After what’s been a very busy few months it’s been great to
get away for a while and take a trip to the USA. I always love to go to
the States as they are so creative when it comes to food and service that I’m
always inspired. Usually I’d kick off with some ideas about food but this
time I’m going to give you a few thoughts on service.
For years the States have been held up as the epitome (flash
word!) of outstanding customer service. Over the years I’ve been in
catering both Wendy and I have been sent to the States to see what ‘real
service’ is all about; but things have changed!
‘Tellers’ in supermarkets, waiters in fancy-schmancy
Manhattan restaurants, even our cousins in the catering service front line have
all lost it. It always amuses me in the land of the free where there was
the hope, nay expectation that the class system which oppressed so many has
gravitated to those Posh Manhattan restaurants where, much like our own posh
places the waiters have the ability to make you feel like you’re a fumbling
country bumpkin who really shouldn’t have been allowed to get past the front
door.
The highlight for me was in Colonial Williamsburg (by the
way if you’re ever there go and visit it. It’s a fascinating place)
where, in a ‘ye olde worlde’ tea room, a queue formed patiently out of the door
into the roasting Virginian midday sun all to buy a soft drink and equally soft
biscuit. Behind me was a young mum trying to cope with a pram and two
children. There were two ‘wenches’ on the till -one ringing things
through and the other , less than one imperial yard away was calling out what
the customer had on their tray and only then asking if you wanted any drinks at
which point she start to prepare your coffee. I just wanted to
scream. The cherry on the cake was when the poor girl behind me (the one
with the two children) finally got there. She asked for chilled apple
juice, which they‘d run out of so settled on two hot chocolates. Asked if
they could be put into two plastic beakers for the children the ‘wench’ told her to
take the lids off for her. The beakers had ice in and the ‘wench’ told
her that she would have to get rid of it or she kindly offered to put the hot
chocolate on the ice in the cups! So the poor mum had to go out of
the store, throw away the ice and leave her two children in the store while the
queue got bigger and bigger and the ‘wench’ was clearly oblivious to any aspect
of the situation.
It strikes me as odd that in a land of friendly chatty
people where you genuinely cannot walk down a road without someone saying hi
and hello, the minute service comes into the equation all that American charm
seems to be funnelling away.
Ok, to quote Georgina Cooper “I’ll get off my soap box
now!”, tune in next time for some of the great food ideas we’ve seen.
What’s your most painful service experience?
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