Last week my partner and I decided to use a coupon from the Sunday paper to dine at a mainstream franchise restaurant. I guess we fell for the glossy pictures and of course using Wanda Sikes' voice on their commercials didn't hurt either (I LOVE Wanda!).
After being "greeted" (I use that term very generously) by the two teenage girls at the hostess station we asked to wait until a seat became available. We sat there watching and listening to the two girls (about 5 feet away from us) as they discussed hair styles while running their hands through their hair. I felt like I was in the hall of a Jr. High School.
It was a brief wait till they called out, "David. Party of 2." Which seemed unnecessary since we were the only two guests in the waiting area, but we gladly followed the host to our booth.
We couldn't help but notice the little black gadget on our table. When we asked Curtis, our server, we were told that it was for us to use to summon him if we needed anything. He then told us that it did other things too, but he didn't seem to know exactly what those things were.
I can only imagine how this gadget was marketed to the national restaurant chain. The sales pitch must have pointed out that this little black button was going to solve all customer service problems. Never again would anyone be left trying to flag down a server, instead they could simply press the black button and the server would magically appear. Sounds good? On the surface it would appear to be the ultimate solution to insuring that you have satisfied customers.
What we quickly discovered was that with this new technology the server no longer needed to pay any attention to the guest. "If they need anything, they'll buzz me." At the end of our meal the table had been cleared of all but our drinks. We were talking and drinking, but soon our drinks were entirely empty and we were ready for our check. I put the system to the test. We decided to wait and see if our server would come to our table on his own or wait till we pressed the button. He passed our table at least three times and even glanced at our empty drinks, but never stopped. Instead he joined the other servers by the bar to resume their lively chat. After the third time of passing our table, glancing our way and not stopping, I decided to press the button. Sure enough, he was quickly there to see what we needed.
My partner said to me, "What are we tipping for?" Good point! A server's job is to anticipate and fulfill the needs of the guest. If I am responsible for looking after my own needs and notifying my server when I need him.... maybe he should tip me!
I call this a NEW LOW in customer service!
After being "greeted" (I use that term very generously) by the two teenage girls at the hostess station we asked to wait until a seat became available. We sat there watching and listening to the two girls (about 5 feet away from us) as they discussed hair styles while running their hands through their hair. I felt like I was in the hall of a Jr. High School.
It was a brief wait till they called out, "David. Party of 2." Which seemed unnecessary since we were the only two guests in the waiting area, but we gladly followed the host to our booth.
We couldn't help but notice the little black gadget on our table. When we asked Curtis, our server, we were told that it was for us to use to summon him if we needed anything. He then told us that it did other things too, but he didn't seem to know exactly what those things were.
I can only imagine how this gadget was marketed to the national restaurant chain. The sales pitch must have pointed out that this little black button was going to solve all customer service problems. Never again would anyone be left trying to flag down a server, instead they could simply press the black button and the server would magically appear. Sounds good? On the surface it would appear to be the ultimate solution to insuring that you have satisfied customers.
What we quickly discovered was that with this new technology the server no longer needed to pay any attention to the guest. "If they need anything, they'll buzz me." At the end of our meal the table had been cleared of all but our drinks. We were talking and drinking, but soon our drinks were entirely empty and we were ready for our check. I put the system to the test. We decided to wait and see if our server would come to our table on his own or wait till we pressed the button. He passed our table at least three times and even glanced at our empty drinks, but never stopped. Instead he joined the other servers by the bar to resume their lively chat. After the third time of passing our table, glancing our way and not stopping, I decided to press the button. Sure enough, he was quickly there to see what we needed.
My partner said to me, "What are we tipping for?" Good point! A server's job is to anticipate and fulfill the needs of the guest. If I am responsible for looking after my own needs and notifying my server when I need him.... maybe he should tip me!
I call this a NEW LOW in customer service!
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