“It takes months to find a customer … seconds to lose one.” – Vince Lombardi
On July 4th, we wanted to do something different for the celebration and fireworks so we decided on a “progressive dinner.” We’d have appetizers at one restaurant, salad at a second, and a third for dinner.
The appetizer course went off without a hitch. We had great seats on the river, with a spectacular view of the boats, kayaks, and paddleboards as people took advantage of the perfect summer day.
The salad course – not so much. The tables were about 10% full, but there was a 15-20 minute wait. Ok, we went to the bar to wait. There were lots of tables outside, and we asked if we could sit there while we waited for our table; one of the servers said, “Sure,” so we did. No sooner than we got comfortable, the hostess told us that those tables were reserved for the waitlist, and we weren’t allowed to sit there. We went to the upstairs deck for a while and decided not to wait, so we left.
We had a perfect spot on the roof for the dinner course – which was great for fireworks. We ordered our meals, and three of the four meals arrived. I asked the server, “Is my meal on its way?” He asked what I ordered and said there was a “mishap in the kitchen,” and he would go check on it.
I watched him casually walk inside and then race downstairs – and I knew then that he had forgotten to place my order. No big deal – we were having a great conversation and weren’t in a hurry since we were there for the fireworks.
My meal finally arrived and was delicious – even though my friends were already done eating by that time. Not only did he and the manager apologize profusely for the mixup, but when the bill came, not only did they comp my dinner, but they threw in dessert as well.
In these times when everyone is short-staffed, and food prices are outrageous for restaurants, it’s nice to see that they went the extra mile to take care of their customers. Will I go back again? Absolutely!
It’s not the fact that mistakes are made – it’s what happens afterward. Owning up to your mistakes and going above and beyond to fix the problem creates loyal customers and raving fans.
What’s your favorite customer service story? You can either entertain me with the worst service or share when someone made it right.
I appreciate you!
Have fun,
Lisa
PS – The restaurants that got it right were Collision Bend for appetizers and Alley Cat Oyster Bar for dinner. Let’s just leave the other place unnamed!
