Use item-level feedback to rate menu items
Item-level feedback lets your guests rate individual menu items after placing an order, providing you with detailed insights into which items are delighting customers and which ones need improvement. Guests use a simple thumbs up or thumbs down system to rate each item they ordered.
This feature is complemented by a comprehensive Customer Feedback Dashboard that helps you monitor satisfaction, identify trends, and make data-driven menu decisions.
Prerequisites
Before you can use item-level feedback, you need:
Guest Feedback module enabled - If you don't have Guest Feedback yet, you can enable it at no additional cost through your Feedback Settings
Online Ordering platform - Available to all Online Ordering customers
Item-level feedback automatically enables on October 31, 2025, for all Online Ordering customers with the Guest Feedback module active.
How guests provide item-level feedback
After placing an order, guests receive your standard Guest Feedback email. At the bottom of the email, they'll see a new item-level feedback section where they can:
Rate each item with a thumbs up 👍 or thumbs down 👎
Leave text comments in the existing feedback fields
Choose which items to rate (rating all items isn't required)
Rating takes just seconds and provides valuable item-specific insights.
Key features
Simple and quick: One click per item - thumbs up for items they enjoyed, thumbs down for items that didn't meet expectations
Item-specific: Rate each menu item individually rather than the entire order
Optional: Customers can choose which items to rate or skip the survey entirely
Anonymous: Ratings are aggregated without identifying individual customers
This straightforward approach encourages more customers to provide feedback, giving you a larger and more representative dataset.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot showing the item-level feedback section in a Guest Feedback email with thumbs up/down rating options for menu items
How ratings appear on guest-facing menus
Ratings help customers make confident ordering decisions by showing which items other diners have enjoyed.
Display requirements
Ratings become visible on menu items once they receive at least six customer ratings
This threshold ensures displayed ratings are based on meaningful feedback, not just one or two opinions
What customers see
Thumbs up icon: Visual indicator of positive ratings
Satisfaction percentage: Shows what percent of customers gave the item a thumbs up
Rating count: Number of ratings received (e.g., "87% (23 ratings)")
Most Liked badges
The top three highest-rated menu items receive special recognition with a "Most Liked" badge.
Qualification criteria:
Item must have at least 20 customer ratings
Item must maintain at least 85% satisfaction (thumbs up percentage)
Badges are numbered (#1, #2, #3) based on ranking
These badges help highlight your star performers and can influence customer purchasing decisions, often leading to increased sales of top-rated items.
Access the Customer Feedback Dashboard
The Customer Feedback Dashboard provides a centralized view of all customer rating data with real-time updates.
Steps
Log into your OO Admin portal
Click Reports, then click Item Feedback
The dashboard automatically refreshes every two minutes to show the latest ratings.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the Customer Feedback Dashboard main view showing overall statistics, menu item performance, and recent activity
Dashboard overview
The Customer Feedback Dashboard includes five main sections:
Overall Statistics
Menu Item Performance
Recent Activity Feed
Alerts System
AI-Powered Insights
Time range selection
You can analyze data over different periods:
Last seven days
Last 30 days
Last 90 days
Last year
Overall statistics
Three key metrics provide a high-level snapshot of your menu performance.
Overall satisfaction
Measures the percentage of positive ratings across your entire menu.
Calculation: (Total Thumbs Up ÷ Total Ratings) × 100
Strong performance: 85% or higher indicates excellent customer satisfaction
Trend comparison: Shows percentage change compared to the previous period of equal length
Status indicators:
Green: 85%+ satisfaction with stable or improving trend
Yellow: 75-84% satisfaction or declining from high performance
Red: Below 75% satisfaction or significant decline
Total ratings
Tracks the volume of customer feedback received.
Shows: Total number of ratings in the selected time period
Trend comparison: Percentage change versus the equivalent prior period
Importance: More ratings mean more reliable data; increasing volume shows growing customer engagement
Status indicators:
Green: 10%+ increase in ratings
Yellow: Stable (within 10%)
Red: 25%+ decrease in ratings
Menu optimization score
A composite metric (1.0-5.0 scale) that evaluates your overall menu health.
