Why do we try so hard to make our Guests Hate us?

Rantings of a Chef:

First, let me admit to you that I am a scattered storyteller.

That being said, I want to take a few minutes to share a few stories about guest retention and why I think we so often mess it up.?

My last project in Saudi Arabia was with a long-time friend that has a very successful business.?He was concerned, though, that his repeat business numbers were going down and his sales people were spending more and more time finding new business.?

I am always fascinated by talking with owners, managers, and crew members about this subject. It seems to always start with an emergency meeting or memo that sales are down or headed in the wrong direction and what should we do about it. The first, most obvious question should be why we are chasing away our good customers, but it never is. What usually comes up first is how to increase sales, lower costs and streamline the base of operations. The number crunchers…

(Ok, Sidebar: let me say that I have profound respect for those who are in the numbers business. I don't like dealing with the number crunching part of the business much, so I have respect for those who do. That being said, I don't like washing dishes much either. So, respect to both.)

….come to the meeting talking about trimming the fat or increasing margins.

From an operations point of view, this is danger, and we know that several things will happen quickly if the drop in sales is not stalled or reversed. First, we will lose people, and second, we will lose quality. But these knee-jerk traditional things are exactly the opposite that we should be concerning ourselves with. Instead, we should be on the floor, listening, I mean really listening to our guests, our customers, the people giving us their money.

I just read a good article by David Allen about how Chick-fil-A handles a complaint. Here's a link to the article:?https://bit.ly/2pfn1Eh. In his article, he says, and correctly states that it's a surprise when companies do the right thing. In his article, the company responds to his complaint with an easy solution, addressing the issue and offering a no-cost, reasonable answer. Simple communication, telling the truth and solving the issue.

I spend a great deal of my time educating people how to treat and keep guests happy. I'm an American guy, so I tend to look at American success stories and use examples of them in my trainings.

The Disney company is a splendid example of a culture of making guest experiences magical. In short, the Disney way is to always find a way to say yes and exceed the guests' expectations. As a devout Disney fan, I can tell you that it works beautifully. The Disney Guest is never told no and the Cast Member goes out of their way to figure out how to exceed their expectations. The Marriott Corporation spends millions of dollars annually training their people to "make every event and stay unforgettable and effortless". They talk the talk and walk the walk. They don't chase after upset guests. They head it off before it happens.

Ok, back to the subject of the story...Why in the world do we chase our guests away?

The short answer is that we simply don't mean to, and I know most operators will say that they never chase away a paying customer. But that simply is not really true. We spend so much time trying to figure out how to lure in new customers to make them into guests, that we tend to forget, err maybe forget isn't the right word...neglect is probably a better choice.

We neglect to make sure that the people that we have spent so much money in getting in the door are happy and satisfied. And if, by chance, they aren't trying to do the right thing and make them happy. It costs so much to get a new customer today. And it takes so little to keep them loyal.

Do the right thing.

Take care of the small details, say thank you (Really!!) and invite them back.

Guests love to talk about good experiences, but they love, love, love to talk more about bad ones. Remove the ammunition and keep them talking about how great you are!

People like to do business with people that are happy and that they like.

Now a plug:?I am a professional Culinary Consultant and Chef Instructor.?I am a Certified Executive Chef by both the American Culinary Federation as well as the World Chefs’ Societies and a very proud member of the hospitality industry.?I welcome new connections, job offers?and I answer every communication [email protected]??I am proud to be a professional!