How would you react if a customer asked to send a $60 steak back, after eating over half of it?
Oh, the woes of working in the service industry! Whether you work at an upscale restaurant or a fast food establishment, you will come across customers now and then, who are difficult to please or take advantage of you or your restaurants' hospitality. Hillstone Restaurant Group, Inc. will likely have procedures in place for situations such as this. You can refer to previous training you received, and discuss with the interviewer how you would react. This question is not the opportunity to go on a tangent about terrible customers. Keep your answer to the point and present your solution.
"I come from the school of thought that the guest is always right. This philosophy means that no matter how far into their meal they are - they can send it back. Now, with that said, if the person is a repeat offender I may approach the situation differently. Do you have a policy in place for this type of situation?"
"If a customer sent back an expensive dish or an inexpensive dish, I would take it back. To me, it is not the price that matters but the nature of the complaint. If the kitchen did not prepare it correctly, if it was cold, underdone, or overdone, that is what we want to know. I believe the only way to get better is to learn from constructive criticism, no matter how frustrating it may be in the moment."
