Little things matter

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JBloggs

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Just wanted to bring up the little things that matter and can really put you off a meal, and maybe by sharing this, you may think "Hm, I didn't realize that" or "I never thought about that" so here goes...
Took someone out to a very popular diner style restaurant yesterday in another town.
He ordered "homemade beef and vegetable" soup. It arrived lukewarm. After flagging down the waitress, she grabbed it, yes grabbed the bowl and no she was not busy, and took it into the kitchen and we heard beep beep beep as she microwaved it and brought it back. Never apologizing or saying a word.
Wanting some hot sauce and seeing the bottles on the shelf, we requested hot sauce (of course she never asked "Is there anything else I can get you?" Or we would have said YES! HOT SAUCE!)
She brought over a bottle that had about two shakes left in it, and when it was uncapped it was all crusty and gross.
Small small things, but when that is the only thing you ordered, you notice stuff. Slapped the check on the table and never came back. She was wearing mocassins that made a shuffle shuffle sound and she dragged her feet around this very small one room restaurant.
This is typical service in the south (edited to say - not touristy South - touristy has FINE SERVICE!!) We've come to realize that mediocre service is a eureka find. This is very sadly the truth. We never ruffle feathers, we are always ABOVE AND BEYOND polite, and we are the ones paying their bills, the one tipping. It never ceases to amaze me...
So don't give customers bottles of ANYTHING nearly empty! If it is nearly empty like ketchup - give the guest a "serving" in a small bowl or something, please!
 
I concur! The small things make all the difference....
Plus, put on a smile and don't act like you are doing someone a HUGE favor by providing them the service that they are paying for. (Yes, I realize that you are not their servant, but folks do expect service.)
 
I ordered 'Caprese Calda' at one restaurant last week. Now, forgive me, my Italian needs work, but doesn't 'calda' mean 'hot'? (Yes, it does. I know that much!) Cold, right out of the fridge. Cold, winter tomatoes. A tsp of shredded basil. This was a restaurant where the busboy took our order and the server showed up to hand us the bill.
Another place asked us if we wanted bottled water when we sat down and then never asked us again if we wanted anything else to drink.
However, I have great restaurant stories from SoCal. VERY helpful servers, bartenders, even counter people at fast food were nice. One bartender went and printed out directions for us to a nearby restaurant for 'authentic' regional cuisine where he takes his own family.
And the breakfast waitresses and hostesses were all nice in Vegas. But I did notice nowhere did anyone come to the table to ask if you needed anything. Take the order, deliver the food, clear the table, hand over the check. Period.
 
JB said: This is typical service in the south.
You need to come further south
wink_smile.gif
, not saying that it doesn't happen but that statement covers a WIDE area and here, our restaurants know who pays the bills!
SERVICE matters, no matter what type of business you step in, you expect to be waited on in a pleasent manor with all the bells and whistles to go with it. There is this one small town near here that has 'out of towners talking - go to shop, walk in and are totally ignored and if you do get someone to wait on you may wish you hadn't. I have heard one of their towns people say 'if you don't like it, stay away.' And with that attitude, most will and why only a very few businesses survive there - with less than 2000 people, you don't need many.
 
JB said: This is typical service in the south.
You need to come further south
wink_smile.gif
, not saying that it doesn't happen but that statement covers a WIDE area and here, our restaurants know who pays the bills!
SERVICE matters, no matter what type of business you step in, you expect to be waited on in a pleasent manor with all the bells and whistles to go with it. There is this one small town near here that has 'out of towners talking - go to shop, walk in and are totally ignored and if you do get someone to wait on you may wish you hadn't. I have heard one of their towns people say 'if you don't like it, stay away.' And with that attitude, most will and why only a very few businesses survive there - with less than 2000 people, you don't need many..
copperhead said:
JB said: This is typical service in the south.
You need to come further south
wink_smile.gif
, not saying that it doesn't happen but that statement covers a WIDE area and here, our restaurants know who pays the bills!
SERVICE matters, no matter what type of business you step in, you expect to be waited on in a pleasent manor with all the bells and whistles to go with it. There is this one small town near here that has 'out of towners talking - go to shop, walk in and are totally ignored and if you do get someone to wait on you may wish you hadn't. I have heard one of their towns people say 'if you don't like it, stay away.' And with that attitude, most will and why only a very few businesses survive there - with less than 2000 people, you don't need many.
I edited it a bit. Sorry not including broader areas of the south, just my south, right here. haha!
 
JB said: This is typical service in the south.
You need to come further south
wink_smile.gif
, not saying that it doesn't happen but that statement covers a WIDE area and here, our restaurants know who pays the bills!
SERVICE matters, no matter what type of business you step in, you expect to be waited on in a pleasent manor with all the bells and whistles to go with it. There is this one small town near here that has 'out of towners talking - go to shop, walk in and are totally ignored and if you do get someone to wait on you may wish you hadn't. I have heard one of their towns people say 'if you don't like it, stay away.' And with that attitude, most will and why only a very few businesses survive there - with less than 2000 people, you don't need many..
copperhead said:
JB said: This is typical service in the south.
You need to come further south
wink_smile.gif
, not saying that it doesn't happen but that statement covers a WIDE area and here, our restaurants know who pays the bills!
SERVICE matters, no matter what type of business you step in, you expect to be waited on in a pleasent manor with all the bells and whistles to go with it. There is this one small town near here that has 'out of towners talking - go to shop, walk in and are totally ignored and if you do get someone to wait on you may wish you hadn't. I have heard one of their towns people say 'if you don't like it, stay away.' And with that attitude, most will and why only a very few businesses survive there - with less than 2000 people, you don't need many.
I edited it a bit. Sorry not including broader areas of the south, just my south, right here. haha!
 
