In the day and age of service and social media, I cannot wrap my head around restaurants that want to dig their virtual graves by not giving the customer what they want.
And I mean it when I say, "please leave a comment below" and explain your reasoning, because I really need this explained to me.
A number of years ago there was a certain restaurant in San Diego serving Kobe beef. This was before it was all the rage and I am talking REAL Japanese Kobe Beef. The chef said it was basically "sacrilegious" to cook this steak medium or medium well. Another establishment, also in San Diego, currently serving burgers, doesn't have ketchup, because the chef doesn't feel that ketchup "compliments" the burger. A very famous coffee place in San Francisco doesn't have half & half!
I could go on and on with examples, but the point is this:
Who the hell are you, "Mr. Restaurant" to tell me at which temperature I will eat my steak, or if I can have ketchup on my burger, or if I am allowed half & half in my coffee?
Seriously. have you ever heard the phrase, "customer service"?
If I am paying, why do you care? What kind of point are you making? Are you trying to leverage some sort of "coverage" by being different? Is your product not good enough to market without a gimmick?
This is appalling to me. Your customer decided to walk through your doors rather than thousands of other doors and your gratitude is expressed by, "our way or the highway"? Are you THAT sure of yourself and your "staying power" that you don't need to take care of people?
Listen, if someone wants to spend their money in your establishment, how are they not entitled to have something "their way". This isn't asking you to concoct some special meal of insane ingredients that you'd need to leave and go shop for, to be able to prepare. This is simple stuff!
Customer service WILL make or break your business!
Ever shopped at Nordstrom?
Ever stayed at a hotel that opened the gift shop at 1 AM to sell you some slippers?
It's common knowlege how much I love Ruth's Chris Steak House. Their steak is nothing short of perfection. But more than this, their service is impeccable. If you wanted your ahi burnt, served on top of a overcooked steak and covered in ketchup, you would get it. In the blink of an eye, without any hesitation, with, not even a hint of a giggle. YOU, their "precious customer", would be taken care of!
This is what it's all about. We don't dine out to have the chef tell us what we are having and how. Heck, most of us can get that scenario at home. Take care of us. Make us feel special. Make us happy to give you our hard earned money for a wonderful night out with someone WE care about.
In keeping with this, is the social media business. If you are a restaurant and on Twitter (which you should be)...and you have people "following" you, you absolutely, without question, should be following THEM! Do you NOT care what they're saying about you? Do you think your aloof-ness makes you more desirable? I guarantee you that most, if they are following YOU, will be spewing wonderfully nice things about you to all their followers. Wouldn't it be nice to acknowledge them? Thank them?
Seriously!!! As my father would say, "Get with the program!"
This old school, information traveling slowly, from 1 person to another, is over. The internet is making virtual applause or viral insults almost instantaneous. Cities which, 5 years ago, had 3000 restaurants now have double that!
How do you think these paying customers will decide where to eat?
I'll tell you...
They will go where they get what THEY want!
They will go where the food they order is HOW they want it!
And, they will KEEP going to the place that makes them feel special by acknowledgement and many gracious thank you's!
Out of every restaurant in your city, they chose yours!
How does that make YOU feel?
Busy busy
Heather! I had been very busy the past few months with the restaurant, no longer being engaged and single(relief!) and getting in some much needed travel. Finally starting to get some different styles of pies and pastries in here wich took a LONG TIME. Takes a while sometimes and I came up with some crazy ideas stemming from some mistakes! "Idea"....Make a regular NY Cheesecake with a grahm cracker base(cook in spring form pan of course) When its done and CHILLED, slice the top layer off, toss it or eat it(even better) and then just mash everything together. Chop up the cracker into bits and just mix it all up really good. Take a scoop or spatula and place a baseball or smaller sized scoop on a small plate. Then place a scoop of Vanilla or coffee ice cream, same size or smaller, onto the cheesecake mash and sing to the food gods! I have literally made zero profit on this because I have been handing it out to all of my regulars. Alot of silence and slow head shakes from side to side. Try it out! There is a story of how the cheesecake mess was born! Haha.
This was not intended to be so long but once I get going about food and wine I usually find myself going on for a long time!
Always enjoy your blogs and additions to your great site!!