Industry Insights
Problems are inevitable. How you respond is what guests remember.
Every server will face guest complaints. Rather than hoping they don't happen, we want to equip you with practical tools to resolve issues and turn a negative experience into a positive one.
Every situation is different, so there is no script to follow. Instead, focus on the principles, introduce as much hospitality as possible, and you'll be surprised how quickly most situations can be turned around.
The Framework
Five steps to resolving issues tableside
Step 01 — Acknowledge What Happened
Many people make issues worse by refusing to take ownership of obvious mistakes. There are times when you need to stand behind a difficult decision that leaves people unhappy (like cutting a table off). However, short of those instances it is important to own up to your mistakes. Acknowledge what happened and empathize with the grievance.
Step 02 — Apologize For It Once
After we take ownership it is important to follow it up with an apology. Sometimes people just want to hear "I'm sorry" which is totally understandable when something is our fault. But keep in mind, you are not indebted to them now. One or two apologies is enough; after that, it turns into groveling.
Step 03 — Solve The Right Problem
Many restaurants use comping as their only tool in resolving issues. But most guests don't come out looking for free stuff. Taking money off the bill when it isn't related to the issue can feel cheap, lazy, and disconnected. Instead, we want to respond by directly addressing the actual problem.
Step 04 — Move On From It
We never want to remind guests of an issue that has already been resolved. I see this happen a lot when a server genuinely feels bad about something that happened early on in the meal. This issue has been resolved but upon saying goodbye, they apologize one more time. While the intention is good, all this does is highlight the negative thing that happened rather than all of the positives. Once you have resolved an issue, don't bring it up again.
Step 05 — Make Sure It Doesn't Happen Again
Apologies are hollow if actions don't change. You must take extra care to ensure that whatever caused the issues does NOT happen again to those same guests. The way we build trust with our guests and maintain the integrity of our word is by taking responsibility, course-correcting, and preventing it from happening again.
The recovery protocol is something I didn’t consciously realize I was already using to resolve issues until I had to articulate it to one of my servers. We were about to sit a table in his section that had arrived on time for their reservation but had to wait for the previous guests to leave before we could seat them. This resulted in them sitting 30 mins later than their reservation and they were obviously unhappy about this.
As long as it isn’t something major and it is promptly resolved, you get one honest mistake per table. After that you need to make it up to them by more than simply apologizing and correcting the issues.
Note: this is not to encourage mistakes or let anyone off the hook for being careless or unprofessional. This is simply a practical understanding that restaurants are hectic and things will happen. When they do it is important to stay calm and not compound mistakes.
"When it comes to resolving issues, think hospitality not compensation."
From the Floor
The Issue
One night a server asked me to touch one of their tables because the elderly couple was complaining about their meal. I got the impression it wasn’t about the salad or the wine at all.
The Takeaway
Focus on the bigger picture and the bigger impact you have on your guests and your community and the money will come back to you.
The Full Story
The Issue
One night we had a large bachelor party of 18 guys in our back private dining room. When entrees arrived they were one short — and genuinely no one knew why.
The Resolution
At dinner he was made to feel special in a bad way by being the only one of the group without a meal. We responded by making him feel even more special in a good way.
The Full Story