Guest Recovery

I held a classroom this morning for my servers who's survey scores don't reflect the type of service that we expect.

A BIG part of the classroom was about guest recovery.

Guest Recovery- When something goes wrong...you recover...you do what you can do to win that guest over. THIS IS HUGE!!!!

I got a chance to do that myself today.

We usually open our doors 10 minutes early. We like tweek the saying...the early bird gets the worm...our early birds get the strawberry lemonade...hahaha

Today as I was walking past the front door...15 minutes before we opened...I noticed a man peering into the front door with his hands shading his eyes...I guess to get a better view...Whateva

I unlocked the doors and he asked if he could wait inside...it was cold outside. I obliged. He then led me into the area that he wanted to sit and asked me to put two tables together for him. I suggested two other tables bc the ones he wanted blocked the walk way for the servers...

He looked at me and scrunched his face to think about it and then said...no, I think I would prefer the two that I suggested. So I recovered...it wasn't worth it...

He then let me know that he wanted chips & salsa, two orders of nachos, and 5 waters for the table...and that they had a schedule to keep...OK

Just when I thought I was dealing with a pushy man...his wife came in...

DEEP BREATH

As I brought the waters to the table she let me know that they would need an additional coke and diet coke.

At this point I felt sorry for the three boys with her...9, 8, and 6...she was so pushy...

When I brought the drinks, she ALSO let me know that they had a schedule to keep...that her two boys were playing in a tennis tourney and they would not be late.

She proceeded to order...FOR THE WHOLE TABLE...IN ONE BREATH...
He will have pasta...NO ALFREDO SAUCE...NO BUTTER...with two chicken breasts...ON THE SIDE...and a side of fruit
He will have the burger...NO GREASE (not really possible) with fruit
He will have mac & cheese and FF with a coke & a chocolate shake (he obviously wasn't playing)
He will have a burger with veggies
and I will eat what they do not....
and you are the manager right...so this should not be a problem

DEEP BREATH...I was not sure whether I should be impressed of her longwindedness...or sad that these boys were being taught not to think...and this behavior was being reinforced by their father...

I got the order in and decided that this was a table was mine...that I was going to recover it...this was one of those tables that you walk up to with two strikes...I wasn't going to get the third...and I wasn't going to make the server that gets paid $2.13 go in with that kind of count.

I got all the food out...they complained the whole way...but every time they would complain I would come up with another way to accommodate their needs...

The most satisfying part of her turning me down COLD on every suggestion was that as I would walk away she would ask her sons and husband if they wanted what I suggested.

Like the Dasani bottles they could take with them to the match
or the boxes that were double bagged with togo silverware with it!!!

This is my world...I will not be shaken...NEVER!!!

I paid them out and they thanked me as they left...That was my GUEST RECOVERY!!!