A couple entertains clients at an upscale restaurant. The table finishes a bottle of wine priced in the $100 range. The husband tells the restaurant to bring another bottle of the same but there are no more. So he says bring something comparable.
Some time later, this man and I discuss poor service. He serves up the restaurant where he drank the wine as an example. The review surprises me. The restaurant is my favorite in town. He explains after that dinner with clients, he learned the second bottle of wine was not so comparable after all. The bottle was in the $500 range.
When entertaining clients at a high-priced restaurant, most people don’t interrupt the conversation by double checking the bottle isn’t several hundred dollars more than the first. The couple told me when they called the restaurant, a manager wasn’t very receptive to their concerns. I guess the manager wasn’t interested in refunding a few hundred bucks or dishing out any other favors.
The restaurant wins the battle but loses the public relations war. The husband is a leader in his industry and shares this story. The wife speaks to organizations nationwide and when she gives presentations locally, out-of-towners in the audience often ask her for restaurant recommendations. Her recommendation: Don’t go to this particular restaurant. It is certainly feasible that, due to word of mouth, the restaurant manager’s decision ultimately cost him more than refunding the price of the second bottle of wine. And if the couple continues to share their story, that loss of potential business continues to add up with no end in sight.
What astonishes us more than anything is the restaurant’s inability to see this scenario. Social media heightens word of mouth now more than ever before, but some businesses still choose to defiantly stand their ground against otherwise reasonable customers who are dissatisfied. If a restaurant manager takes this approach in one situation, we wonder if this is how he routinely handles disputes.
When a customer asks for a comparable bottle of wine, it is not reasonable for a restaurant to bring a second costing several hundred dollars more. It is not reasonable to expect the couple to price check the bottle in front of clients at the table. The couple has a legitimate beef and the manager should have ensured they didn’t walk away from the table with a sour taste in their mouths. This is particularly true, but not limited to, high-priced restaurants whose customers are more likely well-connected. Customers can quickly turn the tables.