What Customers Don't Want to Know

You can barely keep your eyes open since you got about an hour of sleep last night. Between writing a term paper that was due today, comforting a three-year old that kept insisting there were dragons in the closet, and giving the baby the three o’clock feeding you are wiped out. Then, you discovered that the dog found the donut you were saving for breakfast, and someone left the milk out all night. The last thing you want is to have to face the busload of tourists that just pulled into the parking lot. Forty-five chatty day-trippers on their way to the casinos, and they just had to pick your restaurant for breakfast.

Your customers want to know the specials for the day, what is good on the menu, and if the milk on the buffet is whole or skim. What they don’t want to know is your tale of woe—the soap opera that is your life situation or your aches and pains. Regardless of how sympathetic they look, customers come in with their own set of problems that could match or trump yours. While you’d like a little sympathy, the customer is not a substitute for “Dear Abby.” What they really don’t want to hear is a litany of excuses when they receive what they determine is poor service. Here are a few things the customers don’t need to hear.

1. Your sad story. Enough said. You personal life is not on the menu to be ordered up like a side of fries.
2. How insensitive your boss is. There are always two sides of a story, and you come across as defensive and unprofessional. The same goes for bad-mouthing a co-worker.
3. Playing the “blame game.” The eggs are runny because the cooks in the kitchen “never get it right.” Or the juice is a little off because the night shift didn’t put things away properly. Or the forks are dirty because there is a new guy who hasn’t figured out the dish machine. Customers don’t care who is at fault. They just want an apology and a quick resolution.
4. The company’s financial situation. Many businesses are tightening their belts and payrolls. In doing more with fewer employees, everyone is stretched. Sharing the fact that there isn’t enough business lately to hire more staff may make the customer wonder about whether they are cutting corners on the food quality as well.
5. How stressed/busy you are. Having to hold down a job (or two or three), take care of a family and keep up with classes and term papers is a lot to handle. Talk to your boss and try to rearrange your schedule or enlist some help.

It is difficult to maintain a positive attitude and cheerful disposition when life is giving you few, if any breaks. Your customers have their own troubles, and are in your restaurant to try to relax and forget theirs for awhile. Adding a side of your problems to their order can have a negative effect on their enjoyment and your tip.


Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a freelance writer, blogger, and consultant. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in "Training" magazine, "Training & Development" magazine, "Supervision," "Pulse" and "The Savannah Morning News." You can read her blogs at www.skirt.com/savannahchick, www.workingsmartworks.blogspot.com/ and on the web at www.mjnhconsulting.com.