restaurant etiquitte

[beans]

Best phrasing, which we did practice with roll playing during our constant corporate training -- "I understand your concerns and allow me to offer x, y or z in an effort to regain your satisfaction in this matter."

If you said that after pouring tea on me or worse, I'd react angrily. I'm sure you disliked management at Disney.

Actually, I loved working for Disney.

And I wouldn't be so foolish as to pour tea on any of my guests, when I worked at Disney or currently.

But beans, don't tell me accidents that required an "I'm terribly sorry!" never happened there. You mean no-one ever poured or dropped anything on a patron? Or they did and said "I understand your concerns"?!

I am sure at the parks with the food and beverage operations, a dry cleaning voucher most likely be handed out in a similar fashion:

"Oh, dear! Allow me to offer to have your clothing cleaned...."

Not sure, as I worked in the retail end of Disney and only took a few pilgrimages to Mouse Mecca in Orlando. About the time I left TDS was about the time when they were sending store managers to complete a week long management program with some hands on behind the scenes work that was called "Around the World" training. A full tour of the back stage areas of the park (anywhere a guest was not permitted), teamwork activities such as scavenger hunts with a list of scenarios of interacting with park guests were to be completed (evidenced by a handy poloraid camera snapshot) and even suiting up as one of the wandering characters. Never got into the food end of things there, but the lovely Miss Cheryl Charming I know helped open Paradise Island as a bartender. I'll ask her.

[mongo_jones]

i emailed the restaurant to let them know. i did not ask to be reimbursed. i received a reply in which the manager noted that mine was the only complaint they'd received. i have no idea if her comment was intended to comfort me (ie - no one else had suffered as we had) or to call into question our honesty. she asked for my address which i gave to her. later that week we received a gift certificate for $100 (food only no liquor).

in all the enlightening, if not edifying, moralizing and lecturing about appropriate means of communication that reesek's been subjected to since her original post i haven't seen too many people cite the fact (noted in her original email) that she did not email this restaurant to ask for money, but to notify them of what had happened. once they sent it to her she's well within her rights to not be satisfied with the actual amount ($100 means nothing by itself--i wouldn't be so excited if i'd spent $200 for the privilege of food-poisoning and then got half of that back).

what's the point of asking her if she thinks restaurants should send money to all email-complainants? is she making some global policy statement or responding to her own particular experience?

and let's get off our high-horses about email versus hard-copy and note the fact that since this specific restaurant responded very quickly to her email, obviously email was a completely appropriate vehicle of communication in this case. (in fact, the fact that they threw money so quickly at an email without too much story-checking makes me suspect that they'd probably received more calls. but that's neither here nor there.)

in the words of homer simpson: help me jeebus!

[Exotic Mushroom]

i'd rather have the glass of wine or the 100 bucks. i couldn't give a squat less if the bartender or host or manager feigns concern. and let's face it, that's all it is.

I guess I expect a little to much of people, then, because I don't think that concern would or should be feigned. Personally, I do care when someone at my restaurant has a less than satisfactory experience. I care that they enjoy the food I cook them, and I care that they are treated well by the front of the house staff, even if I have nothing to do with it. If a customer returns a dish, my regret is completely genuine. I usually send them out something extra (out of my own pay) to make up for it because their experience matters to me. I think it's just an issue of having pride in your work.

I would assume that if someone apologized to me for unsatisfactory serivce or for making me sick that it meant they actually did regret what happened. If they don't care how their patrons are treated, why are they even in the service industry at all?

Edited February 3, 2004 by Exotic Mushroom (log)

[wnissen]

Not to be deliberately contradictory, but anyone who's ever said "I'm sorry," knows that it is difficult to do when sincere, and doubly so when you believe the other person is full of it. An unaccompanied comp is "Please feel better," which is a nice gesture. However, "I'm sorry," is an expression that the offender feels remorse over the transgression. The two things are not at all comparable.

Walt

[tommy]

...note the fact that since this specific restaurant responded very quickly to her email, obviously email was a completely appropriate vehicle of communication in this case.

considering the restaurant's reaction wasn't acceptable, i think the jury is still out on that one.

