The Customer is Always King

"The Customer is Always King", I'm sure you have heard this phrase on many occasions." but it certainly bears repeating.

Here's a lesson of what not to do as a representative of a successful business. Or to make sure what your employees should never do.

We ALL enjoy going out to have a nice dinner at a reputable dining establishment with our friends and loved ones every now and then.

Although we have experienced varying degrees of service, we do expect a certain minimum amount of courtesy from our waiters and hospitality service staff, especially when we know a restaurant has a good reputation.

So I'd like to know, has anyone here ever had an experience at a fine restaurant like this?

What was HE thinking?

Well one evening while on vacation in St Maarten, my significant other and I went to a reputable dining establishment with our friends Barbara and Bill to a place called Port de Plaisance.

Incidentally, our friends have known the establishment owners for quite a while, as she and her husband have been long-time customers.

We finished our appetizers which were excellent, and waited a long time for the main course. This was not a problem, as longer wait times are to be expected when good food is prepared and made fresh. And we were all having nice conversation.

Finally our main course arrived. Our friends were having duck confit, my partner seafood and foie gras, and I was having a special aged rib-eye steak.

After taking a few bites, I found that my rather expensive aged rib-eye was too chewy and unacceptable. Our friend Barbara observed I am having trouble cutting and chewing the meat, and suggested I send the food back.

Normally I would do this on my own without hesitation, but didn't initiate the idea on this occasion. However on Barbara’s behest, I called the waiter over.

I politely explained the problem with my meal to the waiter, "Sir, I'm sorry but this steak is way too chewy and I can't eat this. Would you mind taking this back and making another one please?"

That's when something very surprising happened.

Instead of adopting the correct and appropriate "Customer is always right" attitude by taking the steak back without question, the waiter insisted that he see proof that the steak was unsatisfactory, and asked me to cut the meat open for his inspection not once, but at least 5 times in different places !

By my third cut, he hovered over me and continued his rude interrogation while inspecting the meat while I complied without argument.

After additional deliberations and questions that seemed to last an eternity, finally convinced he reluctantly agreed to take the food back and bring me a new cut of meat, which the second time was done quite well and to satisfaction.

Barbara later commended me for acting pleasant and maintaining control with the waiter, even though he reacted rude and inappropriately to my request.

What I found out later was that Barbara complained to the restaurant owner who she knew well, and the waiter was reprimanded harshly by the owner, and later was fired.

The Customer Is Always King

There is a valuable business lesson here to be learned. The Customer is Always King, particularly when you have a new customer that is highly recommended by a long time return customer.

Under no circumstances is it acceptable to interrogate your customers. Ever.

Never do this or allow your employees to and risk alienating your past and future customers. Especially if you want your online or brick and mortar businesses to survive and thrive.

You will certainly lose your following one piece at a time. And such actions will damage your reputation irreparably

Remember, the Customer is Always King!

Thank you so much for reading, and I would love to hear your comments and experiences.

Cheers,

Kaju