I have to write this blog after experiencing less than stellar customer service at a restaurant we ate and drank at last evening. Mark was so excited about sharing the experience at this new establishment which is beautifully decorated and the food is really good. High end restaurant that is expanding. We started out the evening at the outside bar enjoying a drink and chatting with the corporate person who is in town to make sure this establishment does really well (large space) so they can earn a reputation of being a "must go to/eat here place". He is a professional and it was enjoyable getting to know him. They have been struggling with issues and earning a reputation of being an excellent place to dine and drink. They have another location in South Florida.
Where there is major room for improvement is in how the wait staff treats the customer. The corporate manager escorted us to a small table near the fountain outside. No waiter was assigned to our table and we waited until we grabbed the waiter serving another table to ask for silverware, a menu and some water. We felt like we were an afterthought and for the next 45 minutes we got some of the food we asked to order and waited for another dish and had to ask the bus boy for a menu to order one more item. A waiter never stopped by and introduced himself, the corporate manager didn't grab a waiter and introduce us so consequently we were left to fend for ourselves (that is how I perceived it). Mark does not allow bad service to continue. He asked to speak to the manager who we never were introduced to. The waiter came by and asked what he could do, Mark told him he didn't like his style or lack of service and we didn't want him as our waiter. We decided to leave and asked for the check and decided to leave. Of course the general manager and the corporate manager came out to speak with us and apologize and wouldn't let us pay the bill. And, they were going to speak with the waiter when really they should have looked at themselves, more so the corporate manager. Pointing fingers is a defense mechanism that is used too frequently by management. Taking responsibility for lack of service starts at the top.
The corporate manager should have introduced us to a waiter, telling him that we were new customers and that I was going to help them be introduced to some key people in the area as that is a strength of mine - connecting people and I know a lot of people in this business community. My intention was to share names of companies who have recently moved into the area who would be excellent referrals as new customers for them. Instead he sat us down and left and at the end of our experience, blamed it on the waiter. The waiter was not proactive. He was serving one other outside table right next to us and never stopped or even acknowledged us. He could have stopped by our table, introduced himself asking us if someone was helping us and offering to take care of us, making sure we had menus, silverware, etc. While in dialog earlier with the corporate manager, the corporate manager should have introduced us to the general manager so the general manager would know what I had suggested about referral business. Never saw the general manager all evening until the end.
Don't know what the outcome will be going forward with this restaurant. Unless they take responsibility from the top to teach staff about the importance of the customer and what it takes to go beyond just serving food and drink, they are going to continue to struggle. They could benefit from reviewing their hiring policy and interviewing techniques to find people who exemplify what service is all about. I wish them well and because of what I experienced will not recommend anyone to their establishment at this point.
No comments:
Post a Comment