How to Repair a Bad Customer Experience at a Restaurant

Good customer service requires listening carefully to customer complaints.

According to the National Restaurant Association, America is home to nearly a million places to eat out. Restaurants everywhere seek to attract new patrons and keep current customers. One way to do so is to make sure that customers are fully satisfied. An unhappy customer should be treated with respect. A restaurant owner and manager should take his complaints under full consideration. Patrons can help managers find and fix essential flaws leading to a better experience for everyone.

Instructions

1. Address the problem immediately. As soon as you know the customer has had a bad experience, confront it. If the customer sends an email or writes a letter, the complaint should be answered with a polite notification that the restaurant knows about the problem. If the customer wants to speak to a manager, don't wait until he's about to leave the restaurant. Speak with him as soon as you can.

2. Ask for specifics. Find out as many details as you can. If the customer is unhappy about the food, ask them to describe exactly what they think went wrong with it. If the customer hesitates, ask them for such details as the temperature, texture, specific ingredients used and method of preparation. If the customer has an issue with the service or the physical setting ask them questions about the cleanliness of the surroundings and tone of voice used by the person.

3. Listen attentively and take notes as the customer speaks. Customers often want to make sure someone in charge hears them after a bad experience. Show you are engaging in active listening as they speak by repeating what they have said back to them in their own words. Write down their words and ask them for more details as they speak.

4. Offer compensation appropriate to the complaint. If the customer is upset with the composition of the appetizer, offer to remove it from the bill. If the customer is upset about the service, offer the patron the chance to come to the restaurant free when the waiter is not on duty.

5. Thank the customer. Tell the customer you are grateful he has brought a problem to your attention. Let them know that you appreciate the time they took to provide you with valuable feedback. If the customer has voiced a complaint about the food thank them for helping you to make the food taste better and appeal to more customers.

References

• National Restaurant Association: Dining Guides
• Customer Service Manager: Effective Ways to Handle Customer Complaints