I'd Like To Speak To The Manager

I bet if I asked you what your worst dining experience was, you could tell me. I can definitely tell you. It happened at a Melting Pot in Irvine, CA. I wont fill you in on all the details, but it was so bad it caused me to write a letter, not an email, but a letter to their corporate office and to their Irvine location as well. I received no response from them and in turn I have never returned to any of their establishments.

I've worked in customer service for a long time. So please know, that if I am so upset at a restaurant that I wont go back, that the experience was horrific. That being said, I also have a lot of grace for servers and staff at restaurants because they are dealing with a constantly changing variable known as the public.

We all have a story or two like mine. A story that starts with the hope that we were going to have a pleasant dining experience and instead turned into a nightmare. It's easy to complain about forgotten drink orders and burgers being too well done.

But when is the last time you shared with people a really extraordinary dining experience? When is the last time that you filled out a comment card with positives, praising your server for his or her friendliness?

So here is Challenge #5 in the Returning Dignity Project:

This week I want you to highlight and share your positive service experiences. Whether it's at a restaurant, bank, or at a store. Any place your would receive customer service.  If someone gives you great service and a great experience, leave a comment card, talk to their manager, take the overly long phone survey. These small things make all the difference to people who constantly come face to face with people focusing on the negative aspects and not the positive ones.

It catches people so off guard, that many times, when I have spoken to the manager about a positive experience, they are surprised because usually they are only there to receive the complaints.

If you wanna take it a step further post your positive service experiences on our Twitter feed @retrningdignity or on your feed on on your Facebook.

Here's a true example from Sunday night for you:

"I want to compliment  Andy at the Meat House in Costa Mesa. Last night was out first time in that butcher shop and he made the experience great with his genuine spirit and information about their products!"

See, so easy.

Have a great week and enjoy building up those who serve you every single day!