A few weeks ago I was dining in a local Italian restaurant with my family. When the waiter brought the bread to the table, he said something that seemed odd: "We PROMISE that the bread is good tonight." I was busy helping my brother wrangle my twin nieces into their high chairs, so I had to wait until he returned to the table before I could ask him what he meant.
While one of my nieces was busy covering herself in marinara sauce, I asked the waiter what he meant about the bread being good. He laughed and told me about the following incident that had occurred earlier in the week:
The restaurant hired a new cleaning service to come in after hours and clean the restaurant. When they got to the kitchen, they noticed several trays of freshly bread dough, covered, and sitting on a food prep area. The cleaners decided to store the dough in the freezer while they cleaned the surface of the table and forgot to take them back out of the freezer when they were finished.
When the staff came in the next day to begin cooking for the dinner rush, they were shocked to find that their fresh bread dough had been sitting in the freezer all night. This presented them with a problem: there was no way that the dough would thaw out in time for them to bake the bread and have it ready for dinner. Their choice was to either: A) put the frozen dough in the oven which would lead to bread that was over-baked on the outside and possibly still frozen on the inside or B) run to a wholesaler and get some sub-par bread. Not wanting to deny their guests, they opted for B.
The usual dinner crown came in that night. Every regular in the place IMMEDIATELY noticed the bread. While there was nothing wrong with the replacement bread, it was NOT what they were used to. The waiter had to re-tell the story to every table. Each time, the diners laughed at the situation and continued to enjoy their meal. Most of the diners that evening were returning customers, but there were a few first-time guests that evening. The regulars explained to the new customers that the bread is usually MUCH better than it was that evening and urged them to come back next week.
I found this story interesting because it taught me two things about the restaurant business. First, it taught me that consistency is VERY important. Diners expect each dish to taste the same every time they show up at a restaurant. This is what drives repeat business. There is one place in Memphis that I go to all the time because I know that when I order my favorite menu item, it will taste the same as it did the last time I was there. That's not to say that chefs shouldn't experiment with new ideas. If a chef wants to try something new, be sure to let the customer know. This leads me to my next point: honesty.
Honesty will get you a lot more than dishonesty. For one, being honest with you customers (ESPECIALLY about your mistakes) will create a feeling of trust. when the diners asked the waiter about the bread, he could have just as easily shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know what you're talking about" and went on to another table. By revealing the goof, he let the diners know that they actually matter enough to the restaurant to trust them with their mistake. As a result, the diners not only promised to come back (and they did), they had a funny story to tell when they brought their friends.
One of the things that we've seen on MarksMenus is restaurant staff actively engaging with their customers to share stories just like this one. Join the conversation and let us know what you think.
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