Some 60% of customers said they would not return to a restaurant that was dirty or employed rude staff. Meanwhile long waits for food and drink to be served was only ranked fourth in terms of importance, with customer more prepared to wait if the meal tasted great and was served by friendly staff. Toilets were also important to respondents, with 15% unlikely to return to any establishment with unclean loos. And only a very small proportion reported they would be put off by a child unfriendly restaurant or by eating in an environment that was too hot or cold. Further research also found that while competitive pricing was an important factor, money off promotions had a minimal effect on encouraging repeat business. Sally Whelan, director of The Mystery Dining Company, commented on these findings: "General consumer trends such as people wanting more experiences in their lives are feeding into the changing customer expectations when eating out. Today's factors such as atmosphere are also now incredibly important and can really help not only to differentiate a restaurant but also to build a loyal, regular customer base." Weblink: www.mysterydining.com