29 Food Survey Questions: Types, Samples & Best Practices

Dietary Restrictions & Allergies Survey Questions

Why & When to Use

In today’s flavorful world, inclusivity at the table is more than a trend—it’s a necessity. Culinary feedback that covers allergies, strict diets, and ingredient substitutions makes eating out or buying food safer and more enjoyable for everyone. These surveys prove their worth at every point of the food journey:

• Before launching new menu items to avoid costly allergen slip-ups.
• After a customer’s dining or product experience to gather safety feedback.
• When designing meals for special audiences (kids, specific health conditions, etc.).
• During annual audits for allergen awareness and food safety compliance.

The right questions create trusting relationships and ensure no one gets left out. A safe and considered experience earns loyalty, trust, and glowing word-of-mouth.

Five+ Sample Questions

1. Do you follow any of the following diets (vegan, keto, halal, kosher, gluten-free)?
   
2. List any food allergies you or your household members have.
   
3. How strictly do you avoid cross-contamination when dining out (Likert scale)?
   
4. What ingredient substitutions would you like to see offered?
   
5. How often do dietary restrictions influence your restaurant choice?
   
6. What’s one thing we could do to make our menu more inclusive for your needs?
   

Food survey questions focusing on dietary limitations do more than tick regulatory boxes—they celebrate everyone’s right to enjoy a good meal, risk-free. Next time your salad arrives nut-free and just the way you asked, know a smart survey probably made it happen.

Proactively asking customers about food allergies increases their confidence in identifying ingredients and comfort in discussing allergens. (food.gov.uk)

Restaurant Dining Experience Survey Questions

Why & When to Use

Craving that cozy buzz, a friendly face, or just food that arrives before you lose patience? Dining survey questions measure exactly that. For restaurants, the time right after a guest’s meal is pure gold for feedback—when impressions are fresh and honesty is hot off the grill.

• Use immediately post-meal or at the point of bill payment.
• Roll out after soft launches or seasonal menu revamps.
• Gather feedback to pinpoint what goes right or what’s missing in the vibe.
• Highlight improvement points for both service and dishes.

These surveys shape everything from the warmth of your welcome to whether the dessert is worth loosening your belt for. Operations, chefs, and marketing teams all use this culinary feedback to fine-tune the perfect dining experience.

Five+ Sample Questions

1. Rate the friendliness of our staff today.
   
2. How would you describe the wait-time for your meal?
   
3. Was the menu easy to navigate for your dietary needs?
   
4. What was the standout dish and why?
   
5. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend our restaurant?
   
6. Were your special requests handled correctly?
   

When reviews are a click away, getting real-time feedback with food survey questions keeps restaurants thriving. Sometimes, a single suggestion (or rave review) from these surveys is all it takes for a neighborhood spot to become the hottest reservation in town.

Grocery Shopping Habits Survey Questions

Why & When to Use

The path from shelf to cart isn’t as random as it looks. Grocers use basket analysis and grocery shopping surveys to read consumer minds and stock exactly what their neighborhood craves. Insights from this research can turn an average store into a local favorite.

• Allocate shelf space more effectively before new product launches.
• Sharpen discounts and offers by understanding digital coupon usage.
• Tailor promotions based on buying triggers and price sensitivity.
• Use before seasonal sales to predict basket composition.

Armed with detailed food survey questions, grocery managers and brand reps keep the aisles filled with the items shoppers want, sometimes before they even know they want them.

Five+ Sample Questions

1. How many grocery trips do you make per week?
   
2. Which store format do you prefer (supermarket, farmer’s market, online)?
   
3. Rank the following factors in order of importance when buying food (price, freshness, brand, organic certification).
   
4. How often do you use digital coupons?
   
5. Which categories do you impulse-buy most frequently?
   
6. What’s the last new food or drink you tried because of a promo or display?
   

Smart meal preference questionnaires can sniff out the shift towards farmer’s markets, trigger the next BOGO bonanza, and explain why everyone’s suddenly eating oat milk ice cream. Don’t be surprised if your next midnight snack is exactly what you were hoping for—thanks to strategic survey smarts!

Nearly half of consumers (47%) describe their grocery shopping trips as routine, with minimal research involved. (blog.prs-invivo-group.com)

Food Delivery Service Feedback Survey Questions

Why & When to Use

When hunger meets modern convenience, nobody wants cold fries or glitchy apps standing in the way. Culinary feedback for delivery services zeroes in on speed, packaging, and every detail that keeps customers from dialing up “the other” app next time.

