Being in the restaurant business is tough right now.  It’s tough to get customers…it’s tough to keep customers.  The industry as a whole is suffering which means you may be spending more time at your restaurant serving your customers than looking at the big picture.  Because of this, there might be some distance between the service you are delivering and what the customer is really expecting.

 In order to give you some help, we have compiled a small list of the top customer restaurant pet peeves that you can check off to ensure that your customers’ experience is the best it could possibly be.

• Hot food served on cold plates and cold food served on hot plates.
• Greeters that are unwelcoming and make me feel like I’m imposing on their time
• Dirty restrooms
• Dirty silverware or forks with bent tines
• Dirty or chipped wine glasses
• Salt and pepper shakers that are half empty or crusted inside
• Dirty or sticky tables
• Wobbly tables or chairs
• Uncomfortable booths or chairs
• Orders that arrive incomplete
• Failure of the manager to approach the table when there is a problem
• Not bringing all the serviceware needed for the menu item
• Servers with poor personal sanitation practices  and are constantly touching their hair or scratching themselves
• Necessary condiments don’t arrive with the food
• The entrée showing up when I’m still eating my appetizer or salad
• Servers not pre-bussing the table and removing dirty, unnecessary dishes 

It is obvious that the little things matter.  Remember, these top complaints come with easy fixes and will have restaurant guests coming back.

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