Look - I know so many of us have carried on about customer service in so many forums ad nauseum. I've bored myself senseless lying in bed at night thinking back to an instance of same that occurred that day and frustrated the crap out of me.
BUT IT'S DRIVING ME BATTY (OR BATTIER).
How xxxxxxx hard is it to think of someone else (other than yourself) when you are in a customer service job?
I have assembled the following list of questions for restaurant owners to ask of prospective employees to ensure this fine tradition of totally ignoring your customers is continued.
1. When a customer enters the restaurant, standing waiting at the entrance looking expectantly round for someone to attend to them, do you a) take out your lipstick, apply it carefully then sit down at the nearest table to take your coffee break or b) approach them, seat them, offer them a menu and generally make them welcome or c) tell them to go away as the kitchen closed 10 mins ago, even though it is only 7.30 pm?
2. If the menu has a number of items which refer the reader to the waitperson to enquire about the Soup of the day, Fish of the day, Roast of the day, Seafood Platter of the day, Catch of the day etc etc, do you a) make it up or b) tell them they're all not available tonight due to an electrical outage (because you can't be bothered trekking all the way out to the kitchen to ask chef) or c) have previously thought to ask chef at the start of your shift that night or d) don't tell them anything?
3. If the customer indicates in any way that they would like something else in the restaurant, like dessert or coffee or a port or liqueur, do you a) get the menu for them, take the order then bring them what they want or b) promise "a" but forget about them and go home or c) ignore them?
I could go on but maybe you've got the drift of my message here.
I ate out for lunch and dinner last night. Not happy. Dinner was at Hadleys. Not the venue that immediately springs to mind when considering an evening of gastronomic delights, I must confess. But - a call from a much loved man in my life who was in Hobart for the night prompted us to endure the Hadleys dining experience. As Wayne from Wayne's Car Sales on that horrible ad on TV says, "Why did I do it?"
Company was fantastic (luckily) and Bob restrained me admirably from getting up and slapping the waiting staff in my middle aged frustration at the deplorable lack of service from the SIX staff scurrying around the dining room doing - WHAT??? It certainly wasn't servicing our table.
I'm feeling another heart attack coming on so I'll finish my rant here.
Take it from me - Hadleys - tell 'em they're dreaming!
Thursday, 19 April 2007
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Hi Rita, going backwards through these posts, I can see the the theme developing. AND QUITE RIGHTLY SO. Best service I've had lately was Sat night at the Caz. Young Acheivers Awards, so alt drops and all that horror, but VERY good, attentive service.Worst in past two weeks was at Mezethes - staff really couldn't give a damn; sounds like arepeat of your story. Staffing levels amaze me too, sometimes the most extravagantly staffed places offer shit service as norm. I always think back fondly to the old days of the old Paris - one smiling front of house running the floor with quiet efficiency. Sure these places have more seats, but how hard can it be? I personally think the presence of someone senior who gives a damn makes a real difference.
And my word, haen't you been out and about a bit!
I forgot to say that when i walk into a place and they say "You right?" I usually walk back out again. I would like to say "Yes, almost always" but have never said it out loud (yet)
Onya Kitty. So pleased you've dropped in today to Comment.
And yes, I DO seem to have been out and about a fair bit lately.
Think I can claim it on tax?
Can't agree more Rita. After working 5+ years in the hospitality and retail industries (from aged 14 and 9 months to 20 and 6 months), and I can honestly say putting the customers first every single shift I did and always leaving personal stuff at the door, I get incredibly irate when I'm not treated with the respect I've given out over the years. It's not that hard, especially if the customer is being nice and rational in their desires. Absolutely no excuse for bad behaviour, and managers need to prioritise customer service more highly. Here endeth the rant, S.
Hi Rita –
I seem to recall a few years back Dohertys relaunched the restaurant in Hadleys as 1834 (with much hoopla and a cohort of invited hangers-on of which I may have been one). Despite this, I sat through a couple of very average lunches, a savagely ordinary dinner with family friends and shared a truly execrable pizza (warm on top, cold and soggy at the base) with Josie at their St Helen joint before enacting my Dohertys restaurant general standing order…
Never go further than the bar (cuz the food is always a disappointment).
Mind you, over the odd drink at the Lobby Bar it's always fun to watch: Hobart advertising types pretending they’re in Sydney, political advisers playing “my minister’s tougher than your minister” and memorably, an American tourist yelping like a deb at a paintball tournament when a barman used a kitchen knife to smooth out the head of his Guinness.
(Hmmm, as none of the above has anything to do with service standards I think I'll be quiet now)
I just had to share my tragic eating out experience of last evening with you Rita....
The Nellie Family found itself on the waterfront at 5pm and the young ones were hungry for their dinner (so were the old ones, actually), and in an attempt to avoid the high fat/guilt trip involved in a fish'n'chip frenzy, we naively thought we'd try the "Fit Burger" place next to Fish Frenzy.
Food aside (forgetable and average), the most horrific thing happened. We had just settled ourselves at a table after ordering at the counter, when suddenly the giant projection tv screen (about 2 square metres!!) lit up with Bert Newton's scary frozen face. Then at full volume the waitress proceeded to sit down at a table and watch Family Feud (I think it's called).
OH MY GOD.
Seriously, we were sitting in a small room with a tv screen taking up almost one entire wall, with any conversation impossible due to Bert's booming voice.
The only other patrons, a German tourist couple, were clearly gob-smacked. As were we: the children have never been exposed to game shows for starters !!!! Or Bert Newton, come to think of it....
We left as soon as we could drag the baby from the high chair and the toddler from her bowl of greasy hot chips (sobbing).
Another sublime dining experience.
Sophie - you're right. Glad you stuck to your (serving) guns when you were serving people. I had that same thought as you suggested about Managers, at Hadleys the other night & looked at all those scurrying staff, in vain, for one who looked like they might be the one in charge. I was actually curious, given their poor serving performance, as to the person who was "leading" them.
Pussycat - your comment hits the spot. And thanks for providing me with the actual name of the restaurant within Hadleys that we had that excrable service the other night. In my ire, it had totally left me, but "1834" is the venue to avoid! I take your hint about your Dohertys standing order! If it hadn't been one of mine, it is now!
Nellie - how awful! I can't believe a) it happened or b) you left like that without saying or doing something, knowing you as I do! Seriously, do you think a phone call to owner is in order?
Not a food event, Rita, but a drinks one that fits in with the fit-burger theme.
Called into Beachside Hotel at Kingston bottle shop for some wine. The (friendly) young bloke assistant had a ghetto blaster with the bass wound up to 10 hammering away in the tiny bottleo.
He never thought of turning it down even when I was paying by card,and he had to ask ``credit or savings'' etc.
He had it tuned to an FM pop station churning out trash.
Unbelievable. Keeps him entertained I suppose, cos the place was dead otherwise.
Sir Grumpy
Wondered where you had got to Sir Grumpy.
Although I take your point about the young guy and the radio at the Beachside, I reckon that kind of job would be one where you'd have to have something like that going on to keep you there.
Hi Rita
I do understand that one person's dining experience can be very different from another's. And I haven't checked out Hadley's evening staff. But I do know that when I took an elderly couple to Hadley's for lunch earlier this year the staff couldn't have been more helpful. One of my lunch companions has Alzheimer's, and the staff gave us privacy, good service, and an "off the menu" sandwich which was easy for her to eat. So while I think the food is so-so, I couldn't fault the girls who were so helpful.
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