Garwoods

[Fink2]

For many years we have really enjoyed boating over to Garwoods in Wolfeboro for a good meal out on the deck. With rare exception, the service and food have been great. Some may find this trivial but I want to make a point about service. Last Saturday late afternoon the weather cleared nicely and we came down from Gilford to catch dinner and a nice sunset cruise. On arrival there was one party out on the deck eating and inside was pretty busy. The hostess informed us that the deck was shut down due to weather. When asked about the party that was already out there we were told that the manager had made an exception (for a relative I believe). At any rate I politely said that we had come over from Gilford and it was really nice out there now. After polite and brief dialogue we were abruptly told that we could go take it up with the manager. At that point we said goodbye. I don't hold any grudge here. I just walked away feeling that the exchange is so indicative of poor customer service today in general. The appropriate way to handle it would have been for the hostess to broach the subject with the manager who may have reconsidered the situation. I respect the managers original decision to close the deck and I would have respected the managers decision to keep it closed. I suspect that as busy as they were he had not had the opportunity to re-evaluate the weather. At any rate, we grabbed some great prime rib sandwiches at the Downtown Market Grille and went out and enjoyed both a nice sunset and a bright orange moon rise. Garwoods loss. As for the customer service lesson, the Ritz Carlton has it right. Service is as easy as 1,2,3...

1. A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest name if and when possible.
2. Anticipation and compliance with guest needs.
3. A fond farewell. Give them a warm goodbye and use their name when possible.

It's easy to just go through the motions. It's that extra effort you make that that sets you apart from all the rest. Thanks for letting me vent.

[brk-lnt]

I can certainly see your perspective. It might just be the tone of your post, but showing up to a restaurant and more or less demanding to be seated in a specific area might be just a tad arrogant.

There are many reasons that certain seating areas are sometimes closed or unavailable, this is usually when the business feels that it cannot guarantee customers a pleasant dining experience in that area. While some places mentioned here seem to feel that irritating customers is one of their prime reasons for being in business, if you have had overall good experiences at some place in the past I would give them the benefit of the doubt.

[tis]

We went to Pine Cone in Melvin Village the night of the storm. It started as we were driving there and it was scary! Anyway, when we arrived, their power was out so they met us and told us they weren't serving. We asked if we could wait and they said no, that it wouldn't be coming back on. It wasn't the fact that they couldn't serve us, it was the WAY it was said and the tone. I think things can be done as you say, but done nicely.

[Orion]

Originally Posted by tis

We went to Pine Cone in Melvin Village the night of the storm. It started as we were driving there and it was scary! Anyway, when we arrived, their power was out so they met us and told us they weren't serving. We asked if we could wait and they said no, that it wouldn't be coming back on. It wasn't the fact that they couldn't serve us, it was the WAY it was said and the tone. I think things can be done as you say, but done nicely.

While I wasn't there, it seems that it is likely that they could have been recently informed of the power not coming back and were very upset at losing a whole night of income. You were only inconvenienced, they could have a business on the line. Just a thought.

[twoplustwo]

..., I can pretty much guarantee that if the outside seating area had been shut down, the server(s) who would've been assigned that station had already gone home. Having made an exception for one party means that server was already stretched outside her geographic boundaries as far as being able to anticipate the needs of her customers - if you can't see them, who knows what they need? Should it have been handled better? Oh, absolutely. Honestly, handling customer issues is one of the hardest things to teach servers; most anyone can handle positive interactions, but it takes some experience and maturity to deftly handle a situation that involves disappointing a customer. Passing the situation on to the manager was probably her last resort, since her initial 'no' was met by resistance from you. When a server or hostess does that, take them up on it and speak to the manager. They can no more open up a section than they can decide what the chef will or will not do regarding cooking something different than the menu offerings.

May I have a Captain Obvious moment? It was Saturday, it's July, it was stormy. That means no one has the grill going and restaurants will be busier than expected. Gardwood's has a phone number. Had you called in advance, expressed your seating wishes and your arrival time, it's quite possible they could've left one of the tables in her inside section open allowing her to provide better service for 2 parties outside, or given one of her tables to another server. Were the Ritz-Carlton to set up shop on the shores of Winni, even they'd have trouble seating people without reservations on a stormy Saturday in July.

[Fink2]

I appreciate your perspectives. I too have worked in the industry and the thought that a server was not available for the outside did cross my mind. In no way did I insist on seating outside. I was polite in my tone and demeanor and only suggested a reconsideration of the decision based on earlier weather, given the beautiful boat ride over.