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Restaurant Customers And Comping Meals

By: Patricia Farnham

Are you saving restaurant customers when you comp meals or are you losing money? It depends on what they given situation is so you need to be open to the idea. Sometimes it is the right course of action to take and other times it is a waste because that was the intention of the customer to begin with.

Many customers just want you to take notice of the problem so it doesn't happen again. They may be annoyed but they certainly don't expect a free meal. If you offer it they will be very gracious about accepting it. Those that demand it though are the ones you need to watch out for. They may just feel that is what is deserving but they may have this down to a science as well.

In the long run you have to decide if you are willing to comp a meal and hope they will come back again or not. If they don't, they can also prevent others from coming back in. Word of mouth is quite powerful in the restaurant industry as people don't want to take chances when it comes to the food they order.

When you do try to make things right with offering a free meal, it does show your commitment to customers. They will remember what you did to remedy the situation and that will likely get them back in the door. Most people are willing to forgive things that occur if they feel the mistake was sincerely addressed well.

The handful of people who will take advantage of such gestures though have to be watched. You may not be able to catch onto their scam if they are good enough with it. There are a few signs to watch for though such as they get extremely loud and the issue takes place when the restaurant is very busy. Experience has shown them the manager will act fast to keep others from finding out what is going on.

You can look at this topic online and find out that people have a good time with it. They are willing to share their secrets with others about how they go to the best restaurants and get meals for free. They may do it once in a while or several times per week. Of course you can't go back to the same location to do it so this only works if you have many in the area.

It is important to know how your particular restaurant is going to handle such situations. That way you are prepared for them when they occur. This is a type of decision that only those in charge should be allowed to make. That way there is very little room for other staff to get caught in the middle of it. Find out what happened so you can decide if the situation only warrants an apology or a free meal to go along with it.

Sometimes extending a free meal is worth it to save the customers from avoiding your restaurant in the future. Other times though it is just someone trying to see if they can get that food for free. This can be a hard decision but one you need to firmly stand behind. Look for warning signs though about the party being loud or asking for a free meal. They may be doing all they can to keep their money in their pockets.

Article Source: http://www.articlemap.com

Patricia Farnham is a restaurant business veteran. Before you decide to www.restaurantpitfallsandprofits.com/buyrestaurant.htm">buy a restaurant, you might want to read some more of her insights on the restaurant business on here website.




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