Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Workplace Communication- Deanna
I have been a server at Home Team Grill for a little over a year now. This past July, we got a new General Manager. I was working a lunch shift with him and we were short a server. Our lunch rush hit and we were slammed. The kitchen wasn't able to keep up with the tickets rapidly rolling in. As a result, there were a few tables that had been waiting longer than they should have had to for their food. One of these tables was mine. They were very understanding of the situation and could tell that we were busy. I continued to apologize to the guests and insured them their food would be out as soon as it was ready and asked if there was anything they wanted/needed. The guests were perfectly content and didn't mind the wait since they were enjoying catching up with each other. The manager was aware that my guests had been waiting and was in the kitchen insuring the food was being worked on so the guests didn't have to wait any longer. He asked me how they were and after telling him that they were fine he said to offer them a dessert anyway. I brought the food out to the table, asked them if they needed anything else, and told them to save room for dessert that my manager wanted to get them for having to wait. I checked on them periodically throughout their meal to ensure they were enjoying everything. At the end, I asked what they wanted for their complementary dessert. To my surprise, they thought that they each were entitled to a dessert and not what my manager intended (one for the table). Not wanting to respond with a "no you only get one" I said ok and went and told my manager. Each guest at the table was given the dessert of their request. This exemplifies a lack of communication in a couple ways. My manager should have been the one to check on the table and offer them dessert as a compensation for having to wait for their food. To me, it should have been the responsibility of the manager to check on the guests and offer them dessert. Instead, I was told to make sure when I offer a table dessert I throw the word share in there.
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6 comments:
I agree that your manager should have been the individual to approach the table! Also, if I were the customer I would have also assumed that each individual was getting free dessert. I think it was the right thing to do in giving everyone the dessert they ordered for free instead of telling him or her that you meant only one complimentary dessert. That would have looked poorly on the restaurant and you might have lost the business of those customers.
I think this is a case of people trying to use a situation to their advantage. I think the customers were indeed being nice but when they were told they could get something free, they wanted to give it a run for their money type of deal. However, I also feel the manager should have explained the situation and apologized rather than you. But I don't think you did anything wrong. Was your manager angry that you had to give a dessert to everyone??
If I were the customer I would've assumed also that the complimentary dessert was for each person. But I think it was a very good move for you to go ahead and give them what they thought, instead of saying "no you're wrong- you only get one dessert." I also agree with you that the manager should have come out to the table to offer the complimentary dessert to the guests. 1) This would've have shown the restaurant realy cares about their guests to have a manager come to them personally 2) this would have save the blame from going onto anyone else, for if there was a mix-up the manager could only blame himself.
I eat at Home Team every week (yum half off burger night)!
I think this was just a simple miscommunication and thatyou guys made the best decision possible in the situation. Sure, they might have been squeezing the restaurant for free ice cream, but what if they weren't?
If they weren't, they'd think you were reneging, and might become retail terrorists. Since there's no shortage of sport bars in the Richmond area, why encourage them to take their money elsewhere? At least now your customers have nothing to complain about.
knowing me, i probably would've been the one to say "no you only get one". I'm not great with customers and that's why I don't work at a restaurant anymore. But imagine if you had been like me. First of all, it doesn't really make sense to offer one free desert. What if the people were splitting the check? Who gets the free Volcano Blast Chocolate Dipper Sundae(or whatever you call them)? Or are the people expected to sit around and watch Uncle Fred eat dessert while they sit there and salivate? If you had done what your manager intended, you could have created a pretty bad scenario for your guests. What I think is really lousy isn't how the manager didn't do it himself, he put you in a bad situation. You were told to do this thing and the nature of a command states that you're to follow. Your manager was essentially telling you to do something stupid and must not really understand customer service. Give them the pickle!! (anyone?)
In your situation I am somewhat stuck in the middle. I can definitely agree with what you said about your Manager approaching the table and offering the customers the desert. It was their responsibility for apologizing repeatedly to the customers and putting you in that position where the customers each individually assumed they would get one of their own deserts was again your managers fault for not telling you to throw the word "share" in. However, I feel as if the customers were sort of taking advantage of the situation. Personally, I have never been to a restaurant where if anything was offered free it was offered to each individual sitting at the table. However, I think you were right in terms of giving them all a free desert but at the same time I believe that they took advantage of the situation.
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