Yes, I KNOW I've bored the pants off you too many times about customer service, but I just want to write about THE most outstanding example of this I have ever received.
It happened last night. Rita was doing something very rare for her - eating out at yet another restaurant! This time I am NOT going to name it, because this isn't a restaurant review. It's a post about brilliant customer service.
I have had a persistant chest cough for the past few weeks. It's been annoying me (and presumably those around me), but I haven't done anything about it except wait for it to improve.
Dining out last night, I was just doing the usual - ordering, chatting, eating, laughing, and, of course, coughing intermittently etc.
I had requested water at the beginning of the meal, so was slowly sipping on that when waitperson came solicituously to the table and placed a cup and saucer down in front of me. In the cup was freshly sliced lemon slices and fresh sliced ginger in hot water with some honey.
She urged me to sip on this and she felt sure my cough would abate!
I hadn't ordered this, or even made a comment to her about it. She just did it, off her own bat. Because she is a nice, caring human being.
Can anyone top that for customer service?
Monday, 26 November 2007
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Sorry Rita about your cough.
But it wasn't as altruistic in the restaurant last night as you thought.
I was there and overheard it.
The head waiter said: ``Crikey has someone brought a noisy cockatoo in here or what?''
Waitperson: ``No boss, it's Rita, she's giving us all the shits with her cough.
``Chef says if she doesn't bloody stop it now he's walking....and you know how hard it is to get decent staff...read Rita's blog.''
Head waiter: ``Right, get on the bloody laptop and Google coughs remedy and let's stop Rita emptying the joint.''
Five mins later your drink was delivered.
Head waiter: ``Disguise the cost of that drink somehow...charge her for a half bottle of dessert wine or raspberry cordial ..she's a food blogger, she'll think it's Tokay''.
Sir Grumpy! You truly are an arsehole! And you really know how to the the piss properly! I love this Comment! You obviously know me through and through with the dessert wine throw away line too!
I'll cop this well and truly on the chin!
Sorry, Rita, couldn't help meself...but you know I really do hope your cough goes soon.
Cheers.
Oh Sir G - you went & spoiled it by apologising! Thanks anyway. x
Right so, if you were delivered poor customer service you wouldnt have any worries naming the restaurant, but soon as someone gives you decent service you won't name it because it isn't a review? Common, credit where credit's due.
Hey there grumpy Anon - I didn't name the restaurant because I've reviewed them twice before already! It's boring doing a third review - and the post WAS about the great customer service I received.
Try reading through my posts and pick up a thread. I think you'll find I comment on both good and bad service. I definitely don't discriminate there.
I'll go out on a limb and suggest that the customer service received in this instance is more a reflection on the waiter rather than the restaurant. Perhaps posting the waiters name (if permitted) and allowing some head-hunting to occur would be a good idea.
Blimey, Rita, there's no pleasing this lot!
Glad I don't run a restaurant, or work in one (yes, yes, blog whingers, you're probably gald too).
Glad even.
Hi Forde - the provider of this exceptional customer service was in fact the owner of the business - so I reckon your chances of poaching this person are Buckleys!
Sir G - you're right! It's hard to make all the people happy all the time!
Rita I suspect you may have already given us enought clues about this restaurant. If the waitperson solicitously gave you a drink of lemon, ginger and honey I suspect it may have been an Asian restaurant probably Chinese. Am I warm?
How smart are you, Sherlock?
OK - it WAS Chinese!
Holmes, if we know it was a Chinese restaurant that has been previously reviewed by Rita then we should be able to produce a short-list that contains the name of the mystery restaurant.
Watson
Go for it, Watson! I'm watching with interest!
Correct Watson. So if you can come up with a list of Chinese restaurants reviewed by Rita, we may not only identify the mystery restaurant, but we may also be able to reveal the identity of the truly excellent waitperson.
Holmes
Let me assist you guys:
The Bund in Shanghai
Lee How Fook
Me Wah
What! The owner of the business was: actually on the premises, working and had customer service skills...Madness, don't they know this is Tasmania.
Thank you Rita for the names of Chinese restaurants you have reviewed and for providing links to the reviews in your "Rita has reviewed the following places" section. The links are very helpful as it can be quite tedious trawling through the archives to find an old review.
Now to you Holmes.
Rita made the following comments in relation to service in her reviews of the three Chinese restaurants.
The Bund in Shanghai.
"I absolutely loved it. The service was absolutely spot-on. The lady in charge (who owns the restaurant, so she told us on my enquiring) was extremely friendly, happy, courteous, helpful and caring - everything I wish ALL restaurants could emulate. She was gorgeous."
Lee How Fook
"Linda is the matriarch of this family-owned and run business, and she is the main front of house person. She runs the place like clockwork. She is unpretentious, efficient, friendly, happy and knows exactly what's going on both in the kitchen and restaurant."
Me Wah
"The place was buzzing. Staff were busily but not frantically working their butts off. Everything seemed totally controlled and calm despite the number of people dining. Most impressive."
On the basis of the above I think we can exclude Me Wah, but I can't split The Bund and Lee How Fook.
Watson
My dear Watson this is far from elementary so I'm buggered if I know.
It looks like we have failed to achieve our objective and will just have to content ourselves with a sub-optimal outcome.
I would still like to know if it was one of the final two on our short-list.
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