Last week I was invited out to eat lunch at a new restaurant by a coworker. There were four of us who went to eat and we were really excited to try the food and experience the atmosphere. When we got to the restaurant we were not greeted at the door but rather instructed to find our own seating, which was fine since there were only a few other people eating. (This should have been my first sign.) As we sat down we were "greeted" by a young woman in her early 20s. After looking at the menu for a second, she asked us what we would like to have to drink and my response was Diet Coke. She then proceeds to inform me that the restaurant does not have Diet Coke. I was puzzled because the menu clearly stated Diet Coke. So I asked instead if I could have cranberry juice. I was again told that the restaurant did not have any cranberry juice. After listing one more drink that the restaurant did not have, I was forced to order Sunny Delight, a drink that I have had only one other time in my life when I was maybe 10 years of age.
After 15 minutes of waiting finally my drink arrived...in the bottle. The waitress set a glass down on the table and then walked away. After waiting another 5 minutes and noticing that she did not return, my coworker flagged the waitress down and asked if we could have some ice. She then told us that the restaurant did not have any ice. A restaurant with no ice? Now this was getting a bit ridiculous. After thinking her response over for a second, I finally gave in and just asked for a straw to drink my Sunny D out of the bottle. She leans over the table, rolls her eyes and tells me that the restaurant does not have any straws.
This is when I became annoyed. If it was not for the humiliated look on the co worker's face who invited me out, I would have left that restaurant. Not only was the restaurant not prepared for business but the waitress was rude. I have been to "hole in the wall" restaurants before where I have immensely enjoyed the food and the customer service was great. In fact, there was one restaurant in NY where I went to the restroom and the toilet was underneath the sink so I literally had to bend down to use the bathroom. Even in that place, I had a better time than at this restaurant because the customer service made all of the difference in the world.
Customer service is dying. Just yesterday, I went to the grocery store and the cashier did the whole transaction without saying one word to me. I purposely did not say anything just to see if she was going to say something to me and she didn't. Is it too difficult to say, "hello", "thank you" or "have a great day"? Even if the person doesn't mean it, I would still appreciate if they said it to me. After all, I am paying my money which I'm sure contributes to their pay check. I try not to patronize businesses where the customer service is horrible. I definitely know that I will never again go to that restaurant but with service like that, I don't expect for it to be around much longer anyway.
After 15 minutes of waiting finally my drink arrived...in the bottle. The waitress set a glass down on the table and then walked away. After waiting another 5 minutes and noticing that she did not return, my coworker flagged the waitress down and asked if we could have some ice. She then told us that the restaurant did not have any ice. A restaurant with no ice? Now this was getting a bit ridiculous. After thinking her response over for a second, I finally gave in and just asked for a straw to drink my Sunny D out of the bottle. She leans over the table, rolls her eyes and tells me that the restaurant does not have any straws.
This is when I became annoyed. If it was not for the humiliated look on the co worker's face who invited me out, I would have left that restaurant. Not only was the restaurant not prepared for business but the waitress was rude. I have been to "hole in the wall" restaurants before where I have immensely enjoyed the food and the customer service was great. In fact, there was one restaurant in NY where I went to the restroom and the toilet was underneath the sink so I literally had to bend down to use the bathroom. Even in that place, I had a better time than at this restaurant because the customer service made all of the difference in the world.
Customer service is dying. Just yesterday, I went to the grocery store and the cashier did the whole transaction without saying one word to me. I purposely did not say anything just to see if she was going to say something to me and she didn't. Is it too difficult to say, "hello", "thank you" or "have a great day"? Even if the person doesn't mean it, I would still appreciate if they said it to me. After all, I am paying my money which I'm sure contributes to their pay check. I try not to patronize businesses where the customer service is horrible. I definitely know that I will never again go to that restaurant but with service like that, I don't expect for it to be around much longer anyway.