This is our motto here and we as Innkeepers are also servers, busboys, housekeeping -you get my drift and I was a waitress for many years and I was ALWAYS happy to serve my customers cause THEY pay my wages.
It seems these days its not just going to a restaurant, yesterday for instance; I went to my town Dollar General-yea sometimes you get pretty good deals and I needd some eyeliner and didnt really want to go to Wally world (only big dpt. store in town) and as I was looking around I saw two big bins of clearance makeup (you know if you see that its like a EUREKA find) most of it was Loreal or a name brand makeup and were marked down to 2-3 dollars, if any ladies here wear makeup it takes a while to find right color ect and since these were all just in a box and sorting through it took at least 1/2 hour. So I get to the check out and the cashier started to put it accross and some of the makeup was not marked down when it went through. She then called another employee (thought maybe asst. magr) who had a register key and they talked with eachother and started tossing the makeup into another cart telling me that it did not price right and I could not get it. No "im sorry" she just said I could not get it and put the whole group away. I was not happy and said Well maybe you should remove it from the shelf so that someone else doesnt waste their time. I was still mad when I got home, its like im not important enough...I called the store and no one answered I am definantely going back tomorrow to see if that box is still there and putting the whole damn box on the register...but that just goes to show you what is wrong with customer service these days and why they don't care-cause its just "a job" for them. Its sad really sad.
 
This is our motto here and we as Innkeepers are also servers, busboys, housekeeping -you get my drift and I was a waitress for many years and I was ALWAYS happy to serve my customers cause THEY pay my wages.
It seems these days its not just going to a restaurant, yesterday for instance; I went to my town Dollar General-yea sometimes you get pretty good deals and I needd some eyeliner and didnt really want to go to Wally world (only big dpt. store in town) and as I was looking around I saw two big bins of clearance makeup (you know if you see that its like a EUREKA find) most of it was Loreal or a name brand makeup and were marked down to 2-3 dollars, if any ladies here wear makeup it takes a while to find right color ect and since these were all just in a box and sorting through it took at least 1/2 hour. So I get to the check out and the cashier started to put it accross and some of the makeup was not marked down when it went through. She then called another employee (thought maybe asst. magr) who had a register key and they talked with eachother and started tossing the makeup into another cart telling me that it did not price right and I could not get it. No "im sorry" she just said I could not get it and put the whole group away. I was not happy and said Well maybe you should remove it from the shelf so that someone else doesnt waste their time. I was still mad when I got home, its like im not important enough...I called the store and no one answered I am definantely going back tomorrow to see if that box is still there and putting the whole damn box on the register...but that just goes to show you what is wrong with customer service these days and why they don't care-cause its just "a job" for them. Its sad really sad..
I'm sorry, I am laughing myself weak. At the DOLLAR store you couldn't buy something because they didn't know how much to charge you???
 
This is our motto here and we as Innkeepers are also servers, busboys, housekeeping -you get my drift and I was a waitress for many years and I was ALWAYS happy to serve my customers cause THEY pay my wages.
It seems these days its not just going to a restaurant, yesterday for instance; I went to my town Dollar General-yea sometimes you get pretty good deals and I needd some eyeliner and didnt really want to go to Wally world (only big dpt. store in town) and as I was looking around I saw two big bins of clearance makeup (you know if you see that its like a EUREKA find) most of it was Loreal or a name brand makeup and were marked down to 2-3 dollars, if any ladies here wear makeup it takes a while to find right color ect and since these were all just in a box and sorting through it took at least 1/2 hour. So I get to the check out and the cashier started to put it accross and some of the makeup was not marked down when it went through. She then called another employee (thought maybe asst. magr) who had a register key and they talked with eachother and started tossing the makeup into another cart telling me that it did not price right and I could not get it. No "im sorry" she just said I could not get it and put the whole group away. I was not happy and said Well maybe you should remove it from the shelf so that someone else doesnt waste their time. I was still mad when I got home, its like im not important enough...I called the store and no one answered I am definantely going back tomorrow to see if that box is still there and putting the whole damn box on the register...but that just goes to show you what is wrong with customer service these days and why they don't care-cause its just "a job" for them. Its sad really sad..
I'm sorry, I am laughing myself weak. At the DOLLAR store you couldn't buy something because they didn't know how much to charge you???
.
Dollar General is not the same as Dollar Tree. All things are not a dollar.
 
The irony is that the "small things" generally don't cost a cent. It boils down to respect and common courtesy, which seems to be in short supply in the service industry.
DW and I decided to keep our operation small and focus on a niche market so that we could give uncommon service to our guests. It's apparently working. Our reservations from referrals are up significantly.
 
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