Most of the seasoned vets that we’ve met in the restaurant industry know that there are very few flawless days. There’s always going to be something going on, always going to be a situation that could have gone better. It’s inevitable, and it’s pretty much inevitable for any business. It could be anything, too.
Whether the caterer forgets to put something into the Carter Hoffman heated transport or someone forgets to take the fries out of the deep fryer, there’s always something that goes wrong. Sometimes the customer finds out about that mistake and informs you about it in minute detail. The trick to customer recovery is to expect it.
The best way to treat customer recovery is to think about what you would do in the situation. If the positions were reversed (as they will inevitably be at some point), what would you do? What would you want the manager to do?
The biggest, most important thing that you can do, whether you’re a front end person or a manager or anyone in between is to listen. That skill of listening, actively listening to the person, can go a long way. Why? Because it makes the person who’s angry believe that they have an ally in the situation.
