There’s a restaurant that I’ve wanted to go to for quite some time now. Planning a night out with our family, we decided to have dinner before heading to see a movie. This restaurant wasn’t as busy as usual, so we went in to try it. I was excited that I was finally going to get to try this place!
It wasn’t too long before we were seated and that is probably the best part of our experience. It was 10 -15 minutes before anyone came to greet us. The server had come over twice to ask us to repeat our order. The food arrived 45 minutes after we had ordered and beverages only came after the food because I asked for them. My dinner arrived last, simply because it somehow got missed. Overall, it was probably the worst dining experience I’ve ever had, until the manager/owner came over to see if everything was good. I hesitated to say anything, but said it was okay. She walked away and came back to ask once again, saying she sensed that everything was not okay. That’s when I shared our experience so far. She apologized profusely and ended up comping our full meal, let us know that wasn’t their standard and asked that we give them another try.
There are some restaurants that are dead to me. I will never go back. Not so much that the service was horrible, but that there was no acknowledgement of the poor service and little care for the experience their guest have. I’ll go back to try this restaurant again because the manager noticed, sensed and acknowledged the bad experience we had. She was apologetic and let us know that if we came back, our experience would be much different. And, she comped the entire meal. She made it right.
On the other hand, my husband and I went to a restaurant for lunch just yesterday. A familiar place that we’ve been to several times. We were seated immediately, water glasses filled and refiled the entire time, beverage orders delivered in minutes and the food was perfect, just as ordered. It was the relaxing experience I was looking for.
What kind of service do you provide? What experience are your guests and regulars getting every time they walk in your doors? They’re coming with expectation of great service and an experience that will move them. Are you creating that lasting impression that leaves people craving more? If we have an expectation of great service when we dine, how much more do we expect it when we walk into the House of God? Before we step into our services this weekend, no matter how large or small the space, no matter how established or new, be mindful that your guests are coming with great anticipation to meet the God we serve. Know that most will never say they had a bad experience, they will simply never return And worse yet, you and maybe even God will be dead to them. Let’s show up a little early to preview our space for excellence. Let’s inspire our teams to care for people, and to do all they can to exceed expectations. We get one shot. Let’s make this weekend great!!! #movelifeforward #service
