I am going to make a public admission I find very, very painful: the last two times I've eaten at Kuma's Corner they screwed up my food.*I LOVE Kuma's. And recently I've stepped up my visits there. The wait doesn't bother me (in fact I think of it as part of the whole experience) the staff is super nice and the burgers are truly amazing. And usually perfect. But like I said, the last two times they messed up my order. (Oh, and I'm bummed they've replaced the waffle fries with really subpar handcut fries, but the chips are still great so it's not that big a deal.)
If most other places screwed up my food two times in a row I would stop going there. So I think it says something about the relationship Kuma's generates with its fans (i.e. me). I know its reputation keeps some folks away with the impression that because it's METAL and TOUGH that it's also scary, but of course anyone who actually goes there can attest to how friendly and just plain good at their jobs the staff is, and that forms a solid bedrock of a good customer experience. When you combine that with a history of mostly great food it becomes easier to forgive recent screw-ups and return.
Also, I'm afraid they would slap me silly if I didn't.
Kidding, of course. But I am serious about the customer experience thing. The customer may not always be right, but you'll never be wrong if you've got the customer experience right.
*What exactly did they get wrong? Honestly, not much but when your burger is the center of your whole being getting it wrong ain't good. For me that meant my burger being rare and actually kind of cold when I asked for it well done a few weeks ago, and yesterday my Kuma's Burger had BBQ sauce on it for some reason. I ate it with the BBQ sauce (even though I hate any type of condiment on my burger) because I didn't want to have to wait for a new one. In both instances I didn't even complain (though maybe I should have, not in the interest of getting anything out of it but just to alert the kitchen in case something else was off?) and just ate the burgers.
I keep going back to a place in my town called "Partner's Deli" because their salads are so good... but they can NEVER get a sandwich right. Ever.
ReplyDeleteYet I keep going back, too?
OH I hate when a favourite restaurant screws up my food. I give a second chance but I will stop going if it continues. I have to, because I'm one of those people who can't complain at the time.
ReplyDeletemedium rare is best - tastes better... now the bbq sauce thing...weird.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe they got rid of their waffle frieds, wtf.
I haven't been there in a while. I like going there really hungry because their burgers are giant and delicious. I wish I knew where their meat comes from (p.s. it's scary to have heard that apparently their meat is not fresh).
I always give a place a 2nd chance. You should have complained the second time - I would have.