Customer Service — Above and Beyond at Cafe’ Eau
The restaurant business is fickle. You can be on top of the world one day and the next day find a room full of empty tables. The market reaction isn’t quite that quick, but the point is word of a few bad experiences spreads fast and soon customers have moved on.
That’s why I want to share an experience that happened to me last week that is a perfect example of the right way restaurant’s should treat customers to maintain a loyal base.
My husband and I decided to try a neighborhood restaurant known for its beautiful out-door dining. After being stuck inside during the horrible winter weather, we were ready for a little sunshine.
We were seated right away, ordered drinks and an appetizer and enjoyed relaxing in the ambience. When our waitress, Amber, returned, we gave her our dinner order. I selected a New York strip steak, medium rare — and I emphasized on the rare side. She smiled and nodded, indicating she understood.
Unfortunately, when our food arrived my steak was medium at best. Definitely not medium rare. However, I’m not a complainer and decided it wasn’t worth making an issue out of it.
I had eaten about half the steak — which was all I wanted — when the manager, Tony, stopped by.
“Is everything to your liking,” he inquired.
“Yes, it’s all fine,” I replied.
“Was your steak prepared to the right temperature,” he asked?
“Well, now that you’ve asked me, no it wasn’t. I asked for medium rare,” I said.
Tony looked at my steak and said, “That’s definitely not medium rare.”
Then he insisted on returning the steak to the kitchen to make sure they knew that this is not the way to serve a medium rare steak. And despite my protest, he brought me a new meal, packaged to take home.
I was wowed at his proactive management of the situation. He could have easily walked away and let the whole thing slide because I really wasn’t making any issue out of the incorrectly cooked steak. However, I also wouldn’t have been too excited about returning to this restaurant in the near future. Now, my husband and I will definitely return. Tony turned an average experience into a WOW! experience.
Think about your own business. Are you going above and beyond to provide the best customer experience. Being good isn’t enough in today’s competitive market. You need to WOW your customers to build a loyal brand following.
Thanks to Tony and Amber for the great service. We’ll see you at Cafe’ Eau soon.
http://www.chaseparkplaza.com/diningEntertainment-en.html