Friday, January 18, 2008
Well, all I can say is, it's done. I just contacted my first real vendor and sent the email. This puts me in the mainstream of life, a place that absolutely horrifies me. I know, the woman who could do almost anything, walk on water if need be, is horrified. Yep, scared to death and I will just have to see where this little adventure takes me. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of fear....what is it but FAST EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL! Isn't that what I always tell folks?
Subject change.
I recently went to breakfast with my daughter at local restaurant chain in the Durham area and the experience was "sad" to say the least. The waitress who looked a bit retarded, no disrespect toward the handicap, but if you have mental health issues, working with the public should not be one of your primary job selections...oooops, did I say that?????
Well, anyway, she brought us watered down coffee, (I know, not her fault since she probably did not make the coffee) something we both detest and although my daughters food included all items mentioned in the menu, mine did not. I asked for wheat toast instead of biscuits and I thought I was supposed to get hash browns, however that could be a mistake on my part. The interesting thing is that she never, ever brought my wheat toast. Nope, not ever! She didn't even come back to check on us to see if everything was alright. Damn!
I did not complain because, she has been there since we started going to the place (a couple years) and it is highly unlikely in the day of "not being able to find talented, intelligent, resourceful, articulate, responsible wage slaves" that the restaurant would every reprimand her or acknowledge my complaint.
I will simply not return, never, ever to that restaurant. I say this to restaurant owners and managers:
If you are not doing good business, check 7 things:
1. Check your food. Sit down and eat at your own restaurant. If you think it's nasty, so do your customers.
2. Have your family and the friends you trust check your food. Have them sit down and eat at your restaurant. If someone thinks something is nasty, so do your customers.
3. Stop using dirty mop heads to clean your floors. The sour smell will always, always, always overshadow the sweet and savory aroma of your cuisine. Customer's will think your food is nasty and not return. If your nose does not work, ask one of your customer's how the restaurant smells. Look this is 2008 and times are going to get bad, really bad, before they get better, just ask your customer's their true opinion; preferably customer's who are not repeat offenders, they have probably become immune to the smell.
4. Take food orders yourself. Taking orders yourself will let you know how easy or difficult it is for your wait staff. If it is easy as pie and your wait staff is having difficulty you will either need to re-train or higher individuals with higher intellect...that may also mean paying more. Remember, it's 2008 and today you truly get what you pay for...you pay nothing well you know the rest.
5. Give your wait staff their tips every night. No really, people who know they are going to get money on a daily basis sometimes see that as an incentive. Put a beautifully framed tip chart in each restroom by the paper towel holder. People often use the restroom before leaving a restaurant and this is a pleasant way to remind them to tip. Make it fancy, in calligraphy if possible. DISCLAIMER: IF YOUR RESTROOMS ARE NASTY AND FILTHY THIS WILL NOT WORK AND YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK!!!
6. Model great behavior. If you are the kind of restaurant owner or restaurant manager who is never there or who just has a shitty attitude your staff will pick up on it and mimic the same behavior. You know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and birds of a feather. If you go to a restaurant and the folks act like they just don't care...darlin' they don't...get up and leave and never go back. The best way to send a message that you, the customer will no longer tolerate bad, disrespectful, incompetent service and nasty food is to just "NOT ENGAGE."
7. It's called food service for a reason. The two words go together for a reason people! The entire restaurant experience really involves two things "FOOD and SERVICE." The two are not one or the other, they are joined at the hip, neck, back, leg, thigh whatever, like Siamese twins. You cannot have a good restaurant experience without good food and good service, an issue with either can completely ruin not only the experience but the customer's whole day.
I would rather have only ten great restaurants to choose from than one thousand lousy restaurants trying to be great. The next time you get bad food and/or bad service; don't return, let the restaurant owner figure it out, improve or close. Then we will all be closer to a really great "DIVINE DINE."