Components:
Item Performance (40%): Average satisfaction across all items
Portfolio Balance (25%): Distribution of high and low performers
Engagement Rate (20%): Percentage of items receiving sufficient ratings
Trend Momentum (15%): Direction items are trending
Strong performance: 4.0 or higher indicates a well-optimized menu
Status indicators:
Green: Score 4.0+ with stable or improving trend
Yellow: Score 3.0-3.9 or declining from high performance
Red: Score below 3.0 or significant decline
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot showing the three overall statistics cards with satisfaction percentage, total ratings, and menu optimization score
Menu item performance
A detailed breakdown of how each menu item is performing based on customer feedback.
Display modes
Summary view (default):
Shows the top 10 most-ordered active menu items
Sorted by a combination of order volume and satisfaction
Ideal for daily monitoring of your core menu
Detailed view:
Shows all menu items that have received ratings
Includes inactive items for historical perspective
Useful for comprehensive menu analysis
Information shown
For each menu item, you'll see:
Satisfaction percentage: Thumbs up rating with color-coded indicator
Green: 85%+ satisfaction
Yellow: 75-84% satisfaction
Red: Below 75% satisfaction
Rating count: Total number of ratings received
Items with fewer than 10 ratings show a warning indicator for small sample size
New items (less than five ratings) are labeled as "New"
Trend indicator: Shows how the item is trending
↗ Up: Satisfaction improving by 2% or more
→ Stable: Satisfaction within 1%
↘ Down: Satisfaction declining by 2% or more
Most Liked badge: Displayed for items ranked in the top three
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the Menu Item Performance section showing the list of items with satisfaction percentages, rating counts, and trend indicators
Historical charts
Click on any menu item to expand a detailed rating history chart showing:
Daily, weekly, or monthly rating trends
Visual representation of rating patterns over time
Cumulative satisfaction percentage
Helps identify seasonal patterns or performance changes
Export functionality
Export all item performance data to CSV for:
Deeper analysis in spreadsheet software
Integration with other business intelligence tools
Historical record keeping
Sharing with management or stakeholders
The exported file includes item names, categories, ratings, trends, and order counts.
Recent activity feed
A real-time stream of incoming customer ratings, helping you stay connected to customer feedback as it happens.
Display features
Auto-refresh: Updates every two minutes automatically
Adjustable time windows:
Last two hours (default - for immediate monitoring)
Last eight hours (during busy service periods)
Last 24 hours (full day overview)
Last seven days (weekly patterns)
Detailed information: Shows order number, item name, rating, and time since rating
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the Recent Activity Feed showing a stream of recent ratings with timestamps
Pattern highlighting
The activity feed automatically highlights important patterns:
Negative patterns (warnings):
Multiple negative ratings: When an item receives several thumbs down in a short time
Consecutive dislikes: Streaks of negative ratings on the same item
These appear with warning indicators to prompt immediate investigation
Positive patterns (celebrations):
Consecutive thumbs up: Positive rating streaks (five in a row)
High activity: Items receiving frequent positive feedback
These appear with success indicators to highlight wins
Operational use
Use the Recent Activity feed to:
Catch quality issues as they happen (e.g., undercooked item, wrong preparation)
Celebrate staff successes when items receive praise
Monitor busy periods to ensure quality remains consistent
Identify which items are getting ordered and rated most frequently
Alerts system
Proactive notifications that draw attention to situations requiring action or recognition.
Alert types
Critical alerts (red):
Low rating alert: Item has dropped below 75% satisfaction with at least 10 ratings
Triggers once, then again after six hours if the rating remains low
Requires immediate investigation - check preparation, quality, recipe, or ingredients
Rating drop: Item experienced a significant decline from a previously high rating
May indicate a recent change in preparation, ingredients, or quality
Warning alerts (yellow):
Thumbs down pattern: Item received three or more negative ratings within two hours
Urgent attention needed - suggests an immediate quality issue
Check with kitchen staff about recent preparations
Info alerts (blue):
Most Liked achievement: Item has entered or moved up in the top three rankings
Celebrate this success with your team
Consider promoting these items more prominently
Satisfaction milestone: Item reached 90%, 95%, or 98% satisfaction (20+ ratings required)
Significant accomplishment showing consistent quality
Great opportunity for marketing and staff recognition
Thumbs up pattern: Positive rating patterns detected
Thumbs up streak: Item received five or more consecutive positive ratings
Shows consistent quality and customer satisfaction
Total ratings milestone: Item reached a significant number of total ratings
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the Alerts section showing different types of alerts with color coding
Manage alerts
Alerts remain visible until dismissed
Click to dismiss alerts once you've reviewed them
Dismissed alerts won't reappear unless the triggering condition occurs again
Color-coded for easy priority identification
AI-powered insights
Machine learning algorithms analyze your rating data over a 30-day rolling period to provide actionable recommendations.
