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Offering Your Restaurant Guests A Free Meal

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Written by Patricia Farnham

Friday, 16 May 2008

by PatriciaFarnham

An all too common issue with restaurants is when to give out a free meal and when to know you are being taken. Sometimes things don't go right such as a customer sitting there for 30 minutes and then the waitress finds the order is still in her pocket. They should definitely be compensated in some way. Other times though they are just complaining about anything and everything in an effort to get the food for free.

Many customers just want you to take notice of the problem so it doesn't happen again. They may be annoyed but they certainly don't expect a free meal. If you offer it they will be very gracious about accepting it. Those that demand it though are the ones you need to watch out for. They may just feel that is what is deserving but they may have this down to a science as well.

It is less expensive to give them one free meal and have them come back then for them to avoid your restaurant in the future. When you calculate the number of people that they will tell of the negative experience who also don't come it you really are better off paying for their meal.

Someone who intended to pay for their meal but then had a complaint will appreciate you paying for the food. They will more than likely give your restaurant another chance in the future to prove how things should be taken care of. Mishaps do occur and most customers understand that we are all human and make errors. It is how they are corrected that matters.

However, it is important to understand that there are people out there who will take advantage of this. They will go to a restaurant with the intension of not paying for what they ordered. They will complain and often create a scene. Of course the restaurant wants to keep them quiet to paying for their meal is often offered.

You can look at this topic online and find out that people have a good time with it. They are willing to share their secrets with others about how they go to the best restaurants and get meals for free. They may do it once in a while or several times per week. Of course you can't go back to the same location to do it so this only works if you have many in the area.

It is important to know how your particular restaurant is going to handle such situations. That way you are prepared for them when they occur. This is a type of decision that only those in charge should be allowed to make. That way there is very little room for other staff to get caught in the middle of it. Find out what happened so you can decide if the situation only warrants an apology or a free meal to go along with it.

It can be hard to tell though sometimes what really took place. In such instances the customer should get the benefit of the doubt. It is more important to keep genuine customers happy then it is to worry that a scammer got one over on you. Free meals aren't something your restaurant wants to offer all the time, but they can certainly help to smooth over some types of situations that arise.

About the Author:

Patricia Farnham is a restaurant business veteran. Before you decide to http://www.restaurantpitfallsandprofits.com/buyrestaurant.htm">buy a restaurant, you might want to read some more of her insights on the restaurant industry on here website.

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