MAGAZINE

The customer is(n't) always right

Last month, I suffered from cervical radiculopathy, or, to put it in words that you and I may be more familiar with, a trapped/pinched nerve. First one I’ve ever experienced and, you know what, I really wouldn’t recommend it. Typing was tough, sleeping even more so, and don’t even get me started on trying to take a sip of a pint. 

Why am I telling you this? Well, in order to release said nerve, I booked in with a local physio, who, after finding out what I did for a living, proceeded to tell me about a recent experience at his local pub. It turns out that his wife wasn’t happy with the fact that the batter on the pub’s fish and chips comes gluten-free as standard. The wife complained that the batter was of a poor quality and when they found out that it was gluten-free, they asked for the manager. 

Mr Physio, with my neck in his hands, then proceeded to happily brag about the fact that they got their entire meal for free after a fuss was successfully kicked up. Not happy with the comped meal, they then asked why they should have to pay for their drinks. Given one false move from either of us may have resulted in me screaming out in pain, I could do no more than lie perfectly still, listen to this shocking account of customer behaviour and mutter something along the lines of “blimey”. 

The experience was plonked back into memory when interviewing the three founders of the Chickpea Group towards the end of April, after co-founder Ethan Davids regaled me with a number of tales where his team have had to cope with cavalier clientele. While jokey anecdotes abounded, Davids did offer a refreshing perspective on the evolution of the ‘customer is always right’ motto, in that, to put it simply, they’re not. “There are a lot of things the industry has had to put up with for years, but now we know that doesn’t work,” he says. “The dynamic between us and the guest is a reciprocal relationship.” Never truer words spoken. It’s something I must endeavour to point out next time I’m witness to a pub battering. 

Tristan O’Hana - Editor