(Prawn) Crackers

My wife and I love Chinese food. And for us, no Chinese meal is complete without a huge portion of prawn crackers to kick it off.

We were recently recommended a takeaway in a nearby village. I placed the order and headed off to collect it. I eagerly took the box of goodies back to my car and noticed there were no prawn crackers!

I went back in to get them and the following ensued:

Me: Please can I have the prawn crackers that we ordered

Restaurant: Oh, your order was over £20 so instead of prawn crackers you get 10 free spring rolls

Me: But we wanted prawn crackers and ordered them specifically. We already have the 4 spring rolls that we ordered.

Restaurant, with a huge sigh, picking up a bag of prawn crackers and slamming them on the counter: Here

Me: Er, goodbye

So here’s my free business advice to this unnamed restaurant:

-      Value your product and service correctly from the outset and be confident in it.

-      Giving ‘extra’ stuff to clients is fine if you feel you need to, but do take the time to understand what they really want. Giving clients extra stuff they don’t want is a waste of time, products and profit. 14 spring rolls is a good example of this.

-      Deal with queries politely and professionally. You’re trying to build a relationship.

-      Please go on a cookery course as the whole meal was terrible.

If your business needs any help with the first 3, please give me a shout. (I’m not a bad cook but please look elsewhere for No 4 😊)

Image courtesy of Chris Chidsey