How to Resolve a Restaurant Complaint

Making a scene and/or alienating members of the staff are rarely the most effective ways to resolve an issue at a restaurant. Employ a little low-key diplomacy to set things right.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Give your order clearly.

2. Make your requests for service or changes in service tactfully. If you and your business partners are about to be seated next to a family with several youngsters, you might say, "We were hoping for a quiet place to conduct a meeting. All of us would be more comfortable over there."

3. Avoid placing blame directly on an employee or directing disappointment or hostility toward a specific person.

4. Excuse yourself from the table and quietly ask to speak with the manager if you cannot get the service you expect.

5. Write to the restaurant about your complaint if the manager does not or cannot address it immediately. This will give the manager time to investigate, to help you attain resolution, and to help the restaurant solve a potentially recurring problem.

6. Notify your local health department if your complaint concerns more than an incidental health or safety issue. Notify the Food and Drug Administration to report a serious adverse reaction to products that the agency regulates.

Tips & Warnings

• You can avoid a lot of problems by communicating special requests clearly when making reservations, arriving on time, and confirming that your requests have been addressed before you're seated.
• Always ask how long it will take to be seated and served when you're visiting a restaurant without a reservation.
• Enlist the help of customer complaint Web sites to resolve disputes. UGetHeard.com offers templates for you to type your complaint, along with what you would like the company to do. It then forwards the complaint to the company and follows up. Feedback Direct and The Complaint Station, likewise, will send complaints to the appropriate parties and will log in the number of complaints a company receives.

[kims3003]

on 8/7/2009 Very well written!

[RestaurantMan]

on 6/19/2007 Restaurant owners can eliminate many of the complaints guests have by implementing a point of sale computer system. Some POS software packages to consider are MICROS, Aloha, FreePOS, Digital Dining, Maitre'D and Aldelo.

on 8/8/2006 A thousand thing can go wrong in a restaurant. After being a waiter for more than 15 years in a fine restaurant I know this to be true. Most of the time the delay in your food being served or special instructions not being done is not the fault of your server. Unfortunally it is the server who gets the brunt of your anger. Instead make your server an allie. Let them know that you understand that they only serve the food, not make it. This kind of understanding will do wonders and will result in your server try even harder for you to see that all is well. Remember that for every sever there are about 10 other employees who are directly envolve with your order. The server is your representative in the kitchen so it's best to stay on good terms with him. I do agree with several things said especially about being clear about you want. Most of the problems I have seen are directly related to an miscommunication between server and customer.

on 11/22/2005 A thousand thing can go wrong in a restaurant. After being a waiter for more than 15 years in a fine restaurant I know this to be true. Most of the time the delay in your food being served or special instructions not being done is not the fault of your server. Unfortunally it is the server who gets the brunt of your anger. Instead make your server an allie. Let them know that you understand that they only serve the food, not make it. This kind of understanding will do wonders and will result in your server try even harder for you to see that all is well. Remember that for every sever there are about 10 other employees who are directly envolve with your order. The server is your representative in the kitchen so it's best to stay on good terms with him. I do agree with several things said especially about being clear about you want. Most of the problems I have seen are directly related to an miscommunication between server and customer.

on 11/22/2005 It's just a really, really good idea not to annoy the people who prepare the food you're about to put in your mouth. More often than not, SOMEONE who comes into contact with your food isn't being paid enough to care whtat happens to you if you're complaining on the spot.