How to Turn Complaining Customers Into Loyal Guests

No doubt you've experienced days when if one more customer reminded you that "the customer is always right," you would have gladly hit him over the head with a ketchup bottle or a frying pan.

Fielding complaints from customers, whether the customer and their complaint are reasonable or silly, valid or invented, can be draining, annoying and disruptive, but it's all part of a restaurant owner's job.

No one particularly wants to hear complaints, though, especially on a busy night. It's easy to let emotions get the better part of rational thinking.Complaints can wear you out because they so often feel like a personal attack on your integrity and on your wallet.

Sometimes complaints can be overwhelming, but if you are able to listen to your customers patiently and attentively, what they are telling you may alert you to a situation in your restaurant that needs attention. What the customer is complaining about just may inform you about a problem that could be costing your restaurant business -- and you might never have known about it if the customer didn't tell you.

You have to put aside the uncomfortable feeling and put your ego on hold temporarily and face the complaint. That way you can take corrective action while realizing the positive effect this complaint can have on your bottom line.

Who Cares?

Chris Tripoli of A'la Carte Foodservice Consulting Group has heard "the customer is always right" refrain thousands of times. But Tripoli has a twist on the saying. He enthusiastically declares, "The customer isn't always right, but who cares?" For emphasis, he repeats, "Who cares?" Again and again.

Tripoli's point is that it doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong. As an operator, your goal is to fill the seats in your restaurant in a profitable way. If you have to comp a meal or eat some humble pie, that's OK.

Tripoli says that resolving a customer complaint can never be about who is right and who is wrong. Rather, he says, "It's about what works. The best decisions have nothing to do with right and wrong and everything to do with what works."

Here's how one operator describes it: "I find that the only barrier to comping a complaining customer is my ego. Who cares if you give away a dish? What does it cost you? Almost nothing. You can only win; they are either unhappy, nasty people or will never come back anyway, or they will be impressed and come back, maybe to become regular customers! So get your ego out of the way, give away the food and move on to the next guest who is in love with what you do!"

That attitude may be easier described than enacted on days when you feel as if you've heard and dealt with more than your share of complaints. The truth is just a small percentage of customers actually complain. One reason for the silence is that a customer may feel awkward complaining, or think they are coming across as pushy or demanding.

A Personal Experience