[mongo_jones]

...note the fact that since this specific restaurant responded very quickly to her email, obviously email was a completely appropriate vehicle of communication in this case.

considering the restaurant's reaction wasn't acceptable, i think the jury is still out on that one.

ah tommy, never one to let reason get in the way of the last word.

since the restaurant responded to the email with what they saw as adequate restitution it isn't particularly germane whether the actual form of the restitution was acceptable to reesek or not. their response validates the mode of communication she employed. she's not setting their policy, they are.

i don't think it matters very much what any of our individual opinions is about the appropriateness of email for business communication--if a particular business, a restaurant or dell computers, puts an email address out there as a mode of communication (and then actually responds to it) their customers (disgruntled or gruntled) are within their rights to use it.

[tommy]

ah tommy, never one to let reason get in the way of the last word.

quite the contrary. i don't think it's too far fetched to assume that a business will handle different modes of communication in different fashions. for example, i think if the customer showed up at the door with a baseball bat, there would have been a different resolution. whether that's right or wrong, or whether you or i think that's right or wrong, is really beside the point.

not all modes of communication are created equal in the eyes of a business owner. not all complaints are created equal. like any business, they are handling complaints on a case-by-case basis. sometimes they neatly fit into "policy", if they even have one. other times, they just want to get the person off the phone.

also, please point out some instances where i don't let "reason get in the way of having the last word." email me the results, please.

Edited February 4, 2004 by tommy (log)

[lia]

What I'm not understanding in all of this is -- why reimburse with a gift certificate? To me, that smacks of, "You got food poisoning from us? Sorry -- here, come back and have some more!"

But maybe that's just me.

"Please give us another chance....on us."

[mongo_jones]

also, please point out some instances where i don't let "reason get in the way of having the last word." email me the results, please.

i thought i just did?

but i'll let you have the last word.

[tommy]

cool.

[glenn]

...later that week we received a gift certificate for $100 (food only no liquor).

Not to stray from the subject (god forbid) - but can someone please explain the rationale for excluding liquor? I have seen gift certificates with this caveat way too often and I scratch my head each time. The cost of liquor (to the establishment) is far less than it is for food. Usually around 25& to 30% with a much smaller labor cost than it is for food. Am I missing a part of the equation?

[EllenC]

The liability issues are thought to be much bigger if they pay for your alcohol.

[Callipygos]

What I'm not understanding in all of this is -- why reimburse with a gift certificate?  To me, that smacks of, "You got food poisoning from us?  Sorry -- here, come back and have some more!"

But maybe that's just me.

do you think the restaurant regularly serves food that poisons customers?

Tommy, I was merely saying why it looked odd to me. You are free to regard the situation another way if you so choose.

"Please give us another chance....on us."

Hadn't thought of that.

Edited February 4, 2004 by Callipygos (log)

[reesek]

"Please give us another chance....on us."

if they'd said that - or anything like it - i would have felt better. but what i got was an envelope with a gc of arbitrary amount. no note - no follow up call or email. no guise of concern.

[beans]

"Please give us another chance....on us."

if they'd said that - or anything like it - i would have felt better. but what i got was an envelope with a gc of arbitrary amount. no note - no follow up call or email. no guise of concern.

So, is that really it reesek?

Even if the insincere/the guise, or feigning of a concern for your welfare would have really been more acceptable? See, on the restaurant's management's behalf, they view it as a resolution of the matter has been reached without the benefit of understanding your great unhappiness of the outcome. Also consider this may be their corporate policy. The restaurant need not be a small link in a large chain of corporate establishments. Indies, too, seek out corporate guidelines and lawyerly assistance. Perhaps that is the best they can offer without exposing themselves to additional liability in this very litigous culture and society within which we live (the States).

Since receiving this gift certificate, have you expressed your displeasure to this restaurant? In all fairness to this establishment, I'd seek out a mutually agreeble date and time wherein you can meet with the general manager explaining your reasons for your displeasure of how this matter was handled and that you had expected more. Under that pretense, perhaps some other arrangments could be amicably worked out to the satisfaction of all involved parties.

I hope you achieve those satisfactory results and consider a successful and productive meeting with the one in charge of that restaurant.

edit: sloppy proofreading

Edited February 4, 2004 by beans (log)

[beans]

Not to stray from the subject (god forbid) - but can someone please explain the rationale for excluding liquor?  I have seen gift certificates with this caveat way too often and I scratch my head each time.  The cost of liquor (to the establishment) is far less than it is for food.  Usually around 25& to 30% with a much smaller labor cost than it is for food.  Am I missing a part of the equation?

A 25-30% liquor cost would cost me my job!!! Yipes!

Back to the question -- why? Individual liquor laws that may pertain to state, city, county, burrough, etc. may or may not prohibit the use of a gift certificate to include liquor purchases.

