Regency Cafe Lansdowne

[SG]

Stopped in for the first time with a friend for a cup of Guatemalan. He got
his, but the clerk said it would be just a minute while a new batch
finished and she'd bring it over. 20 minutes later I go up to the counter
to ask if it was ready. "Oops I forgot." Gee, there were only 5 people in
the place, all served. It's not like they're running a Starbucks there.

I sarcastically thanked the clerk for her attention, and as I was leaving,
the manager came over to me and scolded me for speaking sarcastically to
her! Not much concern for her not being able to serve a cup of coffee in a
coffee house, though. It was all my fault.

What's with the 'tude in these small coffee houses anyway? They're only
serving flavored water here, not curing cancer.

First rule of business - when your service fails, don't blame the customer.
Apologize and pledge to do better next time.

[zorba]

Post by SG
Stopped in for the first time with a friend for a cup of Guatemalan. He got
his, but the clerk said it would be just a minute while a new batch
finished and she'd bring it over. 20 minutes later I go up to the counter
to ask if it was ready. "Oops I forgot." Gee, there were only 5 people in
the place, all served. It's not like they're running a Starbucks there.
I sarcastically thanked the clerk for her attention, and as I was leaving,
the manager came over to me and scolded me for speaking sarcastically to
her! Not much concern for her not being able to serve a cup of coffee in a
coffee house, though. It was all my fault.
What's with the 'tude in these small coffee houses anyway? They're only
serving flavored water here, not curing cancer.
First rule of business - when your service fails, don't blame the customer.
Apologize and pledge to do better next time.

What did you hope to accomplish by being sarcastic? Did you think
they were going to love you? Maybe you've never made a mistake, but
the rest of us have, on occasion. And when we do, a little
understanding and, perhaps, humor, goes a long way. Attitude and
sarcasm is guaranteed to make things worse. You'll understand better
when you get out of junior high school and reach adulthood. (I
realize that was a sarcastic thing to say, but since you're sarcastic
yourself, I know you won't mind....)

[SG]

So how exactly should Indifferent Service be rewarded? Roll over and say
"thank you sir please abuse me some more"?

My frustration at having to wait 20 minutes for a cup of coffee, while
my friend watched his go cold, at 8:30 in the morning is something that
needed to be shared. Why should she get off the hook with a giggle and
an "oh sorry"?

By the way, it was her idea to bring it over to me when it was finished
brewing. I was prepared to stand waiting at the counter. She offered.
Nicely. Pleasantly. That's why it shocked me when I became invisible to
her.

When I make a mistake in business, or (most important) when a customer
perceives that he or she may have been wronged, there are no excuses,
just "what can I do to make it right."

The owner excused her indifference and scolded the customer. "She was
busy." She wasn't. 2 people came in during the 20 minutes I waited. If,
in fact, she was so busy, why wasn't he in the front of the house
anyway? How hard is it to keep track of one cup of coffee?

It's all going to be moot soon anyway. Lansdowne just approved Dunkin
Donuts around the corner (at the old 7-11).

Post by zorba

Post by SG
Stopped in for the first time with a friend for a cup of Guatemalan.
He got his, but the clerk said it would be just a minute while a new
batch finished and she'd bring it over. 20 minutes later I go up to
the counter to ask if it was ready. "Oops I forgot." Gee, there were
only 5 people in the place, all served. It's not like they're running
a Starbucks there.
I sarcastically thanked the clerk for her attention, and as I was
leaving, the manager came over to me and scolded me for speaking
sarcastically to her! Not much concern for her not being able to
serve a cup of coffee in a coffee house, though. It was all my fault.
What's with the 'tude in these small coffee houses anyway? They're
only serving flavored water here, not curing cancer.
First rule of business - when your service fails, don't blame the
customer. Apologize and pledge to do better next time.

What did you hope to accomplish by being sarcastic? Did you think
they were going to love you? Maybe you've never made a mistake, but
the rest of us have, on occasion. And when we do, a little
understanding and, perhaps, humor, goes a long way. Attitude and
sarcasm is guaranteed to make things worse. You'll understand better
when you get out of junior high school and reach adulthood. (I
realize that was a sarcastic thing to say, but since you're sarcastic
yourself, I know you won't mind....)

[Shawn Hirn]

Post by SG
So how exactly should Indifferent Service be rewarded? Roll over and say
"thank you sir please abuse me some more"?
My frustration at having to wait 20 minutes for a cup of coffee, while
my friend watched his go cold, at 8:30 in the morning is something that
needed to be shared. Why should she get off the hook with a giggle and
an "oh sorry"?

Bad service deserves no reward. The mature way to have handled that
situation would be to simply tell the manager that you are not happy
with the service and explain why in a firm, but polite way. As you saw
for yourself, taking on a sarcastic tone of voice got you nothing, but
if you had dealt with the situation in a polite, but firm manner, you
would have probably at least gotten some coupons for stuff or at least
an apology.

[SG]

Y'know, once I did get my cup of coffee - and it was very good coffee -
the episode was over. My friend and I enjoyed it. We went in there
thinking it would be a good place to meet regularly before going to
work.

Had the manager not approached me to scold me as I was leaving, you
would not be hearing about any of this, and we'd continue to meet there.

An appropriate response (if any) from the manager would have been, "I'm
sorry you had trouble getting your coffee. I hope you'll come back and
give us another try." Optional: "Let me buy you a cup next time you're
in."

No excuses, no rebukes. Just an acknowledgment that something went
wrong. Instead he drove away future business. I'm happy for him that he
can afford to do so.

Post by Shawn Hirn

Post by SG
So how exactly should Indifferent Service be rewarded? Roll over and
say "thank you sir please abuse me some more"?
My frustration at having to wait 20 minutes for a cup of coffee,
while my friend watched his go cold, at 8:30 in the morning is
something that needed to be shared. Why should she get off the hook
with a giggle and an "oh sorry"?

Bad service deserves no reward. The mature way to have handled that
situation would be to simply tell the manager that you are not happy
with the service and explain why in a firm, but polite way. As you saw
for yourself, taking on a sarcastic tone of voice got you nothing, but
if you had dealt with the situation in a polite, but firm manner, you
would have probably at least gotten some coupons for stuff or at least
an apology.