I’ve worked as a server in restaurants to earn my living for the past twenty years. In the industry, I’ve been taught if a mistake has been made it’s a faux pas to explain to a guest that it was busy, or that the restaurant was understaffed. It shouldn’t be the guest’s concern that the restaurant is busy.
Part of what a guest is investing in when they make a reservation is the experience the restaurant has promised to deliver on.
Of course restaurants get busy. And sometimes understaffing happens. But when something goes wrong and I explain the circumstances which I claim caused the mistake, the focus shifts to my experience.
If something goes wrong, it’s better to do your best to connect with the guest, own up to the mistake and make amends.
