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For anyone who runs a restaurant, if you're not evaluating your service on a regular basis then you're probably losing customers in record numbers and don't even know it.

In fact, many of them are probably telling their friends, co-workers and others about that one bad experience, and they're souring your reputation.

According to British research firm SunGard, customers fall into four categories: 43 percent are shouters - people who tell as many people as possible when they experience bad service; 27 percent are switchers - people who switch to another company and don't tell anyone; 15 percent are seekers - people who look for a better way to get good service; and 11 percent are sulkers, who just put up with the bad service and sulk.

Instead, how about asking your customers what they think of your service and then creating processes and systems to ensure those problems don't occur again? The solution, of course, is customer surveys, suggestion boxes or my favorite, guest comment cards.

Being a consummate marketing guy, I've collected hundreds of comment cards at the many restaurants I've visited over the years. It's sort of a hobby of mine.

Let's review some of the better ones from local eateries for ideas:

Zea Rotisserie & Grill, 4800 Montgomery Blvd. N.E., has probably the most comprehensive of the lot including a table to rate food quality, service, atmosphere and the food's value on a scale from "poor" to "excellent." It also includes several key questions from "Were you greeted quickly and courteously by your server?" to "Would you return to Zea?"

Most importantly, Zea includes a space to leave your contact information. To my surprise, when I did fill out one of Zea's cards, I received an e-mail thanking me for my business within a week of my visit.

Comment cards at Subway restaurants ask, "What can we do to make your next Subway visit more enjoyable?" I like that since it turns a potentially negative situation into a positive one.

Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro, 3009 Central Ave. N.E., uses comment cards to further enhance the restaurant's customer relationships and asks for contact information to "put you on their mailing list for special events, wine dinners, new menu information and much more!"

El Pinto Restaurant, 10500 Fourth St. N.W., includes a question on its card regarding how you heard about the restaurant to evaluate the effectiveness of promotional campaigns. El Pinto also asks if you'd want more information about having them host large parties, weddings and receptions, and catering. Now that's great marketing!

The cards at Tucanos Brazilian Grill, 110 Central Ave. S.W., ask for your birthday so they can enroll you into the restaurant's "Birthday Club" for a "special birthday treat." I can't wait!

Regal Entertainment Group - which operates four movie theaters in Albuquerque - leaves no stone unturned and asks you to rate basically everyone you meet from the ticket cashier, snack bar attendant and usher, to the management staff. Not sure about the person who sits in the box above the balcony and resets the actual film, but by the time I've filled out the exhaustive card, I don't think I'd have the energy.

Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, 2031 Mountain Road N.W., asks you to visit their Web site at www.seasonsonthenet.com, where you can find a calendar of upcoming events, the current wine list, and much more.

Los Cuates, which has three New Mexican restaurant locations in town, asks many of the usual questions, but also asks you to rate the restaurant's atmosphere including their decor. Now that's a restaurant that worries about details.

Although I think all of these cards are great, I actually created my own personal comment card that I take to restaurants. It includes a section for rating the wait staff and calculating a tip based on how well the restaurant delivered on several service attributes. I wanted to make sure the service I received, whether good or bad, was recognized, and that an excellent performance was rewarded.

Excellent restaurants pay attention to the service they provide, whether through comment cards or on-site informal surveys, to ensure that they maximize their bottom-line results.