What would you have done?

My manager called me this afternoon and told me a customer who came in yesterday and ordered 50.00 worth of food and never came back to pick it up is on the phone and would like the whole order made again. He also said he wasn’t paying since he paid yesterday. Asked why he didn’t come back, answered got busy then forgot. I told manager redo order no charge.

The customer was totally out of line, of course - but if you stick to your guns you lose a more or less good customer. I’d do what you did, but make a note of his name. Once is an accident, twice is not.

Maybe I’m missing something, but if he paid for the order what’s the problem? Joyfully make his new order, I agree with the tactic in “comping” him for the redo. By redoing this forgotten order with a smile the customer now knows YOU are THE place to go for a great meal and a good deal. Positive advertising in any situation. Great customer service, an abundance of gratitude for their patronage, and a friendly smile as they leave…that’s what will keep our independent doors open. Sure, it stings a little bit handing out “free” food, but the price of losing one customer and the who-knows-how-many- he’ll tell HIS side of the story to will sting a lot longer.

I think it was a stand up thing especially in this day and age of things. I also agree with the keep his info handy and make sure this does not become a regular thing. The word of mouth advertising will more than pay for the extra food you had to give out and should go a long way with the locals about what kind of establishment you are. I would almost think of a follow up phone call just too make sure his replacement meal was ok. Just to say it is not something that we “normally” do… but I understand that sometimes people get busy or situations come up and we forget. Just a nice follow up with an underlying notice of… don’t make it a habit. :shock:

are you sure that your manager isn’t pulling your leg?

criminals always think of any way to steal from you.
Sounds real fishy to me.

I would have done the same thing, after I asked my manager:

1. How many times did we call the customer back to see when he was picking up?
2. Why didn’t we refund him his $ at close, or void the transaction, when he didn’t pick up?
3. Did we make a note in the POS system last night, that we might owe him something?

then I would have explained to my manager this situation should have never gotten to this point…
I agree with RobT, something sounds fishy. Even my worst “manager” would have called me and asked what to do.

My question is why the manager didn’t realize time was running long on the order and call the customer to inquire. Even on our busy nights, we make every effort to do this . . . to avoid just this sort of thing.

Nick, Napolipizza

The customer was a walkin and was not a regular customer, so there was no number to call back.
My manager has been with me for over 10 years and I doubt something fishy was going on plus there was a family members girlfriend working that night and verified the story. I do have his info now since he wanted it delivered and we already have it tagged.

I think you handled it great. That guy will likely tell others how well he was treated. It might be a worthwhile effort getting a contact number even on walk-ins, so you can notify them if YOU have issues or if times run long and they might end up a stiff order. Might not be worth your trouble, but it might.

alotadough:

Nick, Napolipizza

The customer was a walkin and was not a regular customer, so there was no number to call back.
My manager has been with me for over 10 years and I doubt something fishy was going on plus there was a family members girlfriend working that night and verified the story. I do have his info now since he wanted it delivered and we already have it tagged.

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Then it sounds like it was handled perfect.

I’m with RobT and Nick. Given that info, nothing else you could have done.
I also salute you for keeping a manager for 10 years. Don’t hear much of that with ANY company anymore.

I’m not calling the manager out but…the story still doesn’t add up. So a guy/customer walks in and unless he is super hungry he is buying food for others like friends or family. He then what…? lets assume he didn’t wait around like most customers and he uhm…walks next door to a bookstore or other place while his food is being cooked. The part I still don’t get is he forgets he ordered the food… a whole lot of food, food for his family and friends not just himself? I mean if he called it in I could see were he fell asleep on the couch or got otherwise distracted but a walk in forgetting that he ordered the food come on??? There is some detail to this story that has been left out or doesn’t add up. Am I alone on this?

Itsjustpizza,

What do you want to hear the real story…his wife ordered food from somewhere else and didn’t tell him. You will never know the real story. Sometimes you have to just make the customer happy.

You did what you had to, would have handled it the same way.
What

What,

This is a cool game we can go back and forth on all month. I was just saying something doesn’t add up with info we have.

I didn’t think of the wife ordering something else etc… but if we go down that road I would think that I as a customer would prefer to try canceling the order with the shop in hopes that the restaurant could use the ordered food on another order and put the cash back in my pocket. I even might be a coward and try canceling the charge with CC merchant at a later time. But the last thing I would do is come back a day later and say give me food that I forgot to eat? How do you forget to eat especially on a walk in order? (between you and me if I ever spend fifty bucks on dinner for the family the wife would know about it before she cooked dinner or ordered elsewhere)

I’m not saying I would or wouldn’t give the guy the food but in the scenario as presented with info given we are missing something. If we are trying to just make this guy happy throw in some extra two liters and a side of breadsticks and blow him away. But if the goal of this posting is to ask a question and we all wish to weigh in and share our thoughts then we are missing something.

People don’t just walk in buy food then walk out and forget that they ordered the food and aren’t hungry at the least the guy could have called back the same day and asked for it to be remade for that night or if he could get credit for later in the week. All of which he didn’t he waited for a full day later to demand his order be remade.

itsjustpizza

I wish I could give you more info but that is the excuse he gave my manager. After 15 years in the business nothing surprises me anymore, and as I said in an earlier post manager has been with me over 10 years and my cousins girlfriend was working when it happened.

itsjustpizza:

People don’t just walk in buy food then walk out and forget that they ordered the food and aren’t hungry at the least the guy could have called back the same day and asked for it to be remade for that night or if he could get credit for later in the week. All of which he didn’t he waited for a full day later to demand his order be remade.

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Had it happen to me as well – although it was only one pizza. I was there when the order was made and this lady never came back. She came back the next day and demanded a new pizza. Not I’m sorry, I got busy and forgot, but just came in and demanded a new pizza.

I could see this happening. People have their thoughts on so many things these days. Forgetting you bought $50 worth of food is just as easy as forgetting to open your garage door and backing out anyway.
You just gotta laugh it off and treat these situations as an opportunity.
We actually have a list of almost 40 families in need that signed up for leftover food at the end of the day. (We have a drive thru so we have to keep some product ready) I would have called one and had them pick it up for free.

I thing that looking at it retroactively is wasting a great opportunity to make sure it never happens again. Clearly there was a problem there, but pointing blame at the customer’s faulty memory or the manager is going to be a lot less productive than taking advantage of the opportunity to get a hot and delicious pizza in the hands of the next customer who walks in and wants you to make their food while they go off and run errands.

The solution doesn’t have to be much more than putting out a new procedure for doing take out orders, but it can be as much as you want it to be. $50 is only a few dollars of food cost, and the labor cost wouldn’t have changed either way, but it looks large, and you obviously had people talking about it. Might as well hijack that energy and put it to positive use.

Pizza of the Month:

I could see this happening. People have their thoughts on so many things these days. Forgetting you bought $50 worth of food is just as easy as forgetting to open your garage door and backing out anyway.
You just gotta laugh it off and treat these situations as an opportunity.
We actually have a list of almost 40 families in need that signed up for leftover food at the end of the day. (We have a drive thru so we have to keep some product ready) I would have called one and had them pick it up for free.

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Bravo!

Pizza of the Month:

You just gotta laugh it off and treat these situations as an opportunity.
We actually have a list of almost 40 families in need that signed up for leftover food at the end of the day. (We have a drive thru so we have to keep some product ready) I would have called one and had them pick it up for free.

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What an awesome idea. Ideas like this are what make the board so great. Not to beat up and shut others down but to discuss and learn new ideas like this. Bravo dude.