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It's all about the ending
This is a story repeated from my mom, she told it to me yesterday, it happened a while ago, so the details may be fuzzy, but I still find the resolution amusing, so I thought I'd share.
A couple years back, while I was still in college, my parents went out to dinner with the neighbors (4 people total) to a Damon's restaurant in the area, which, coincidentally, is no longer there. They got there, got seated, it was a weeknight, and the restaurant was not that busy. Once they got seated, it apparently took near 30 minutes to get their drinks. The waiter who took the drink orders and brought them out then disappeared. A new waiter came out, and took their entree orders. They requested a basket of dinner rolls (which is usually complimentary and brought out without asking, in my experience), but by the time their entrees showed up (another 30+ minutes later), they still hadn't gotten the rolls. They went ahead and flagged down a waitress after the waiter who brought the entrees out disappeared, and she finally brought rolls. They then had to wait at least 20 minutes and ask several times for the check once they finished eating.
During the time they were waiting for their entrees, a manager stopped by the table and asked how things were. My parents were truthful, and he stated that he would see what he could do to make sure the rest of the visit went more smoothly. It didn't, and while they were waiting, my mom noticed the manager was at another table, down on his knees, talking to the guests and giving them gift certificates. Not one to make a gimme grab, she still thought maybe he'd at least comp part of the bill. No such luck, and the manager just swung by, said "Have a nice evening" and ran off before any questions could be asked or comments be heard.
After waiting til the next day to calm down a bit, she wrote an email to the restaurant, an email that was proofread and approved by two additional family members, to make sure it wasn't nasty. She hit send, and thought nothing of it.
A few days later, the doorbell rang. My mom went to the front door, only to find that same manager that gave them the brush-off standing on her doorstep with a handful (~$200) worth of gift certificates to the restaurant and a personal apology.
To this day, my mom is still shocked that they went so far, and honestly felt a little bad for the manager, but it still was, by far, the best response we've ever gotten for a legit complaint.
A couple years back, while I was still in college, my parents went out to dinner with the neighbors (4 people total) to a Damon's restaurant in the area, which, coincidentally, is no longer there. They got there, got seated, it was a weeknight, and the restaurant was not that busy. Once they got seated, it apparently took near 30 minutes to get their drinks. The waiter who took the drink orders and brought them out then disappeared. A new waiter came out, and took their entree orders. They requested a basket of dinner rolls (which is usually complimentary and brought out without asking, in my experience), but by the time their entrees showed up (another 30+ minutes later), they still hadn't gotten the rolls. They went ahead and flagged down a waitress after the waiter who brought the entrees out disappeared, and she finally brought rolls. They then had to wait at least 20 minutes and ask several times for the check once they finished eating.
During the time they were waiting for their entrees, a manager stopped by the table and asked how things were. My parents were truthful, and he stated that he would see what he could do to make sure the rest of the visit went more smoothly. It didn't, and while they were waiting, my mom noticed the manager was at another table, down on his knees, talking to the guests and giving them gift certificates. Not one to make a gimme grab, she still thought maybe he'd at least comp part of the bill. No such luck, and the manager just swung by, said "Have a nice evening" and ran off before any questions could be asked or comments be heard.
After waiting til the next day to calm down a bit, she wrote an email to the restaurant, an email that was proofread and approved by two additional family members, to make sure it wasn't nasty. She hit send, and thought nothing of it.
A few days later, the doorbell rang. My mom went to the front door, only to find that same manager that gave them the brush-off standing on her doorstep with a handful (~$200) worth of gift certificates to the restaurant and a personal apology.
To this day, my mom is still shocked that they went so far, and honestly felt a little bad for the manager, but it still was, by far, the best response we've ever gotten for a legit complaint.
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