Your Kids Are Watching

My youngest daughter Cassidy, who was three or four years old when we published Appreciation Marketing®, is now fifteen and is working at her first job as a hostess at an upscale restaurant. She takes reservations over the phone and also answers and processes takeout orders. (That’s not her in the illustration).

Last night a gentleman called and place a large dinner order which included three “taco trucks,” a new menu item. When he arrived for pickup he was completely shellshocked when Cassidy told him that his bill was over one hundred dollars. Apparently this guy didn’t understand that a taco truck consisted of five different gourmet tacos and they cost $25 apiece.

“I didn’t know,” he pleaded. Cassidy calmed the man down, told him not to worry, and took two of the taco trucks off his order (they ended up going to the employees as a treat). The man was relieved, and tipped my daughter twenty percent for his order.

This was a first-time experience for my little girl, finding herself in an uncomfortable situation in which she must react quickly and professionally. There were three possible ways in which she could have handled this customer:

1. “Im sorry, but that was what you ordered, and it’s very clear on our online menu.”
2. “Umm, hold on, let me go get my manager.
3. “Don’t worry. It was an honest mistake. Let me take it off your bill.”

It’s difficult to speculate on how this customer may have reacted to scenarios one or two. But here’s the remainder (not the end) of the story:

A few hours later the same man showed back up at the restaurant. He approached Cassidy and handed her a thank you note with a $50 bill. He apologized for putting her in that position, and thanked her for the kind way in which she handled it. He acknowledged that it had been his mistake and he knows how restaurants are struggling during the pandemic. He then uttered the words that every restaurant (or business) owner longs to hear; “You’re amazing. You’ve gained a customer for life. Thank you so much.”

When Cassidy handed the fifty to her manager and told the story, the manager simply took the bill and said thanks. Apparently, she didn’t appreciate the profoundness of the moment. I have to imagine that the fifteen-year-old me, would have answered the guy with scenario’s one or two. Oh, and I would have put the $50 in my pocket.

It’s a good thing my children grew up around the “new-and-improved” version of me! And I’m glad they’re paying attention.

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