Bit of a fumble, but nice recovery.

In some situations, customer care is everything.

Now, for those folks who work hard in my probably-too-often-frequented local dining establishments, I have nothing but respect. I don't think I've ever been nasty to a food service worker, even a bad one. I'm happy that I've never had to do such a job - not that I don't value it, but I think I'd be terrible at it and I've worked hard to cultivate a skill base that keeps me employed elsewhere. I really appreciate the folks who do such a job as waiting tables, and extra props to the ones who can make your average diner feel like their favourite guest of the day. It's a skill and it takes work. I try to tip well by default, cutting it only if there was a problem.

That said, I can be really put out by a bad customer service experience, particularly when it occurs during what should have been the highlight of my day. Such a thing happened on Valentine's Day this year. We visited a new, highly-hyped local upscale place, and suffered some - let's call it "really strange" treatment from our table server. Strange in that she wasn't unpleasant or rude, but seemed to just have completely missed the point of the leisurely-fine-dining restaurant she was working in, and wound up effectively shooing us out the door before we were half-done, quite pleasantly, mind you. The spousal euphemism and I were just standing there in the snow wondering what exactly happened to our special dinner out.

We stewed about this for some hours after we were home, at which point I puzzled out that we'd really been treated poorly, though with a smile. We were so stunned it hadn't sunk in right away.

So, I wrote a letter. I don't need to share the exact letter or tedious details of all that happened, but I addressed it to the managers/owners and clearly explained what happened and why we were offended. I didn't insult anyone and I didn't ask that anyone be taken to task, but let him know what might prompt us to NOT return and that perhaps it should be diplomatically and professionally discussed with his staff.

Today, the spouse gave me a heads up that said restaurant owner left me a message on the home machine, so I called him back from work, after lunch and before the dinner rush.

This gentleman was nothing but class. He THANKED me for my complaint. While stating that there was no excuse for the treatment, he did explain that he had some new and some temporary staff all on hand for Valentine's day and he obviously hadn't made the lay of the land clear to them, and he apologized for that. This is class from a manager, too - no blame, not stooping so low as to appease a customer with graphic descriptions of sanctions against his team, he completely owned the situation. I'm sure it will be discussed with someone, but I hope it's done in the way I intended (my letter actually was very constructive) and used as a learning task for the staff. I think from talking to him it will be.

On top of it all, he finished the call by telling me to watch my mail for the gift certificate he would be forwarding so we could give his establishment another shot.

Oh, and before I forget to mention - customer service fumble aside, the food was really very good, so I'm happy to take him up on his hospitality. Check this out if you're looking for special-occasion dining in K-W: Boa Nova Rodizio Grillhouse