I had a bad experience the other night, while having dinner at a favorite restaurant.
Even if you are not in the restaurant business, don't stop reading—bad service can strike anywhere. Just consider the lessons here and think about how they can apply to your own business.
As I mentioned, I was having dinner at a favorite restaurant, and I ordered a favorite menu item, a pasta dish I've had many times before. But I got a surprise when my meal arrived. The dish contained peas. Lots of peas. After that initial surprise, I rechecked the menu to see if the description of the dish had changed. Nope, no mention of peas. I pointed out the mistake to the server and she was more than willing to correct the problem.
However, before she could remove the dish to the kitchen, the manager stepped in. He had a completely different attitude about the problem. No apology, he simply told me that one of the chefs likes to add peas to the pasta dishes. He insisted that many people consider it a "pleasant surprise."
Unfortunately, I hate peas. What may be a pleasant surprise to another customer was an "unpleasant surprise" for me. The manager just stared at me as I nicely told him this. The server was visibly uncomfortable, but she was stuck—the manager had taken over and created a bad situation.
The manager asked if I would like to try another pasta dish. I said no, what I really would like was the dish I ordered, without the added peas. He finally gave in and removed the plate.