I was at Pecora late yesterday afternoon lining up a Christmas function with Luke and Katrina. After we'd dealt with the business aspect, we then naturally started chatting about things generally, during which time they spoke about a customer they'd had earlier in the day.
When the time came to settle the account, this lady had expressed the opinion to attendant that not only had she not enjoyed the food there but she would make it her business to NOT recommend Pecora to anyone else. She basically said she preferred the type of meal where you got all your accepted standard food groups in the meal - ie, I presume, she wanted the basic meat and three veg.
I found that an interesting topic to debate with myself as I drifted off to sleep last night.
As I pointed out to Luke, that is the very reason I love Pecora - because they push the envelope. They don't just slop down in front of you two packet-gravy-smothered lamb chops with accompanying (defrosted) peas and carrots, and mash. (All of this while you sit on the balcony watching the cute lambs frolicking in the paddock in front of you!!).
(Not that I have any objections to that Lamb Chop meal either, by the way. I would guts into it quick as a wink if you handed it to me on the plate, all cooked and ready for me to eat, as I entered my house after an exhausting day at work!)
No. My issue is the way it was handled by the customer. I believe anyone has a right to express their opinions. It was a fair call for the lady to have had an expectation, then find it not met and tell them. But to then continue and say she was (basically) going to bad-mouth them to all her friends seems to me to be malicious and unnecessary.
It seems to be a kind of an insult to the rest of us. She's not (in her own mind) allowing there to be any other opinion of the matter except her own in the judgement of Pecora's food.
It upset the staff member to whom she made the complaint; it concerned Luke and Katrina, both of whom strive for excellence in their business; it gave me great cause for thought, and, I must admit, a bit of embarrassment on behalf of Tasmanians (given that Luke and Katrina are newcomers to the state trying their hardest to make a go of it and support their locals).
Oh well - when push comes to shove, we have to deal with it, but when I rule the world, I know with certainty what kind of people I will be putting into rehab!
Saturday, 10 November 2007
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11 comments:
Customers like this need to accept that there are businesses out there that try to do things a little different and are sucessful because of this. Accept that it was not your cup of tea and move on without this vendetta of sorts.
I had exactly the same happen to me today Rita - trying to push the envelope a little without being contrived (a regular menu item) and we had the same comment and experience from a guest (could it be the same one?). I thought to myself, this really bugs me, but withing half an hour I was over it, contented by the fact that we had 60 other diners who loved the experience, told us that and some even re booked for the future. That is was it is about.
One negative can ruin your day, but in the scheme of things it is only an individuals opinion, and whilst important and valued, it is not the end word on what you do.
Chin up Katrina and Luke - you know we are behind you 100%
This type of customer gives me the shits bigtime.
They rock up & arrogantly assume that all restaurants must serve food that they would like & if they dont, somehow they aren't doing their job properly. What a load of BS & how deluded.
As HRV says, what about the other sixty or so happy diners?
For this person to say that they wont reccommend this cafe based on this self centered & myopic view, borders on the irresponsible.
Different story if they ordered their food, knowing what it was supposed to be & it arrived differently, over-under cooked etc Then they absolutely have a right to complain.
Think of it this way. Would you go to a Thai place & get upset if you couldn't get baked beans, snags & eggs as a dish? Would you then think it appropriate to slag that Thai restaurant off & say they weren't doing their jobs properly because they couldn't do your meal?
I feel sorry for the Pecora staff having to deal with this but customers can throw up some real challenges. I dont agree Rita that this is a problem specific to Tassie though.
All over the country some dead shit rocks up with a bad attitude & we just have to deal with it.
I think it says a lot about a place when they deal effectively with a potential problem customer. Their ability to remain resolute in maintaining a steady course & demonstrate self belief in their product & service & not react just because some asshole comes in with bad-hair-day.
Unfortunately too many restaurants alter their product & service just because of a minority with a loud & irritating voice. In the end after tailoring too often, they just end up being a wishy washy run of the mill joint without any clear & defined sense of self & point of differnec in the market.
The irony is: that same sad asshole who complained is usually the first person to whine to anyone who'll listen, that 'all the restaurants are the same' & 'No body does anything different, it's so boring'.
My advice is stick to your guns & eventually people will come around. If they dont, they're probably not your type of customer anyway & leave them to wallow in their regular troughs!
Thanks for your validation guys. Gobbler - I wasn't meaning it's endemic to Tassie. I just meant I was embarrassed that here were some Tasmanians being rude to our newbies Luke & Kat, when all they're trying to do is push the envelope in the only way they know how.
