By far, one of the most important aspects of a dining experience at a restaurant or bar is customer service. This can make or break a meal right from the start. Customer service starts from the top with the owner and head chef and goes all the way through the chain: the host or hostess, bartender, server, person bussing your table, sommelier, etc. A lot of times, you can really tell how your experience is going to be just by how someone might answer the phone. I have been very fortunate that most of my dining experiences have been stellar from start to finish. And a few experiences really opened my eyes to that fact.
First pet peeve: I always prefer if a server introduces themselves. It is just something that I like to see, really in all customer service positions. Knowing someone’s first name just makes everything a little more personal. On to my bad experience. I had made a reservation for the day before Valentine’s Day, what was expected to be a romantic dinner for my girlfriend and I. It is one of the most reserved restaurants around Valentine’s Day in San Francisco, especially the “special back rooms,” where you have your own booths. On a busy Friday, we were running late and still had to cross the bridge, so I made sure to call about an hour ahead of time to let the restaurant know that we might be running a little late. The hostess who answered was nice at first. But then, she sternly told me that we had to be out by a certain time because the room was reserved an hour after us. I assured her that was fine and we would make it as soon as we could. We ended up showing up 15 minutes late and that same hostess mentioned again that we had to be out by a certain time. Now I was getting upset. I really don’t need someone telling me how quickly to eat. I knew we would be out on time and almost wanted to tell her how rude she was being. We were seated and the dinner was fine. But it just seemed like everything was rushed. Like they didn’t ask how things were, if we were finished... they just wanted to get our butts out and seat the next reservation. It was almost like we were a herd of cattle and they were just raking in the dough. I left one of the smallest tips I have ever left at a restaurant and vowed never to go again. It was the worst dining experience I have had in San Francisco.
That brings me to my most recent night out. My friend was planning a dinner party for her husband at a restaurant in Pleasanton. We had nine people and it was a pre-fixed meal, with dinner theater included. Service seemed okay at first, although a little slow at the beginning. We were served our salads and as we were all finishing, one of the members of our party showed us something interesting he had found in his salad....a nut. And I’m not talking about a peanut or walnut, it was actually a metal nut, like a nut and bolt. We were all shocked and when we told the wait staff, they looked like they didn’t really know what to do.
We continued on with dinner and probably about 20-30 minutes later, someone from the restaurant came out and asked our friend if he was okay and offered him a free drink, which was a nice touch. But honestly, the consensus at our table was that his meal should have at least been comped. It’s not like the meal was cheap. And what would have happened if he had bitten into the nut and broken a tooth? My friend asked the restaurant manager about their policy after dinner and they made mention that they had asked the chef if he knew how it got in the dish, which he said he didn’t. Then, they had the gall to mention that they thought our friend had put the nut in the dish. Explaining that you might not want to comp a meal is understandable. But accusing someone who had just paid $65 per head for a special dinner that someone in her party had planted a nut in their meal is an absolute joke. Overall, an embarrassing experience and a restaurant I will never go to again.
I have been in the customer service industry. I worked for five years as manager of the outside services staff at a private golf club and our main goal was to always provide the best in customer service to everyone who came out to the course. In reality, great customer service skills take a lot of hard work and dedication. You have to treat every day and every person differently. Some members I could joke around with, others I left alone. But no matter what, no matter how busy I was, I always tried to do everything in my power to make each golfer’s experience a great one. That is the same exact attitude every restaurant and bar should have. You might be having a horrible day. But just a little attention to detail and showing you care can make your customer’s day that much better.
I truly rate customer service in the same vein as the quality of food at a restaurant. It can add or subtract from your dining experience and should be a seamless part of the meal. For the most part, I have had great experience; but some have left my me scratching my head. Hope for the best in all your meals out!
First pet peeve: I always prefer if a server introduces themselves. It is just something that I like to see, really in all customer service positions. Knowing someone’s first name just makes everything a little more personal. On to my bad experience. I had made a reservation for the day before Valentine’s Day, what was expected to be a romantic dinner for my girlfriend and I. It is one of the most reserved restaurants around Valentine’s Day in San Francisco, especially the “special back rooms,” where you have your own booths. On a busy Friday, we were running late and still had to cross the bridge, so I made sure to call about an hour ahead of time to let the restaurant know that we might be running a little late. The hostess who answered was nice at first. But then, she sternly told me that we had to be out by a certain time because the room was reserved an hour after us. I assured her that was fine and we would make it as soon as we could. We ended up showing up 15 minutes late and that same hostess mentioned again that we had to be out by a certain time. Now I was getting upset. I really don’t need someone telling me how quickly to eat. I knew we would be out on time and almost wanted to tell her how rude she was being. We were seated and the dinner was fine. But it just seemed like everything was rushed. Like they didn’t ask how things were, if we were finished... they just wanted to get our butts out and seat the next reservation. It was almost like we were a herd of cattle and they were just raking in the dough. I left one of the smallest tips I have ever left at a restaurant and vowed never to go again. It was the worst dining experience I have had in San Francisco.
That brings me to my most recent night out. My friend was planning a dinner party for her husband at a restaurant in Pleasanton. We had nine people and it was a pre-fixed meal, with dinner theater included. Service seemed okay at first, although a little slow at the beginning. We were served our salads and as we were all finishing, one of the members of our party showed us something interesting he had found in his salad....a nut. And I’m not talking about a peanut or walnut, it was actually a metal nut, like a nut and bolt. We were all shocked and when we told the wait staff, they looked like they didn’t really know what to do.
We continued on with dinner and probably about 20-30 minutes later, someone from the restaurant came out and asked our friend if he was okay and offered him a free drink, which was a nice touch. But honestly, the consensus at our table was that his meal should have at least been comped. It’s not like the meal was cheap. And what would have happened if he had bitten into the nut and broken a tooth? My friend asked the restaurant manager about their policy after dinner and they made mention that they had asked the chef if he knew how it got in the dish, which he said he didn’t. Then, they had the gall to mention that they thought our friend had put the nut in the dish. Explaining that you might not want to comp a meal is understandable. But accusing someone who had just paid $65 per head for a special dinner that someone in her party had planted a nut in their meal is an absolute joke. Overall, an embarrassing experience and a restaurant I will never go to again.
I have been in the customer service industry. I worked for five years as manager of the outside services staff at a private golf club and our main goal was to always provide the best in customer service to everyone who came out to the course. In reality, great customer service skills take a lot of hard work and dedication. You have to treat every day and every person differently. Some members I could joke around with, others I left alone. But no matter what, no matter how busy I was, I always tried to do everything in my power to make each golfer’s experience a great one. That is the same exact attitude every restaurant and bar should have. You might be having a horrible day. But just a little attention to detail and showing you care can make your customer’s day that much better.
I truly rate customer service in the same vein as the quality of food at a restaurant. It can add or subtract from your dining experience and should be a seamless part of the meal. For the most part, I have had great experience; but some have left my me scratching my head. Hope for the best in all your meals out!
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