Highly satisfied customers are the lifeblood of any successful restaurant chain, but gaining that favor is easier said than done. Meeting customers' expectations in a consistent manner is key to building life-long business relationships, but blowing it just once has the potential to chase them away indefinitely.

According to some analysts, the ability to produce highly satisfied customers is absolutely critical to the bottom line. In a recent Harvard Business Review article titled "Why Satisfied Customers Defect," the author points out that the gulf between satisfied customers and exceptionally satisfied customers can actually swallow a business. The notion that chains can't survive without providing superior service should startle owners into rethinking the importance of their relationship marketing efforts.

Restaurant chains like O'Charley's, Panda Inn, and Johnny Rockets have built loyal followings over the years by adhering to details that might seem insignificant to the casual observer but go a long way toward gaining an increase in customer loyalty that can improve profits. While each of these chains has its own unique brand and way of interacting with customers, they all recognize that little things add up: It's the little things that keep customers satisfied and coming back time after time.