’t have patience for long hold times, slow online ordering, or staff who fumble through the process. If it takes too many steps to place an order, they’ll bail before completing it.

Fix it: Test your own ordering process. Place a takeout order online and by phone. See where the delays or confusion happen, then streamline. To help your staff keep up, kiosks or self-service ordering can cut wait times and keep revenue flowing.

4. Your Service Feels Chaotic

A guest walks in and sees a crowded host stand, stressed-out staff, and a waitlist process that makes no sense. They turn around and leave.

Fix it: Walk through a dinner rush from the guest’s perspective. Is the flow of service smooth, or does it feel like a scramble? Invest in training, fine-tune your reservation and waitlist system, and make sure every staff member knows how to handle peak hours efficiently.

5. Your Ambiance is Pushing Guests Away

Food alone isn’t enough. The wrong lighting, cramped seating, unbussed or dirty tables, excessive noise, or a generic, unwelcoming vibe can ruin the entire experience.

Fix it: Take a fresh look at your space. Is the lighting too harsh? Is the music too loud or inconsistent? Are tables jammed together? Guests should feel comfortable and want to stay. Small tweaks like warmer lighting, better seating layouts, or softer acoustics can make a huge difference.

6. Your Pricing and Value Feel Off

Rising costs are real, but guests still expect their money’s worth. If portion sizes shrink, quality dips, or prices jump too high without justification, they’ll take their business elsewhere.

Fix it: If you need to raise prices, communicate the value. Use high-quality ingredients, highlight sourcing, and focus on hospitality. If guests feel like they’re paying more but getting less, they won’t return.

The Fix: Remove Friction Before It Costs You

Guests don’t have time to deal with uncertainty. The restaurants that win are the ones that make everything from finding info, to placing orders or making reservations effortless.

Take action today:

• Google your restaurant and fix any incorrect info.
• Test your ordering process like a guest.
• Walk through your restaurant and note any service bottlenecks.
• Audit your restaurant’s phone line
• Adjust your ambiance to match the experience you want to create.

A little fine-tuning goes a long way. Fix these friction points, and guests will keep coming back.

Want to know exactly what guests experience when they call your restaurant? Find out with a free 2-week phone audit. Real data, real insights, and zero guesswork. Get yours today.