As two ladies in their sixties sat near the radiator to keep themselves warm while waiting for their take-away to be ready, a woman and her mother walked in the restaurant.
“We’re here for a collection for the name Spencer or Milton?†they said.
I wondered, “Didn’t I just give a collection to a guy named Spencer who waited an extra 10 minutes after calling in half-an-hour ago?” I rummaged through my pile of receipts and managed to find and show them the one with that name and phone number.
“That is not our phone number! Didn’t you get an order from No. 8 Farnol Road? You told us one hour for delivery or half-an-hour for a collection. Or did you lose our order? Or have you given our order away?!”
“Let me check again, alright?†I replied apologetically. No. 8 Farnol Road, I remember seeing that address on our caller ID system today. Off to the kitchen this time and pull every order off the rail to check for that address. Some orders ended up being delivered after one and a half hours. One even called back and demanded for a discount. Don’t you just love Saturday nights?
“Don’t you have an order for £20.60?! Is this not Paul’s Garden?!”
Yes, this was Paul’s Garden where I work. £20.60? This time I checked on my computer. If an order for that amount came up, that means I’ve misplaced their order and expect a real ’sounding’ in Cantonese from the boss, or ‘gaffer’ in the English slang. When there isn’t a ‘battle’ in the kitchen mostly during the quiet weeknights, he’s quite alright.
Nope, no sign of a £20.60 order anywhere. The woman, having waited long enough for an explanation, asks to borrow our phone. Phone rings, another order coming in. Without a choice, I handed her my mobile phone while I proceed to take the next telephone order.
While ‘translating’ the customer’s dish orders to numbers by memory for the computer, I managed to pick up a familiar name from her conversation on my mobile: Four Seasons, our competitor.
Daughter didn’t even look back. Mother put my phone back on the counter with an embarrassed smile. I was still on the phone but smiled back while they walked out hopefully not for the last time.
Remember the two old ladies in the beginning? Hah, they were laughing away!
As I handed them their meals, they said:
“You handled them very well, young man. You should have charged them for that call they made. We had such a good laugh, it’s better than watching the telly (or TV)!”
Customer entertainment? I like to think of it as ‘Customer Satisfaction’ at its best.
Cheers…
