Electronic House Call #527 -- March 7, 2008

The Question
A person called at 6:00pm last Friday night -- a reservation for a party of five. We were completely booked except for an 8:30 opening, which they accepted. We seated them at 8:30 and started the service (water and muffins).

Meanwhile, we had a 6:30 reservation for a table of fifteen ... which gradually became a table of 28! As the group grew, their pre-meal "cocktail hour" got extended and they finally put their order in at 8:15.

Our kitchen only has a four-burner range, so I told the waiter handling the five-top to tell them their first round of drinks and two appetizers were on us "for their patience" and that their entrees would take 45-60 minutes.

You can see where this is going. They were livid! When I went to the table, one person really became unglued, saying I should have told her of the wait when she first called and how she wasn't going to have anything to eat until 10:00. The chef was already knee deep in the orders for the 28-top so I already knew he couldn't push their order ahead of the one he was working on.

As calmly as possible, I told her she would have some free appetizers in a few minutes, then shortly afterward she would have salads and gumbo and that her entrees would be ready a little later. I continued to apologize but they really seemed unreasonable, complaining really loud as if they wanted everyone else to hear of their predicament.

I tried telling them their wait would likely be even shorter than what I was suggesting but they wouldn't hear of it. They got up, made as much noise as they could and stormed out. I hate having people leave so angry, but I couldn't think of an alternative approach. What should I have done?!

My Answer
This sounds like another slice of life in the restaurant biz! Without knowing any more details than what you have provided, here is my take on the situation:

Given what was happening, I don't think there is much more you could have done at the time ... except perhaps to listen better. At that point I suspect the last thing you wanted to hear was an irate guest, so when it happens it has the effect of causing you to disengage ... which only makes them more irate.

If you know who they are, call them now that they have had a chance to cool off. Apologize again and invite the whole party back as your guests to show them you CAN get it right (and to replace the bad experience in their minds).

I certainly hope you didn't take any of their money. If you did, send it back immediately ... and round the refund up to the next $10! That way, if they won't go for a comp replacement meal, at least they will have a harder time bad-mouthing you to their friends ... and 90% of your potential loss from an unhappy guest comes from the people they tell!

However, I believe you should never waste time solving a problem you can eliminate. The task now is to understand what can be learned from this meltddown so you can keep it from happening again.

First of all, acknowledge that you alone created the problem. Don't assign a speck of blame anywhere else. Your guests are -- and always will be -- untrained and totally human. The only person whose behavior you can change is your own so keep your focus there. So how did you create this mess?

First of all, you allowed the 15-top to grow beyond your ability to handle it. In the future, you and your staff must be more aware of what is on the book for the night as well as the capabilities of the kitchen. It is professional suicide to blow dinner for the rest of the dining room just so you can add 13 to a party that is already too big for you.

Second, you allowed the large party to delay ordering when you knew -- or should have known -- that you had other reservations coming in behind them. Particularly in a small place, it is critical to keep the overall picture in mind and manage events as best you can to avoid problems like this.

Third, you tried to serve a 28-top all at once from a small kitchen. I would have told the party that they could add people but only if they did it my way. Then I would have suggested dishes that could be shared and just kept bringing out food as it was ready rather than bottling up the kitchen trying to have everything come out at once (and effectively stopping service to the rest of the restaurant).

Fourth, you accepted a large party during prime time on a Friday night, a time when you had the least wiggle room. Take them early, take them late or don't take them at all. Better to lose the business than to give them a bad time. Maybe you have to say the largest table you can accomodate is X and if they have more than that, you will seat them at adjoining tables. It is more conversational anyway and gives you a little more flexibility.

Finally, you were not totally aware of the status of orders in the kitchen. If you had been, you could have advised the five-top as soon as they arrived that a huge order had just gone in and told them how you were going to be able to accomodate them. Once they get mad, it takes a much larger solution to appease them if it can be done at all. In other words, know your capabilities and always tell guests what you CAN do for them rather than what you CAN'T do for them.

This is a short pass at it, but I hope it gives you some ideas. Granted, you shot yourself in the foot this time but don't beat yourself up about it. Accept full responsibility, clean up the blood, learn from it and get on with your life.