The Good Customer

~Coast Restaurant Vancouver~

I find myself with a heavy heart as I sit here to write this post. Why? Because I may have to cross a restaurant off my “dine-list”. Coast Restaurant in Vancouver, BC has crossed the line – to TheGoodCustomer’s dark side. Grrrr!

So many events took place during this whole experience, that I find myself at a lost for words. I ask myself – how do I present all the details without boring my audience? How about I give you some facts?

• Made reservations for a party of 4 @ 615pm
• 3 of us arrived at 545pm, to have drinks at O Lounge
• We were told that O Lounge was full but we could choose to sit the bar or even at our table in the dining room
• I mentioned to the staff that there MAY be 5 in our party as opposed to 4
• Staff were very accommodating and offered us a bigger table
• Throughout dinner, we felt rushed and by the end of the night, we were handed the bill even BEFORE we requested it
• We occupied the table for less than 2 hours.

I have always been a fan of the Glowbal Restaurant Group and an avid customer at every one of their restaurants – Italian Kitchen, Sanafir, Glowbal, Trattoria. Thus, I was already expecting the post-visit courtesy call from the restaurant when they rang me the next day. When the bubbly gal on the other end of the line asked me about my dining experience, I proceeded to describe the events of the evening, stressing that we did not appreciate being rushed through the dinner. Her response was to tell me that the restaurant often double books their larger tables (we were at a table that could accommodate 6 persons – so hardly a “large” table). Regardless, if this was indeed the case, then this restaurant has more serious problems than customer service. Perhaps there is a need to restructure the logistics of their reservations?

Back to the phone call…. there was no offer to investigate further; or to forward our complaint; or even an apology. After an awkward silence, bubbly telephone gal says “Well ok then, thanks for your time”. Perhaps Coast Restaurant should just implement a automated phone system to conduct their courtesy calls?… especially if their personnel are not trained to handle customer resolutions.

After my dining experience, I would rate the customer service at a 3.5. After the courtesy phone call, the customer service level dropped to a 2. This prompted me to write a letter ….. “Dear General Manager (GM) of Coast Restaurant”,….

A month passed, and I did not receive any type of communication from Coast Restaurant. NOT receiving any response from my letter to the GM of Coast Restaurant led to sheer disappointment. I had high hopes that this restaurant could save itself from being banished from my favourite “dine-list”. Crestfallen, I furthered their customer service rating down to a 1. I was not seeking any compensation. But at the very least, I believe that a customer needs to be acknowledged. Coast Restaurant markets itself as high class eating establishment that offers exceptional service. But if a company of this caliber does not get down in the trenches and face their customers – they have failed in all aspects of customer service.

Not one of Coast Restaurant’s finer moments. A classic example of how a small issue escalated into a bad situation. Now they have a dissatisfied customer (that’s me!) that they may never recover.

Popularity: 11% [?]