I think oHIo's recently changed so that a gift certificate can include alcoholic beverages, I'll have to see if I read that bit of news correctly and re-dig up the info.

edit: egregious typos abound today

[distracted]

Edited February 4, 2004 by beans (log)

[reesek]

beans -

what i wanted was for them to actually care. perhaps the word guise in my last post was misleading - but the lack of any personalization on their part made it apparent that they don't care.

that is my answer/resolution. i haven't contacted the restaurant since and i probably won't again. as i mentioned very early on in this thread - i'm a non-confrontational sort. in fact - responding to some of the posts on this thread was hard for me.

i don't want to have a 'sit down' with the restaurant. the objective of this thread was to lay out the situation and see where other people fell on the spectrum of reaction (was i crazy - were they wrong - were my expectations out of line, etc) - not to get advice on how to resolve the issue.

thank you to everyone who weighed in with an opinion!

edited to add the last sentence.

Edited February 4, 2004 by reesek (log)

[beans]

i don't want to have a 'sit down' with the restaurant. the objective of this thread was to lay out the situation and see where other people fell on the spectrum of reaction (was i crazy - were they wrong - were my expectations out of line, etc) - not to get advice on how to resolve the issue.

Aw, sweetie, it is hard for me to post that someone's judgment was crazy, right, wrong or out of line. Those would not be accurate or appropriate as they may very well be viewed as a personal attack, intentional or not!

I guess I wanted to bring forth other factors to be considered in the solving guest complaints or food poisoning claims from a restaurant perspective, so it isn't as simple as "your crazy, they're wrong or you're out of line."

However it did bring to light for me that there are those that view a gift certificate as insufficient and/or near insulting. Where I work, should a gift certificate were issued, in my experience it has been with warm welcome with a smile from ear to ear from the guest. So all is/was fixed. However, we too have lawyers and often a gift certificate is the best we can do, too. (everyone loves to try to sue us for the craziest things -- but none asserting food poisoning, and nothing wherein we ended up going to a full trial or making a cash settlement. :knock on wood: We are owned by a local, fairly well known millionaire and are a large operation, which tends to equal attractive "deep pockets.")

Is the certificate transferrable without penalty? (most are) Auction it off on eBay!

[glenn]

A 25-30% liquor cost would cost me my job!!!  Yipes!

Too high? Too low? If you get much lower than 25%, I think yout prices are approaching scandalous ;-)

Ok, my worthless opinion on all this. If I get wronged in a restaurant or basically in any dealing, I generally only care about a sincere apology. And to push the envelope, that hopefully the restaurant or whomever learned something and takes steps to prevent the mishap in the future. If I'm not out any money, like I don't have to get my levis dry cleaned because the server spilled a bottle of wine, the apology is all that's important to me.

[eatmorepesto]

Today I ate at a small non chain restaurant. It's the kind of place women go to for a nice casual lunch. Two girls, about 20 years old were sitting at the next table. The waitress had taken their order, then the bus person brought their drinks which included a smoothie. Something happened and the entire tray of drinks went flying in the air towards me. I didn't get wet, but one of the girls was drenched. The bus person apologized, but when the waitress came by later she didn't say anything. In this instance I thought the girls should have been offered a complimentary lunch. The cost would have been minimal ($20) but the goodwill would have been tremendous.

[Jake]

Today I ate at a small non chain restaurant. It's the kind of place women go to for a nice casual lunch. Two girls, about 20 years old were sitting at the next table. The waitress had taken their order, then the bus person brought their drinks which included a smoothie. Something happened and the entire tray of drinks went flying in the air towards me. I didn't get wet, but one of the girls was drenched. The bus person apologized, but when the waitress came by later she didn't say anything. In this instance I thought the girls should have been offered a complimentary lunch. The cost would have been minimal ($20) but the goodwill would have been tremendous.

I am in complete agreement. Drenched is a bit more than a slight spill. The manager should have not only come to the table and apologized, but comped the lunch as well. Depending on how she was dressed, the dry cleaning bill alone could easily approach $20 or more. Did the waitress not notice? Did the girls not say anything?

[eatmorepesto]

The girls were dressed in jeans so dry cleaning wasn't a factor. I wouldn't have liked to be so wet because it was cold yesterday. I was surprised the waitress didn't say anything. It was impossible not to notice - water and ice cubes everywhere, the wet girls. The girls started to help clean up. I wouldn't have done that. I would have moved to another table. I don't think they said anything to the waitress.