In this story from several months ago I express my anger with First Watch for giving us poor service....specifically not refilling our drinks. Below is a recent comment from a reader. Click the title to read the full post.
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you suck you moron! Do you think servers set the price of drinks? Do you think we have time to enable your sick delusions of overpaying for a tea or a soft drink? Regardless of what you might think or actually because of what you obviously dont know.... You aren't our only customer!!!! If you're that thirsty or cheap you putz kindly ask for the server to bring you two drinks instead of one! That way you fan guzzle to your hearts content and STILL let her get on with her job! Ignoramus!!!!!!!
I'm not too horribly offended by your written attack on my dining preferences and service expectations. I'm much more alarmed by something entirely different......you said I wasn't First Watch's only customer.
I hope that throughout the rest of this post I can get you to wrap your small brain around a simple idea: I AM YOUR ONLY CUSTOMER!
In a world of restaurants where I have hundreds.....no THOUSANDS of choices, shouldn't you be doing everything in your power to keep me a happy paying customer who returns again and again?
If you worked at the only restaurant in New York City, then you could tell me that I'm not your only customer. It's not the 1950s - now restaurants are a commodity and I have choices. I choose based on service, quality, convenience and overall atmosphere.
Restaurants that don't understand the concept that their customers own them will eventually falter. Those that follow the practice of. "I'm a restaurant, I'm better than you, You're lucky you have me." will eventually become extinct.
Remember Bennigan's? Remember Steak & Ale? Remember Shells? Remember Starbucks (before they were forced to close 600 stores)?
They all believed that the people who came in weren't their ONLY customer. It only takes a matter of time before people start to catch on, they notice something different, they don't feel as important as they used to and then suddenly it spreads. People stop coming.
I'm sure that Bennigan's, Steak & Ale or Shells WISHES I was their customer. Starbucks would LOVE for me to come back.
Restaurants win when they exceed expectations, offer remarkable service and deliver an experience that you can't find anywhere else.
In a world where Chick-Fil-A fills your drink up for you, Carrabba's gives away free dessert, Chipotle has naturally raised products and restaurants are popping up all over town....you only have one choice: Treat me like I am the ONLY customer.
Then I'll come back, I'll tell my friends, I'll spend more and you will have me for life.
It's not hard: give me refills, pay attention to my needs, and get my order right.
See Susana? It's simple.
Now who's the moron?
Very nice Dan... We discussed in class how there were only like 50,000 hotels compared to 450,000 restaurants.
ReplyDeleteten bucks says she doesnt even know what a putz is lol
ReplyDeleteWow! Passionate. So, here's the thing: It's not like that post was a complaint because you went somewhere and the service sucked. It's more like: you went somewhere you go AT THE LEAST 2X a week, and your server couldn't keep your drink filled, tried to rush you, and couldn't figure out that a red-spotted omelette isn't the same as a plain yellow omelette. Everytime I go to First Watch with you, we get the same server. She is phenomenol and SOMEHOW manages to keep 6 drinks filled and she never rushes us. So...it's possible, believe it or not. To sum it all up, if a server is good, or has even half of a brain, then ordering 2 drinks at a time is an effort which the customer should NOT have to exert.
ReplyDeleteI understand both sides. I'm a frequent diner that got out of the service industry a long time ago. However, I also see my bf who is a manager for Starbucks. Some of those baristas work so hard only to be treated like scum by a lot of undeserving customers that try to "play" the system. I've seen them. They're picky which is fine if they actually ordered the right thing, but they usually don't. Then they get rude, sometimes yelling obscenities or derogatory comments. Not only do they expect their drink to be remade, but then they expect it for free. Starbucks caters to many, many rude customers, accomodating their every whim, yet sometimes it's still not enough to the customer that only wants a free drink. I can't help but wonder how much the bending over backwards to ensure a customer's happiness cuts into their food expenses and inevitably their profits, resulting in closed stores. The economy is bad, I know. Other coffee competitors are stepping up their game, but at what point does being accomodating hurt your business?
ReplyDeletesomeone didnt take their happy pills today.....
ReplyDelete