Guest Feedback or Customer Feedback

English translation: customer feedback

15:16 Nov 23, 2006

English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Cooking / Culinary / Restaurant chain

English term or phrase: Guest Feedback or Customer Feedback

I would like only English native speakers to respond to this question.
The German original came as Gast-Feedback. Client is a large restaurant chain that wants to set up a practice of boxes with the English equivalent lettering on said box.

I translated it as "Customer Feedback". To me a guest refers to a hotel, a restaurant-goer is a customer.

The client claims it sounds too "stiff" and wants "Guest Feedback". Should I defend my choice or am I wrong?

TIA,
sylvie

sylvie malich (X) KudoZ activity Questions: 164 (1 open) (5 closed without grading) Answers: 276 Germany
Local time: 07:54

Selected answer:customer feedback

Explanation:
Definitely defend your choice - "guest feedback" is one of those horrible euphemisms which (IMVHO) should be driven out of existence. If they're guests, they shouldn't be paying!

Agree in any case that "guest", if it really must be used, is more applicable to hotel clients. It certainly shouldn't be used for a restaurant.

Selected response from:

Marie-Hélène Hayles
Local time: 07:54

Grading comment

Ultimately I did defend my original choice and presented some arguments presented on this page. The client will have to eat it (sorry writeaway). I particularly liked "diners' comments" and wished I'd thought of that one first. Sorry I can't spread the points around, a ProZ.com drawback.
sylvie

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +8

customer feedback

Marie-Hélène Hayles

4 +6

diners' comments

Tony M

4 +4

customer feedback-defend your choice

writeaway

4 +2

guest feedback

Becky Heaviside (X)

Discussion entries: 5

Answers

5 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +8

guest feedback or customer feedback

customer feedback

Marie-Hélène Hayles
Local time: 07:54
Native speaker of: English

Grading comment

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

guest feedback or customer feedback guest feedback

Explanation:
I agree that historically it is more normal to refer to people staying in a hotel as guests and people dining in a restaurant as customers or diners, but I can also appreciate your client's point of view. By calling them customers you are drawing attention to the financial transaction whereas guest implies someone who is welcomed for themselves. It is more and more common to see the word "guest" used in English to denote somebody eating in a restaurant or visiting a spa etc so I think it is appropriate in this context. Your suggestion does convey basically the same idea though.

Becky Heaviside (X)
Local time: 06:54
Native speaker of:

English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Angela Dickson (X): for what it's worth I think you're right that it is used - I'm prejudiced against it because it's an awful phrase, but it is definitely used....

42 mins

-> Thanks! It is awful though, I agree.

agree

Tony M: Yes, actually I fight against the tendency to call everyone 'customer' (like hospitals: 'care customer' = 'patient'! In any case, we DO talk about 'restaurant guests', no prob!

44 mins

-> Thanks! I definitely agree with the patient comment.

disagree

David Moore (X): I still disagree; on the basis of your first line-and-a-half...

1 hr

-> fair enough! :o)

disagree

Will Matter: Googling, alone, proves nothing (as has been discussed here, time and time and time again). As an educated, multilingual native English speaker I think that "guest feedback" sounds weird. Seriously, don't worry, it's NOT personal.

2 hrs

agree

Roman Bardachev: If the client wishes to call his customers guests, that's his prerogative. What you call who historically is irrelevant. WestJet Airlines in Canada specifically refers to passengers as guests. Good luck proving to them they should use "passenger" instead.

5 hrs

agree

ErichEko ⟹⭐: As Roman says, Sylvie's customer will have the final feedback; that's "guest feedback" ;)

11 hrs

8 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

guest feedback or customer feedback customer feedback-defend your choice

Explanation:
hotels have guests, restaurants have customers. or client-feedback in a crunch. imhno.

writeaway
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

53 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

guest feedback or customer feedback diners' comments

Explanation:
Actually, my biggest beef would be with the word 'feedback' — if your client thinks 'customer' is stuffy, how much MORE stuffy is that dreadful buzzword 'feedback'

I'd like to suggest getting away from it altogether, thus liberating your choice.

Traditionally, in a restaurant, we would say 'guests' or 'diners' — and what's wrong with the good old 'comments box' — before it got turned into a 'feedback receptacle'?

Besides, in a dining situation, 'feedback' almost has a connotation of regurgitation; perhaps they're thoughtfully providing a sick box?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2006-11-23 17:04:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Remember of course that the anglicism (Deutschlish?) 'feedback' probably has more exoticism and 'cachet' about it in DE than it does as a more banal term in EN — without the unfortunate connotation it has in English! Try running THAT point by your client and see what they say! ,,Essenwiedergabe" — I think NOT!

Tony M
France
Local time: 07:54
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 20

Notes to answerer

Asker: YOW! Sick box! More food for thought. oh sorry

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

neutral

David Moore (X): Shame on you - voting a question like this non-pro??

13 mins

-> Well, although it may provoke a good deal of inter-pro debate, I do not believe the term either requires specialist knowledge, or could not be legitimately debated by any bi-lingual person!

agree

Becky Heaviside (X): I do actually like the idea of even just "comments". It does avoid the question of buzz words!

26 mins

-> Thanks, Becky! If in doubt, try thinking outside the box... ;-)

agree

writeaway: jein-comments sounds more elegant but diners sounds to clinical to me. they are only diners while they are eating. and Sylvie chose this to be non-pro -it's an interesting discussion but not a 'pro' topic-agree with you (and Sylvie too). ;-)

1 hr

-> Thanks, W/A! :-)

neutral

Marie-Hélène Hayles: Tony, at this point I'm going to ask one of the mods to decide if the question should be pro or non-pro, as there's obviously a difference of opinion! BTW, I also like "comments" - but I'd still go for "customer comments".

1 hr

-> Marie, I really think we should respect Asker's wishes, it ill behoves any of us to contradict that lightly!

neutral

Will Matter: When native speakers argue (even mildly) it's "Pro". Otherwise, opinions would be consistent, across the board.

1 hr

-> Interestingly, your viewpoint is not part of the official KudoZ guideline criteria used to judge the Pro/non-Pro issue.

agree

humbird: Yes, "customer feedback" is used in much broader business setting and not necessarily a good choice for restaurant and its guests.

2 hrs

-> Thanks a lot, Susan! A very good point indeed...

agree

Angela Arnone: Indeed. A restaurant has diners. If you're a guest in a restaurant, you don't pay!

2 hrs

-> Thanks, Angela!

agree

kmtext: I agree with you on the feedback. To me, it's always been that howl you get when you put a microphone too close to a speaker. Mind you, I've been to a couple of restaurants where that would be an appropriate comment on the food and service!

4 hrs

-> Thanks, KM! Me too... ;-)

agree

conejo: I agree with 'customer feedback' or 'customer comments' or something to that effect. Usually in restaurants, this sort of thing is called a "comment box". It definitely shouldn't be "guest".

1 day 1 hr

-> Thanks, Conejo! I'm not against 'guest' per se, but I think this alternative for both words sidesteps the issue nicely!

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