• Deploy after an order is fulfilled before “hanger” becomes backlash.
• Gather actionable comments about portions, packaging, and accuracy.
• Optimize the app or website interface based on real user experiences.
• Identify areas for improvement as new features launch.

Every touchpoint, from tapping “order now” to the moment the doorbell rings, is an opportunity to win loyalty—or lose it.

Five+ Sample Questions

1. Was your order delivered within the estimated time?
   
2. Rate the food temperature upon arrival.
   
3. How intuitive was the ordering interface?
   
4. Did the packaging keep items intact and spill-free?
   
5. What additional features would improve your delivery experience?
   
6. Did your order include all the items requested?
   

By getting granular with food survey questions, delivery brands save the day (and the dinner). If your next burger arrives perfectly hot and spill-free, you can bet a solid survey helped bring that bite to your doorstep.

Food Safety, Hygiene & Quality Assurance Survey Questions

Why & When to Use

With food safety center stage these days, savvy brands lean into quality assurance surveys. Monitoring health and hygiene is about building trust and proving that every meal or product follows the rules—and then some.

• Useful during staff audits, local inspections, or when public health is in the news.
• Deployed after dining in, for takeout experiences, or on grocery visits.
• Included after an outbreak scare to harness firsthand reporting.

Customers know what clean looks like and aren’t shy about calling out slip-ups or celebrating stellar standards. Trust is built on consistent, visible effort.

Five+ Sample Questions

1. Did staff follow visible hygiene practices (gloves, masks, hairnets)?
   
2. Were hand-sanitizing stations available?
   
3. How clean did you find the dining area or pickup counter?
   
4. Did you notice proper food temperature controls (hot/cold holding)?
   
5. Have you experienced any foodborne illness symptoms after eating with us?
   
6. Was the restroom well-stocked and hygienic during your visit?
   

Great food survey questions not only uncover weak spots but reward diligent teams who go the extra mile for safety. When your experience feels extra clean and safe, thank those who answer—and design—these crucial questions.

Emerging Food Trends & Innovation Survey Questions

Why & When to Use

Today’s hottest food trends (sourdough anyone?) were yesterday’s wild idea. Innovative food survey questions help brands separate fleeting fads from the next big thing before betting big. They fuel everything from eco-friendly packaging prototypes to plant-based protein pivots.

• Roll these out to gauge appetite for the newest culinary innovations.
• Use before investing in shiny R&D or rebranding efforts.
• Get feedback after pilot launches or limited-run products.

By identifying which innovations excite and which fall flat, brands save time, reduce risk, and sometimes ignite entire new industries.

Five+ Sample Questions

1. How interested are you in lab-grown meats?
   
2. Which of these functional ingredients (probiotics, adaptogens, collagen) would you pay extra for?
   
3. Rate your willingness to try zero-waste menu items.
   
4. How important is carbon footprint labeling on menus?
   
5. What future food trend excites you the most?
   
6. If you could invent a food product, what would it be and why?
   

When delighting your inner foodie is the goal, clever food survey questions keep menus and brands at the cutting edge—as well as your Instagram followers perpetually hungry.

Best Practices: Dos and Don’ts for Crafting High-Performing Food Survey Questions

Nailing food survey questions requires more than inspiration—it’s about clear thinking and knowing what makes people tick (or click). Even the tastiest question lineup won’t deliver if the design is off. Follow best practices to serve up insights everyone can use.

Do: - Keep questions concise, friendly, and free of jargon. - Add variety with both closed-ended and open-ended question styles. - Test for wording clarity and cultural sensitivity before sending. - Make sure your surveys are easy on mobile screens. - Use skip logic to keep questions relevant and breezy.

Don’t: - Overwhelm folks with technical culinary terms that only chefs understand. - Just ask yes/no or text answers—mix it up! - Assume everyone shares the same taste buds—check for cultural cues. - Bury the “submit” button or calls-to-action at the bottom of endless scrolls. - Force respondents through questions that don’t apply to them.

A sprinkle of survey design expertise turns a bland questionnaire into a flavorful feedback feast. Whether you’re collecting opinions on oat milk pancakes or grilling up data on zero-waste trends, the right approach brings out the best answers.

Conclusion & Next Steps

Well-crafted food survey questions are the secret recipe behind every crowd-pleasing menu, safe dining experience, and daring food innovation. Each survey type—from preferences and allergies to trends—serves a unique purpose and brings actionable insights to the table. Choose the survey themes that best fit your goals, build feedback loops, and measure results to keep your menus and shopping aisles perfectly in sync with what your audience craves. Want to taste the value of your new data? Download your free Food Survey Template or book a consultation to kick off your delicious discovery journey!