Consumers have a worse eating out experience when using discount vouchers

The survey, for Deloitte and BDRC Continental’s Taste of the Nation report, found that 26% of consumers rated the value for money of their meal as excellent when they had paid full price, compared with just 19% when using a voucher.
 
The survey found a similar pattern across all of the factors considered important to consumers about their dining experience. One in three (32%) said customer service was excellent when paying standard price, compared with 22% when using vouchers.

Similarly, 30% rated the quality of food as top notch, versus just 22% of those using a voucher - quality of food is ranked the number one priority for consumers when eating out. And 22% rated the range of food as excellent when paying full price, compared with 17% when using a voucher.

Customers are much more likely to recommend a venue after a standard price dining occasion than one where a voucher is used (34% vs 22%). The report says that this further reinforces the view that vouchers are not always delivering on consumers’ expectations.

Jon Lake, a corporate finance director in the licensed retail group at Deloitte, said: “Although you would expect a stronger range when paying full price, consumers expect the quality of food to be the same whether they use a voucher or not. When they do use a voucher, consumers expect it to represent better value for money, a not unreasonable expectation.

“Our survey highlights a significant disconnect between consumer expectation and their actual experience. It suggests vouchers are failing to deliver if consumers’ experiences when they are using them are perceived as worse value for money than non-voucher occasions.”

Lake added: “When we conducted a similar survey a year ago, we found the majority (59%) of consumers have used a special offer voucher when eating out.

At the time we questioned the over reliance of some outlets on vouchers.
“With vouchers an established feature of the eating out market, operators need to make sure that voucher occasions are competitive on more than just price if they are hoping to use them to attract more loyal customers. A voucher can be a powerful tool w