Make sure to lose your customers...?
Yesterday, I went with my cousin and her husband & family to Gothenburg for some conveyor belt sushi. We don't have many of those places in Sweden, that's why we went to Haiku in Gothenburg and I had high expectations. I was a bit cautious though when we arrived and there were only two customers inside (a restaurant where you have to queue to get inside is a sign of quality - the other way is often not...). But I thought maybe it's because we're here early in the evening.
Usually, you pay for every plate you take, which means the more you eat, the more you pay. But here they had this buffet deal - eat as much as you can for this price.
See how nicely I've arranged my food! ^^
The sushi was okay, I mean, everything tastes well when you're hungry. The food wasn't bad, I thought at first, but I've had better and you really can't compare with sushi in Asia... The makis were of the more "modern" sushi kind (if you can call sushi modern) with cream cheese and mayonaise and stuff like that, but that was cool. What made me really disappointed was the salmon nigiri. It is usually my favourite and I always end the meals with some salmon, but yesterday I just looked when the salmon moved pass me on the conveyor belt. I was tempted to take one more and taste it again - because... did it really taste that bad - or was it my imagination? No. It was THAT bad. T_T
Anyway, we sat there happily chatting when suddenly one of the employees came forward and told us about the rules in the restaurant. To keep the story short, it was a rule about the food. She wasn't really rude or something, she tried to say it in a smooth way, humbly even, but that incident made our mood go away in an instant. I know she didn't do anything wrong, it's important to have rules and keep them, policies are important... but the feelings of the customers are even more important I think. I mean, it really wasn't a big deal, so actually I thought it was kind of unnecessary from her side. If she just had let it pass, then maybe she wouldn't have lost us as customers (well, to be honest, I don't think we would have returned to that place anyway, since the food was so-so, but this made it definitely...)
When you go out to eat, you're not just expectating the food to be good (that's what you'll take for granted) but to be in a nice place with a "feel good" mood, nice and clean interiors and good customer service - you know, you pay for that too. All together is what makes the place a place you would want to return to. But in all that, I think the way you treat your customers is the most important (at least that's for me). The customer is always right, even though she is wrong. You have to think of her feelings, not only what's right for you. Rules are necessary, but if you care more for them and push your customers away, then they're worthless (the rules not the customers) and you will soon have a dead business. Maybe it's only me, but I like to return to places where I have good memories and in a place where you "scold" your customer is not a place to recommend.
Sometimes I don't understand restaurants with bad customer services, who give you bad food or too small portions or in any way make you feel like you've been cheated. I mean, you will pay for that meal, but you'll never come back again, and you'll also tell all your friends not to go there. Is that a good strategy to make customers? O.o
~*~*~
Honghong, tack för att du bjöd mig på sushi! Nästa gång hittar vi ett bättre ställe! ^^v
Usually, you pay for every plate you take, which means the more you eat, the more you pay. But here they had this buffet deal - eat as much as you can for this price.
See how nicely I've arranged my food! ^^
The sushi was okay, I mean, everything tastes well when you're hungry. The food wasn't bad, I thought at first, but I've had better and you really can't compare with sushi in Asia... The makis were of the more "modern" sushi kind (if you can call sushi modern) with cream cheese and mayonaise and stuff like that, but that was cool. What made me really disappointed was the salmon nigiri. It is usually my favourite and I always end the meals with some salmon, but yesterday I just looked when the salmon moved pass me on the conveyor belt. I was tempted to take one more and taste it again - because... did it really taste that bad - or was it my imagination? No. It was THAT bad. T_T
Anyway, we sat there happily chatting when suddenly one of the employees came forward and told us about the rules in the restaurant. To keep the story short, it was a rule about the food. She wasn't really rude or something, she tried to say it in a smooth way, humbly even, but that incident made our mood go away in an instant. I know she didn't do anything wrong, it's important to have rules and keep them, policies are important... but the feelings of the customers are even more important I think. I mean, it really wasn't a big deal, so actually I thought it was kind of unnecessary from her side. If she just had let it pass, then maybe she wouldn't have lost us as customers (well, to be honest, I don't think we would have returned to that place anyway, since the food was so-so, but this made it definitely...)
When you go out to eat, you're not just expectating the food to be good (that's what you'll take for granted) but to be in a nice place with a "feel good" mood, nice and clean interiors and good customer service - you know, you pay for that too. All together is what makes the place a place you would want to return to. But in all that, I think the way you treat your customers is the most important (at least that's for me). The customer is always right, even though she is wrong. You have to think of her feelings, not only what's right for you. Rules are necessary, but if you care more for them and push your customers away, then they're worthless (the rules not the customers) and you will soon have a dead business. Maybe it's only me, but I like to return to places where I have good memories and in a place where you "scold" your customer is not a place to recommend.
Sometimes I don't understand restaurants with bad customer services, who give you bad food or too small portions or in any way make you feel like you've been cheated. I mean, you will pay for that meal, but you'll never come back again, and you'll also tell all your friends not to go there. Is that a good strategy to make customers? O.o
~*~*~
Honghong, tack för att du bjöd mig på sushi! Nästa gång hittar vi ett bättre ställe! ^^v