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Customer Service – don’t let it hurt your guest experience

Mar 23, 2012

I recently visited a popular local fast-casual chicken restaurant after needing a quick, hot dinner. However, I always call in my order first then pick it up to avoid any wait time since it does take a good fifteen to twenty minutes to receive my order. After all, I am a regular to this establishment and know the ropes by now.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, I let the two young men at the counter know my name and what I ordered. They gazed at me puzzled because they did not recognize my order. After a couple of minutes shuffling around order tickets, one worker pointed to the other that he did not put my order in the system. Suffice it to say, I was disappointed that I had to wait an additional 15 minutes for my food, which was the reason I called in my order in the first place. Interestingly, the restaurant had not a single guest in there, so I had to wonder how any confusion could arise from my phone order. Additionally, there were no other efforts to compensate for the time I had to wait. And to top it off, when my food was finally ready, the server asked me if I had paid yet, even though I had paid him 15 minutes earlier.

This is a real example of poor restaurant guest service and experience on a few levels. I have to admit, this recent trip left me rather annoyed and made me question if I should even ever visit them again.

If you are a restaurant owner do not let your guest leave with a bad taste in their mouth (literally and figuratively) because they may choose to never come back and better yet, tell their friends about their bad experience!

How good is the guest experience at your restaurant? These two simple points can make a world of difference:

1) Phone-ordering system: what kind of system do you have in place when it comes to phone orders? Make sure it is straightforward and does not get confused with dine-in orders (same for online orders). Also, if possible, create a check-out line just for take-out orders – this allows shorter lines for dine-in guests and more organization.

2) Customer service training: mistakes happen because we are all humans, after all! But when they do happen, how do you tell your staff how to handle them? There should always be a plan in place for good customer service, especially when you are at fault. Ensure your staff is apologetic and possibly allowing the offer the customer a discount on the meal, a free replacement, or complimentary drinks/sides etc.

Read more about The Finer Points of Good Service in our March newsletter.

Sometimes, a small mix-up coupled with poor customer service is all it takes to lose a customer forever. If you are unsure about what areas of improvement your restaurant needs, contact Synergy.