Types of insights
Promotion opportunities:
Identifies high-performing items (90%+ satisfaction) that deserve more visibility.
Recommendations:
Feature these items in marketing materials
Add "Guest Favorite" or similar callouts on menus
Train staff to recommend these items
Consider creating combo deals featuring these items
Removal suggestions:
Identifies consistently low-rated items (below 70% satisfaction).
Considerations:
Evaluate if the item is salvageable with recipe or quality improvements
Consider replacing with a similar item that might perform better
Analyze if the item has a specific purpose (dietary restriction, tradition, etc.) that justifies keeping it despite ratings
Some low performers may still be profitable if they fill a niche need
Seasonal trends:
Detects items with temporal performance patterns.
Examples:
Summer items that perform better in warm weather
Comfort foods that get better ratings in winter
Holiday-specific items with predictable patterns
Use cases:
Plan seasonal menu rotations
Time promotional campaigns appropriately
Adjust inventory and staffing based on predictable demand
Bundle opportunities:
Identifies items that are frequently ordered together and both have high satisfaction (85%+).
Applications:
Create combo meals or promotional bundles
Suggest pairings to customers
Train staff on complementary items to upsell
Design prix fixe menus featuring popular combinations
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the AI-Powered Insights section showing recommendations for promotion, removal, and bundling opportunities
How to use AI insights
Review insights weekly as part of menu planning
Discuss recommendations with kitchen staff and management
Implement changes gradually and monitor their impact
Use insights to inform larger menu refresh initiatives
Don't feel obligated to act on every insight - use judgment based on your restaurant's unique situation
Use the dashboard effectively
Daily operations
Morning check-in: Review overnight ratings and any new alerts (two to three minutes)
Service monitoring: Keep Recent Activity visible during busy periods to catch issues in real-time
End of day: Quick scan of the day's ratings to spot any trends
Weekly analysis
Review stats: Look at the seven-day view to identify the week's trends
Item performance: Check which items moved up or down in satisfaction
AI insights: Review and discuss recommendations with your team
Action planning: Identify one to two items that need attention or improvement
Monthly planning
Deep dive: Switch to 30-day view for comprehensive analysis
Menu optimization: Use the Menu Optimization Score to assess overall health
Data export: Download performance data for detailed analysis and record-keeping
Strategic decisions: Use insights to inform menu changes, promotions, and staff training priorities
Respond to alerts
Immediate actions for critical alerts
Verify the issue: Check if there's a known problem (ingredient change, new prep cook, equipment issue)
Investigate: Talk to kitchen staff who prepared the item recently
Test: Try the item yourself to identify the problem
Correct: Make necessary adjustments to recipe, preparation, or quality control
Monitor: Watch subsequent ratings to confirm the issue is resolved
Follow up on patterns
Multiple negative ratings in short succession suggest an immediate problem (batch of overcooked items, wrong recipe)
Gradual declining trends suggest systemic issues (ingredient quality, recipe drift, staff training)
Address immediate issues first, then tackle longer-term trends
Maximize value from item-level feedback
Engage your team
Share positive ratings and achievements with kitchen staff
Use feedback to inform training and development
Create friendly competitions around maintaining high ratings
Celebrate when items achieve "Most Liked" status
Leverage marketing
Promote "Most Liked" items prominently
Use high ratings in marketing materials and social media
Create seasonal promotions around trending items
Highlight customer satisfaction metrics to build trust
Drive continuous improvement
Set satisfaction targets for your menu (e.g., 85% overall satisfaction)
Track improvement over time using the historical data
A/B test recipe changes and monitor rating impact
Use customer feedback to guide new menu item development
Tips for success
Get started
Enable the feature: Ensure Item-Level Feedback is activated for your restaurant
Educate staff: Brief your team on the feature and its benefits
Set expectations: It takes six or more ratings for items to display ratings to customers
Be patient: Allow two to four weeks to accumulate enough data for meaningful insights
Interpret data
Sample size matters:
Items with 5-10 ratings: Treat trends cautiously; ratings can swing significantly with each new feedback
Items with 10-20 ratings: More reliable, but still monitor closely
Items with 20+ ratings: High confidence; patterns are likely representative
Items with 50+ ratings: Very reliable data; use for major decisions
Context is key:
Consider external factors (weather, events, day of week)
Account for recent changes (new cook, ingredient swap, recipe update)
Remember that even great items may occasionally get negative ratings
Look for patterns over time, not isolated ratings
Trends vs. absolutes:
A slight downward trend on a highly-rated item may just be regression to the mean
A significant upward trend on a lower-rated item shows improvement is working
Stable ratings on popular items indicate consistency (which is valuable)
Avoid common pitfalls
Overreacting to small sample sizes: Don't make major decisions based on three to four ratings
Ignoring context: Consider whether low ratings might be due to customer preferences vs. quality
Dismissing all negative feedback: Even if rare, investigate to ensure no systemic issue
Removing popular items: Some items may have lower ratings but fill important menu niches
Forgetting to celebrate: Share successes with your team to maintain motivation
Disable item-level feedback
If you decide item-level feedback isn't right for your operation, you can disable it at any time.