It seems like we're all in agreement about customers with such bad manners and etiquette as this.
By the way - Luke & Katrina have also eaten at Smolt and couldn't speak more highly of it either, like you Gobbler!
Can't wait till I get there myself to experience what all you people are talking about.
Oh my God. It just happened again tonight!!!!!. Have the older generation forgotten to take their meds today. (no offense to anyone getting on in years). This time our wine list was too expensive and how dare we charge for sides,(they left without paying for $36 worth of food). Several people on the table were clearly emmbaressed. The group were ex politicians which given the current climate says it all.
Stick to your guns and keep the diversity and fun alive!
So your going to tell all your friends how bad it is. Yeah right, what friends? and if they're mates of yours would we want to know them, let or lone serve them.
Just an insight into my mind when we get the same Diazapam popping attention seeking, and dare I say it bully.
As Gobbler says, a genuine complaint, fair enough.
HRV, must be something in the air at the moment. Health department rang me this week, the complainant claims the staff are regulary seen eating from the bins out back. We shared a laugh at this one with the inspector in question when he came to lunch, but it makes you wonder who would contrive such a story and to what end.
Keep having fun Pecora, ignore the crazy's.
HRV - you must have had the antenna up yesterday to attract these aholes!
Cartouche - what do you recommend from your specials list in the bin?
Thank god we can laugh at them, but they DO leave a really bad taste in your mouth when they've 'dealt' with you.
I'm ashamed to admit, too, that they seem to be in the older age group. I understand where they are coming from (a lifetime of the old meat & 3 veg) but they also come from a generational background where there was way more emphasis on good manners, so they shouldn't use age as an excuse for such ignorance and rudeness.
As Cartouche rightly points out - you wouldn't really want to have their friends at your establishment anyway, if they're anything like these delightful customers!
Rita - we ventured to Smolt last night. OMG - I had the special baby clam saffron risotto. I have NEVER EVER EVER tasted anything so good. Perfectly cooked risotto with the smallest bit of crunch, with a wonderful sweetness which I found out later was lemoncello. A good dozen or so baby clams, perfectly steamed and a half dozen or so pieces of scallop grilled and then placed just so to absorb the amazing flavours. It was the most gorgeous yellow colour a true saffron. The serving IMNSHO could have been a bit bigger, but the waitress did say it was smaller than the normal mains.
The "small plates" were great as well. Stephen and I were fighting over the grilled asparagus and beetroot with goats cheese.
Go - you wont be disappointed! We had a bill of just under 120 dollars which included 2 glasses of bubbly, a beer and soft drink, 2 small plates, 2 big plates and a shared desert!
Thanks Rita, antenna is off today. Woke up this morning and had a great ol'chuckle to myself. I do agree with you and wonder about the generational thing. Maybe it's a case of 'grumpy older generation'?
Zelda - geez you lot really know how to reel me in, don't you? I'm making it a number one priority to get along there!
HRV - glad you are over your day yesterday! Yes - hindsight provides you with that space to be able to distance yourself from these shitty occurrences, doesn't it?
The grumpy older generation are definitely in the wrong, and hopefully in the minority. If you ever see me like that (in 20 years time) please SLAP me!
It's a low trick to spread bile about a place.
Sure, as others have said, if they've mucked up your order or service was awful, tell them.
Me and the missus went to a new place recently and it was awful.
But I won't say who it was. I did have a conversation with a shopkeeper locally who mentioned he'd had a bad meal there.
That only came up because I asked him if he'd tried the new place.
We'll give it a while and go back but I want it to succeeed and get better, so I'll put it down to teething trouble and say nowt.
A curry house we go to changed their meal platter recently because of a strident customer.
When the waitress was plating my ``chicken medium'' she put a tiny amount of rice on the plate.
I said i liked it the previous way, with more rice...the meat component was always enough, now it was more.
She said they changed because two customers whinged loud and hard about serving up a dish of ``nearly all rice and no curry''.
(bullshit, I'm sure).
She was happy to give me my meal as before.
Shitty loud customers like this ain't worth having. And bullying young staff like that makes my blood boil.
Did any of you get the customers side of the complaint. I was lunching there.Her main issue was she was still hungry and would've like bread to have been served with her main course seafood salad. I can't see too much wrong with that. I think she actully enjoyed the dish but was still hungry. Which is cool with me.
What a nasty lot you are.
GO PECORA.
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