A.

HANDLING GUEST COMPLAINT

Every restaurant will definitely try to make customers feel satisfied in various ways,

whether it's delicious dishes, a place that is made comfortable, to the service that is maintained

by being friendly and pleasant. But unfortunately, sometimes things don't go as expected. For

example, customer dissatisfaction which led to various complaints which he then said to

colleagues or even worse until it was written down through various social media.

Of the many complaints that may arise, there are several complaints that generally often

arise from customers who come, not only once but many times. Some of these complaints are not

only found in one restaurant, but in various restaurants.

1. Dirty furniture or cutlery

One of the most common complaints among restaurants is dirty tables and

utensils. This is of course unfortunate considering that cleanliness is very important in

a culinary business such as a restaurant.

Therefore, try to train employees to always be careful when it comes to cleanliness.

Kindly remind them to always check the state of the cutlery before giving it to

customers, and always clean the table when it's finished.

2. Dirty toilet

Toilets are also an important room to keep clean, even in restaurants.

Some customers don't even hesitate to judge the cleanliness of the restaurant, just

by looking at the toilet. Therefore, make sure the toilet is always clean, smell

good, and there are no garbage scattered about.

 3. Unsatisfactory service

Either because employees are considered less friendly, or because there are

employees who may be slow enough to serve customers at certain tables. Customers who

are made to have to wait too long, finally feel annoyed because they do not get maximum

service. Not just leaving, some of the customers will end up choosing to express their

frustration. Unfortunately, not all customers choose to express their frustration with the

restaurant manager. Some actually now vent their emotions through social media or

"spread" the bad experience to their colleagues. If something like this has happened, try

to keep responding to negative customer reviews wisely.

Examples of responses that can be used, for example, by answering via comments such as,

"Sorry for the less pleasing service"

"Can you tell us about the details of the incident to the e-mail or telephone number that can

contacted"

"We will immediately evaluate and follow up on this?"

As well as various other responses.

4. Dishes that are not according to order

There are also complaints arising because the dishes served do not match the orders that

have been made. Whether it's because of exchanged orders, busy visitors, or other reasons, this

still makes customers feel dissatisfied. Especially if they had waited too long before, but when

the dish arrived, what was received was someone else's order.
5. Asked to finish and leave ASAP

Some complaints that often arise also occur because customers feel asked to finish

their food and leave as soon as possible. It could be that the reason for the restaurant

doing this is because the table is fully occupied, while there are already many potential

customers waiting for their turn to eat. However, this turned out to make customers feel

"evicted", mistreated, and uncomfortable. Of course it is one of the things that causes

them to be disappointed.

6. The waiter picks up the eating and drinking utensils prematurely

There are also those who complain because the waiter is considered to be taking

plates and glasses to clean even though the customer has not finished eating or drinking.

Sometimes this is considered negative by them. A good way is to see the condition of the

table, if the eating and drinking utensils look empty, don't take them immediately. Ask

the customer politely whether they are finished and the equipment can be fixed or not.

If they refuse to be cleaned (for whatever reason), respect them and leave the eating and

drinking utensils in their place. At least as a waiter already showed good intentions to

clean up.
 The customer is complaining about everything that did not go the way they expected.

Customer complaints can be unjustifiable, but we recommend that you check what occurred. It is

preferable that you put yourself in customer’s shoes in order to understand their complaints

better since your perceptions are not the same.

No smiling

In this situation, apply the technique of neither smiling nor having a cheerful face

expression. Listen to the customer complaints and decide whether you have the capacity to

handle them or you must call your superior.

In the interest of providing better service, it is advisable for the manager to work out the

details of what authorities each employee has when it comes to handling complaints.

It often happens that the customer gets very angry, unpleasant and loud, disturbing other

customers. In this situation, customer needs to be taken into a different room where the

conversation can be carried out in private. This type of incident is unfavorable for your

establishment, since this customer can spread the word about their dissatisfaction.

Handling customer complaints in 8 steps:

1. Apologize and be sorry – the first step is to apologize and be truly sorry for what

happened. You must not belittle the complaint since this humiliates the customer and

sends them a message that they’re lying.

2. Listen – when they are speaking, attention needs to be directed towards the customer.

Stop doing what you’re doing (sends a message that nothing will distract you from
 solving the problem). Let the customer finish with presenting their problem and don’t

make premature conclusions.

3. Take notes – while the customer is presenting the problem, don’t interrupt but take notes

of what they’re saying since this will later help you in responding and offering a solution

(sends a message that the problem will be dealt with seriously and systematically).

4. Repeat the problem – when the customer is finished, briefly repeat the problem to make

sure you have understood it correctly.

5. Offer a solution – if possible, offer a solution right away, two realistic options, without

giving false promises or exaggerating. If not possible, give a firm promise that everything

will be done to solve the problem in a satisfactory manner.

6. Apologize and thank the customer – the conversation must end with a repeat apology

and a thank you to the customer for warning you about the problem. This sends a

message that the customer’s opinion is appreciated.

7. Report to your superior – next step is reporting to your superior, agreeing about the

solution, making a decision and following its progress.

8. Report to the customer – as the final step, you must inform the customer about what

was done to solve the problem, instead of giving that task to a colleague. This sends a

message that you took the problem seriously and personally made sure it was solved.

This is personalized service.

If it becomes evident that the complaint is a result of a systematic inappropriate procedure or of a

permanent deficiency, actions must be taken to introduce new and improved procedures in order

to keep the problem from repeating in the future.

 There are customers who get even more upset when they receive an apology. In that case,

stop apologizing and talk as little as possible.

B. CONVERSATION ABOUT GUEST COMPLAINT

This dialog happened after the guest has ordered the food.

Waiter: These are your orders Sir, a chicken steak with mushroom sauce and a
glass of avocado juice.

Guest: Excuse me, waiter.

Waiter: Yes, Sir. What can I do for you?

Guest: I am sorry but this is not like what I have ordered. Would you mind telling
me who’s the chef?

Waiter: I am so sorry Sir. Is there any problem with your order?

Guest: Yeah. I think there is something wrong about the food. Do you still
remember what I’ve ordered?

Waiter: Okay Sir, let me repeat your order. You ordered a chicken steak with
mushroom sauce and a glass of avocado juice.

Guest: Yes, but as you can see, I ordered a chicken steak with mushroom sauce but
that is a black pepper sauce and also the chicken is not well-cooked.

Waiter: I really apologize for this inconvenience Sir. Allow me to get you the new
one.

Guest: That’s alright. This restaurant has been running for so long, I just don’t
expect that such things happen here.

Waiter: I’m sorry Sir. I apologize on behalf of my chef.

Guest: Okay, no problem. Just make sure that such things will not happen again.

Waiter: Alright Sir. Thank you for your kindness.

Guest: I would appreciate if you can replace it with the new one.
Waiter: Absolutely Sir, please wait a moment.

Guest: Ok, thanks.

Waiter: You are welcome Sir.