Eating out - and how to have a good experience

Restaurants that just don't care. Get your revenge! 

 

I don't know about you, but when I dine out, I'm not there just to fill my belly. I'm there for the whole experience. To enjoy time with my friends, family or companion, to soak in the atmosphere, enjoy reasonably priced food comparable to the quality, and, of course, to receive customer service that is such that it does not negatively impact on that experience. 

I don't expect awesome customer service every time, just be adequate. Dealing with poor customer service when I am paying for a decent meal really **** me off. I don't like to be hurried. Don't reach across me when I am still eating to get at another's empty plate. Don't start sweeping around the table to close up when you haven't even asked if we want dessert or coffee. 

These are all annoying things I often experience at dining establishments that I usually just let slide. But what I won't let slide, and worst of all, is when bad customer service negatively impacts my experience so much that it becomes what the evening, or day, is all about. I have had some experiences like this. Some real doozies, in fact. 

For example, I once ordered a well done steak at a fine dining restaurant that came out bloody, my chips soaking in the red runny liquid. When I dared ask for this to be rectified, I was spoken to so badly by one of the owner/managers that I actually stormed out of the restaurant (something I have never done before), leaving my five dining companions to all enjoy free meals as a penitence while I went hungry. 

Another time when service was severely lacking at our table of six, another dining companion asked the manager if they were short-staffed, as we had virtually been ignored, and actually had to get up to ask about ordering dessert while our empty lunch plates and empty glasses sat for for over half an hour. And yes, the manager actually escalated the discussion into a yelling match - so much so that it impacted on the diners around us as well.

There have been more. Each time I have penned a carefully written letter to the owner or manager letting them know what happened and expressing my concerns. After all - how else are they to know how their establishments are being run, and how the experience reflects on the reputation of their business? 

I have to say, with perhaps a single exception, I have never received so much as an acknowledgement of my feedback. This annoys me. A rule of marketing states that for every one customer that complains, ten more don't bother. But they will talk about this experience to as many as ten other people. 

So if I have taken the time to let you know about a negative experience that I paid for in your business - to me - the business owner should care enough to want to investigate and rectify the incident. Or acknowledge the correspondence, in the least!

But I guess that's just me. Perhaps they think it's a customer lost anyway, so why bother? Well, it could actually be an opportunity to improve the business, rectify holes in the system, and perhaps even gain a loyal customer by treating the complaint with care. But I must be virtually alone in this thinking, because this has never happened. 

So I don't bother expending energy on this form of complaint any more. Instead, I pen the same information, but on the World Wide Web. That's right, I air their dirty linen where the whole world can see it. More importantly, where potential customers can see it. 

I now hit the review sites - and there are plenty of them. Urban Spoon, for example, is a popular global one that lists many local restaurants in my area. I will rate your restaurant down, tell everyone what I think of your service, food and menu. 

90% Of Customers Say Buying Decisions Are Influenced By Online Reviews (via MarketingLand)

But the upshot of this is I now also add my opinions on the restaurants where I have had a good experience. I will rate your restaurant up, praise your service and menu, and tell potential customers to give it a go. That is also the benefit of providing customers with a good experience. 

Hitting review sites is how more and more people these days decide where to go for an occasion or a night out (or to buy a product). And I tell you, I am not the only one out there reviewing. There is an abundance of blogging and review sites that are available. Business managers and owners would do well to monitor these sites, and the feedback, and manage the public discussions taking place.

I recommend the next time you go out, check out one of these sites first, and see what other people think. Better yet, get fingers to keyboard and let others know how you feel about your favourite (or least favourite) restaurant. That way, next time you're mad as hell, or happy as a pig in poo, you can share it with the world! And perhaps save someone else from a disappointing evening! 

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Some restaurant review sites are below, or just Google a particular restaurant or dining reviews in your local area, and you will get many options to choose from.

Urban Spoon - www.urbanspoon.com

Australian Good Food Guide -www.agfg.com.au

Eatability - www.eatability.com.au

Taste - www.taste.com.au

If you're looking for a good restaurant while travelling overseas, try Trip Advisor www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurants. They also give reviews on hotels and other travel services.