It's About How We Feel

The consumer's mind is an interesting place.

We make things up and confuse ourselves.

Sometimes its difficult. TV commercials tell us one thing, websites tell us another and finally the menu in a restaurant can say something entirely different. Not to mention that we're consuming an unlimited amount of information every single day.

Because of all these reasons sometimes it's hard to keep things straight. We exaggerate, fib, and blow things out of proportion.

This can be frustrating for servers, employees and managers of the restaurants we visit. They don't understand why we feel the way we do and we don't understand why they can't comprehend our point.

The fact of the matter is, though, it doesn't matter what the manager or server or employee says. It only matters what we say - and more important what we think. Our perception of a restaurant experience, food and service is our reality.

Therefore, this comment below from an Anonymous reader who also happens to be a server at Red Lobster is interesting:

Anonymous said on Red Lobster's Robotic Service and Bland Food:

"I think this sh*t is extremely exagerated and I am a server at red lobster! Don't beleive everything you read in some cheap ass opionionated blog go and find out for yourself. I always give grade A service even to those stupid ass people who order sh*t like lobster pizza with no lobster! Just eat bread damn!"

November 11, 2008 1:40am

I don't need to give a detailed response to this outrageous attack, I have made my point about Red Lobster over and over again. Exaggerated or not it doesn't really matter.

What matters is what guests THINK about restaurants when they leave - true, false, made up, or exaggerated. Their feelings towards a restaurant drives their future decisions, and it plays the #1 role in determining if they will tell their friends.

A restaurant's (and all companies for that matter) job is to ensure that customers FEEL good when they leave. It's not about the customer always being right, it's about making sure you're doing everything you possibly can to make the customer feel good - according to their standards.

My experience at Red Lobster has generated quite a bit of response. All over a lousy, pathetic dinner. Maybe all of the servers who have written in are so angry because they know every word of my detailed account is true.

P.S.: Anonymous server, you want all of us to come in and "experience your service for ourselves". Yet, you're comments above probably don't make anyone feel really good about your "grade A" service. Thanks for proving my point.