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Are you saving restaurant customers when you comp meals or are you losing money? It depends on what they given situation is so you need to be open to the idea. Sometimes it is the right course of action to take and other times it is a waste because that was the intention of the customer to begin with. They wanted you to comp their meal and set out to get you to do just that. They aren't going to stop complaining until that offer is extended to them. It is expensive when restaurants have to comp meals because they don't make any money off the sale at all. Yet it can be a great way to get a customer who didn't have a wonderful dining experience to come back again. It is less expensive to give them one free meal and have them come back then for them to avoid your restaurant in the future. When you calculate the number of people that they will tell of the negative experience who also don't come it you really are better off paying for their meal. Someone who intended to pay for their meal but then had a complaint will appreciate you paying for the food. They will more than likely give your restaurant another chance in the future to prove how things should be taken care of. Mishaps do occur and most customers understand that we are all human and make errors. It is how they are corrected that matters. However, it is important to understand that there are people out there who will take advantage of this. They will go to a restaurant with the intension of not paying for what they ordered. They will complain and often create a scene. Of course the restaurant wants to keep them quiet to paying for their meal is often offered. People brag online about doing this several times a week at various restaurants. It works best for them in larger cities where they have more selection. They will choose busy times of the day or night too. That way dealing with them is something that the staff wants to do rapidly so they can get back to taking care of their other guests. It is important for the restaurant to have a plan of action for dealing with such issues. That way they don't escalate out of control. This is a decision that the manager needs to execute though rather than the staff. This way discretion can be used to determine when offering a free meal is right and when it is a ploy that someone is after. You will have to decide what lengths you want to go to in order to keep your customers happy. Some of them will really appreciate the gesture while others walked out with exactly what they went it looking for. You definitely want to be fair but at the same time you don't want to be taken advantage of.
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Patricia Farnham is a restaurant business veteran. Before you decide to www.restaurantpitfallsandprofits.com/buyrestaurant.htm">buy a restaurant, you might want to read some more of her insights on the restaurant industry on here website.
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