But then, this arrived on our table.
The first thought that came into my mind was: is this a joke? I was so flabbergasted that I took this picture and posted it to my social network with the caption, "Let's play a game: find the chicken." Then I called the manager's attention, asking what's up with the difference between what's pictured on the menu and what's right in front of us (my husband ordered this). I know that some -- OK, most -- establishments exaggerate their serving size on the menu, but our experience with Pancake House had always been that they are usually consistent with putting what's on the picture on your plate. We've been to 10 other branches all over Metro Manila, frequenting at least 4 of those. So you could say we can't be fooled anymore :-P
But that is the mistake that the manager (I think her name was Lot) in this particular branch did. She tried to convince us that those 10 other branches were wrong for giving us the right serving size as pictured on the menu, and that they (her staff) were right for downsizing the serving. Holy moley. Where did they get this idiot and why does she have a job? Not only was she unapologetic, she singlehandedly ruined her employer's reputation. With a straight face even! Wow. If I was a first-timer at Pancake House, I would never eat at any of their branches ever again. Can you imagine what I could do if I let the word out through word-of-mouth? Or worse, social media (which I did)?
Unfortunately for that branch, my Facebook post got the attention of a friend who knows Pancake House's marketing manager (zing!). She ordered the area manager in charge of the branch at Market! Market! to look into the incident and to get in touch with me for the details. After a few days, I got to meet the area manager in person, who apologized for what happened and told me the actions they've done so far to fix the problem, and gave me GCs as a peace offering. All I could say was, the incident could have been handled better if that manager didn't give paltry excuses for the pathetic service. Had she simply apologized and been honest about maybe an inventory problem in their kitchen that day, then we wouldn't have made a fuss. I am sure that customers would be more appreciative of a little bit of honesty than being led on with false expectations.
Since the incident, I've gotten a few more pieces of bad feedback from some friends about their previous Pancake House experiences. Some were surprising, some not. What I've realized though is that all of these were unavoidable, if only they had a consistent way with which they handled problems and maintained customer satisfaction despite shortcomings.
It's too much and impossible for customers to expect perfect customer service all the time, but it is possible for establishments to ensure customer satisfaction most of the time. Because what is satisfaction anyway? Isn't it the pleasant feeling you have because you got what you wanted? So, what if you didn't get what you wanted, but you got something else that was just as nice? And in a timely manner at that? I'd go for that :-)
See how Starbucks does it. Sure, the coffee is overrated and way too overpriced, but people (including myself) keep going back anyway. Why? For the ambiance and the service. I think it's the service that really seals the deal.
Another friend told me that she also got the same treatment the last time she was at a Starbucks and they made a mistake. She said it was a minor one (can't remember what), but the apology and the GC came out faster than she could say "coffee". I am so tempted to confuse the cashier the next time I'm at a Starbucks *evil laugh*
But seriously now, see how different these two experiences are? Both establishments are not newbies in the food service game. And yet, one gets it while the other one still needs to get a clue.
*Starbucks image source here.
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