Retail Food Group (RFG) secured a much-needed win on Wednesday, with Donut King and Michel’s Patisserie taking out first and second place in the Roy Morgan Coffee/Doughnut store Customer Satisfaction award for September.
The announcement follows a string of satisfaction victories for RFG in 2018, with Donut King and Michel’s Patisserie the only brands in the top five to improve their customer satisfaction ratings compared to a year ago.
Donut King raised its satisfaction rating to 89 per cent, up three per cent, with Michel’s Patisserie up six points to 86 per cent overall.
Rounding out the top five were Foodco owned QSR, Muffin Break, which fell three per cent compared to a year ago, global franchise Starbucks and chain, The Coffee Club, with satisfaction ratings for both remaining unchanged at 82 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.
Despite a torrid year, Michele Levine, Roy Morgan CEO said the consistent high-performance from RFG branded stores put the embattled group in good stead to win its first Annual Customer Satisfaction Award since 2015.
“Retail Food Group (RFG) franchisee Donut King has built on victories earlier in the year by winning the monthly Roy Morgan coffee/doughnut store customer satisfaction award in September,” Levine said.
“Reigning 2016-2017 Annual Coffee/Doughnut Store Customer Satisfaction Award winner Muffin Break has come in third in September on 84 per cent and faces an uphill battle to repeat last year’s success with only three months to go in the year.”
The latest data from Roy Morgan indicates strong performance within the coffee/doughnut retailing space, with nearly 5.6 million Australians, or 27.4 per cent of the country’s over 14 market visiting a store in the sector in an average four weeks.
While not appearing on top five customer satisfaction results, McDonald’s venture, McCafe remains the undisputed leader in visitors, with nearly 2.3 million Australians visiting a store in an average four-week period.
“The success of McCafe is built off the huge number of visitors to McDonald’s. Over 10.6 million Australians (52.7 per cent) buy from McDonald’s in an average six months – which we covered in detail earlier this year with our analysis of Australia’s leading fast food outlets,” Levine said.
RFG’s success in the customer satisfaction rankings highlight the need to segment market demographics, providing products and collateral that appeals to a pre-determined market.
Roy Morgan’s data suggested that women were more likely to visit coffee/doughnut stores, however generational factors played a significant role in visitation and satisfaction.
An emphasis on millennials and Gen Z garnered strong results for franchises McCafe, Gloria Jeans, Donut King and Starbucks, while The Coffee Club, Michel’s Patisserie and Muffin Break’s focus on baby boomers generated sales.