Steps
Log into your OO Admin portal
Navigate to your restaurant settings
Click Feedback from your store menu
Under the Settings section, check the box for Disable Item Level Ratings
Your changes save automatically.
You can also access Feedback Settings directly at: https://od.pxsweb.com/admin/restaurants/[YOUR_RESTAURANT_ID]/feedback#setting_id=feedback.actions
Troubleshooting
Item-level feedback isn't appearing in my Guest Feedback emails
Item-level feedback automatically enables on October 31, 2025 for all customers with the Guest Feedback module active. If it's after this date and you're not seeing the feature:
Verify that Guest Feedback is enabled in your Feedback Settings
Check that you haven't disabled item-level ratings using the "Disable Item Level Ratings" checkbox
I don't see ratings on my guest-facing menu
Item ratings only display to guests once an item has received at least six ratings. This ensures the data is statistically meaningful.
Will this disrupt my current guest feedback emails?
No. The item-level ratings appear as a new section at the bottom of your existing Guest Feedback emails. All your current feedback questions and text fields remain unchanged.
Will this slow down the checkout process?
No. Item-level feedback collects information in the post-order Guest Feedback email, not during checkout. It doesn't impact the ordering experience.
Why did my item's rating drop suddenly?
Check the Recent Activity feed for patterns. Sudden drops often indicate an immediate quality issue (ingredient problem, preparation error) rather than a systematic problem. Investigate with your kitchen team.
Should I remove all items with low ratings?
Not necessarily. Consider whether the item serves a specific need, whether quality improvements could help, and whether it's profitable despite lower ratings. Use the AI insights to guide decisions, but apply your restaurant expertise.
Frequently asked questions
How many ratings does an item need before it's reliable?
We recommend at least 20 ratings for high confidence. Items show warning indicators for small sample sizes (under 10 ratings).
Can I see individual customer feedback comments?
Guests can leave text comments in the existing feedback fields of your Guest Feedback emails. The item-level feature focuses on quick thumbs up or thumbs down ratings to keep the feedback process simple and quick for customers, which increases participation rates.
How do "Most Liked" badges get assigned?
The top three items with at least 85% satisfaction and 20+ ratings earn "Most Liked" badges. Rankings update automatically as ratings change.
How often should I check the dashboard?
Daily quick checks (two to three minutes) help catch immediate issues. Weekly deeper reviews (15-20 minutes) help with planning. Monthly analysis (30-45 minutes) informs strategic decisions.
Can I export data for my own analysis?
Yes. Use the Export button in the Item Performance section to download a CSV file with all rating data, which you can analyze in Excel or other tools.
What should I do with AI insights?
Treat them as recommendations, not requirements. Discuss insights with your team, consider your restaurant's unique situation, and implement changes that make sense for your business.
What if I don't have the Guest Feedback module enabled?
You can enable Guest Feedback at no additional cost through your Feedback Settings. Check the "Enable Feedback" checkbox and configure your feedback email preferences.
How often do guests receive feedback emails?
Email frequency is configurable at the merchant level through your existing Guest Feedback settings. Item-level feedback follows your current email schedule.
For additional assistance, please contact support.