Marketing strategies and insights from Josh Becerra, CMO of Pink Taco, in S1 E2 of Feedback Fatigue.
In Season 1 Episode 2 of Feedback Fatigue we sit down with Josh Becerra, Chief Marketing Officer and Hospitality Marketing Guru at Pink Taco, to explore how feedback influences operations.
Navigating customer feedback can be daunting, especially across multiple platforms. In this episode, Josh shares his approach to feedback and how it has evolved over his 20 years in the hospitality industry. Rather than seeing feedback as a challenge, he views it as an essential tool for business success.
Tune in to the full episode to learn valuable tips and strategies for leveraging feedback to improve operations, enhance marketing, and elevate the customer experience.
While not always feasible at scale, Josh emphasizes the importance of gathering real-time feedback from customers. His preferred method is what he calls “table touching”—engaging with customers directly during their visit to get immediate insights on their experience. This approach allows for quick fixes and fosters a connection with guests. He says:
“When I was running a single unit, I loved table touching. It's hard not to attach emotion to feedback, but it helps us know what’s happening in the restaurant in real time. Feedback dictates what I do for my job and how well I communicate between us and the guest.”
For larger businesses, Josh acknowledges that real-time feedback is harder to manage on a corporate level. This is where online platforms offer a wealth of customer sentiment that can be analyzed and acted upon.
One of the most valuable aspects of feedback is the ability to identify overarching themes. By making a clear distinction between individual reviews and thematic feedback, Josh can pinpoint patterns. This approach allows Josh to continuously refine his operations and ensure consistent service across all locations. He says:
“Feedback gives us real insight into what's happening in our restaurants—both individually and thematically. I'm looking at reviews as a whole to find the themes that exist, seeing what we’re doing really well and what can be fixed”
This method of thematic analysis enables Josh to make strategic decisions, whether it’s tweaking a menu or adjusting how team members are trained to handle certain situations.
Feedback is most valuable when it leads to action. Josh doesn’t just read customer reviews—he uses them to make improvements. For example, he shares a story about a promotional menu that, despite strong marketing results, posed challenges for the kitchen, prompting adjustments to ensure a smoother operation.
“We saw pretty quickly that what I had produced wasn’t going to create the guest experience we needed. So we worked with our culinary team to change it and make it easier to execute”, Josh says. By listening to feedback from his team and customers, he was able to pivot to ensure a smoother process.
This kind of flexibility helps avoid customer dissatisfaction while strengthening internal communication, allowing marketing and operations to collaborate more effectively.
One of the standout points Josh made was the importance of breaking down silos between different departments, particularly between marketing, operations, and culinary teams. When all teams are aligned, feedback can be shared and acted on more quickly and effectively.
“Operations and marketing need to have open communication,” Josh says. "Operations might say, ‘This menu is causing problems.’ At the same time, marketing may notice that feedback about the menu is positive. The goal is to communicate these things and make the best decision for the guest experience.”
This approach ensures that feedback isn’t just seen as a problem for one department to solve—it becomes a collaborative effort across the entire organization.
Being proactive in identifying problems is another critical aspect of Josh’s strategy. By constantly monitoring feedback on social media and review platforms, Josh can catch potential crises before they spiral out of control.
He shared a recent example where social media feedback revealed that a new promotional menu created longer-than-expected wait times. “We needed to get ahead of that and make sure it wasn’t the experience customers were having. Once we saw that, we pivoted,” he explains.
This approach not only prevents larger issues but also helps maintain a high standard of service, which in turn fosters customer loyalty.
One of Josh’s key beliefs is that positive and negative feedback can be used to build customer loyalty. Responding to negative feedback with solutions shows customers that you care about their experience and are committed to improving it. Likewise, celebrating success with your team helps reinforce what’s working well and keeps everyone motivated.
“I always say, it's equally important to talk about what’s going right,” Josh says. "While it’s easy to focus on the negativity, celebrating the positive things is key to building trust with your team and with guests.”
By consistently acting on feedback, Josh ensures that customers feel heard, appreciated, and valued—critical elements for fostering long-term loyalty.
Feedback is everywhere. The key is knowing how to harness that feedback to drive improvements and create a consistently excellent guest experience.
From real-time feedback collection to thematic analysis and cross-functional collaboration, Josh’s approach offers tactical insights that any business can implement.
As Josh succinctly puts it: “Consistency in operations is the best marketing strategy.”
Prioritizing a smooth experience at every touchpoint and continuously refining your strategies based on feedback is the key to long-term success.
For more tips and insights, subscribe to Feedback Fatigue on Apple or Spotify. You can also explore all currently available episodes here.
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