We Are Moving You To The Counter, Others Need Your Table

One Sunday morning, I decided to have breakfast at a locally owned restaurant in my area. I brought in some books and a magazine and was seated at a booth. The restaurant was not that busy. I had eaten there before, the service was good and the food was alright.

I wanted to eat somewhere that had family feel to it without the restaurant chain-store sameness. I wanted to relax, enjoy some food and read.

 As I was eating I noticed the restaurant was getting busier. After eating my breakfast, I kept reading. The lady from the restaurant came up to the booth said they wanted to move me to the counter because they had customers who needed the space and I was there alone. I was somewhat shocked and little disheartened by that treatment by the restaurant.

 

 I wondered what my rights were. Could they do that? Of course, they could, they own the place. Maybe not, a few years ago, a steakhouse owner in Louisville, Kentucky asked O.J Simpson to leave his restaurant.  Later, the owner said “I didn’t want to serve him because of my convictions of what he’s done to those families.” Question: Was the owner’s actions legal or illegal? Simpson did intend to file a lawsuit against the restaurant alleging his ejection was about race and not being a high profile customer. Later, he didn’t follow through with the suit.

 Restaurants do have rules they must follow. They are allowed to implement neutral customers conduct rules, dress codes or other neutral admission policies. Such policies must apply equally to all persons regardless of their race, color, sex, gender identity or other protected characteristics. The policies and laws vary from state to state.

For example, in California, the Unruch Civil Rights Act, enacted in 1959, states “All persons within the jurisdiction of the state are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges or services in all establishments of every kind whatsoever.”

 I thought I should get a refund, but I didn't speak up and left which is I'm sure, is what they wanted.

 I've never eaten at that restaurant again. I still ride by and they're still in business. I never told anybody about that treatment I received from the restaurant.

 As I've been writing this blog, I've had to go into the vault of my good and bad customer experiences. As a bachelor, I often eat alone in restaurants. On occasions, I've been seated near the kitchen and placed at the smallest table available. One time, I asked the server, if I get another table, she gave me a look and went on to explain the table seating is based on one. Ouch!!! It's not even Thanksgiving and I'm relegated to the children's table for a meal that I'm paying the same price as someone that has someone and a better table.

 

Personally, I avoid going to a restaurant on a Friday or Saturday evening. Is this the Curse of the Alone Diner?

The NPD group, a consumer market research firm found out that 60 percent of Americans eat breakfast alone and 55 percent have lunch alone. As for dinner, 32 percent have dinner alone.

 

Now, there may be a social life preserver thrown to the Alone Diner. The downside is that we may have to travel to Amsterdam to be saved from bad Alone Diner treatment.

Eenmall is a restaurant in Amsterdam that has only tables for one. It offers a four-course meal including drink. There is no Wi-Fi, diners are encouraged to read physical books and magazines.

There may be some hope here in the states. The U.S Census Bureau revealed more people are living and eating alone than at any other time in history. Nearly one-third of all current U.S household have a single person in them.

Some restaurants are making an effort to accommodate the Alone Diner. Restaurant trenders say they’re seeing a larger emphasis on restaurants that have more two persons tables with faster wait times and smaller menu items that are geared towards individuals.

At New York City’s based Union Square Hospitality Group, the servers are trained on how to interact with the Alone Diner. The customers are offered a couple of table locations along with reading materials, if desired.

 Here are a few concepts that restaurants can be used to increase their share of the profitable Alone Diner pie:

    Spend the time and effort to hire the right people with good personalities to interact with the Alone Diner.

    Outline the behaviors you expect from your employee, the way they should act, speak and respond to the Alone Diner’s needs and requests.

    Establish and maintain on-going customer service training on a recurring basis.

    Give incentives to employees who demonstrate great customer service. Employees want to be well paid, but they would like to be treated with respect and shown appreciation.

 Here is a kicker, a Gallup Poll survey revealed a customer who is emotionally bonded to your place of business is likely to spend 46 percent more money that a customers who is just satisfied, but not emotionally bonded.

This is very true to be “emotionally bonded” to a restaurant. I have found a restaurant that I have an “emotion bond” where I am treated the same whether I am dining alone or with someone.  My average bill is about eight to nine dollars and I visit this restaurant about once a week.  My average spending at this restaurant is 50 weeks x $ 9.00 = $450.00.

The reason I eat at this restaurant because I can read and work as long as I want without the threat of being kicked out plus the food is really good. One day, I was writing and got into a groove. Seven hours later, no one ever asked me to leave, they just kept refilling my hot tea.

It takes some guts to eat alone in a restaurant, but it is our right to be served and treated as if we were part of a “party of five.”

 

As we end with each blog post, the mantra, Plant Service, Harvest Money from the book, The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

 Hello, May I Help You, Adventures In Customer Service posts on Wednesdays.

 Sources:

Eating Alone by Design: An Entire Restaurant With Tables for One http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-24/eating-alone-by-design-an-entire-restaurant-with-tables-for-one

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/dec/18/eating-alone-no-shame-lone-diner-table-takeaway   

We Eat Half Of Our Meals Alone

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/07/eating-alone_n_5658532.html

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101899818#.

http://www.today.com/money/eating-alone-new-american-diner-goes-solo-1D80049574

http://www.gaebler.com/Denying-Service-to-Restaurant-Customers.htm

Front-line Employees Are Key to Customer Service Success http://humanresources.about.com/od/customerservice/a/serve_customers.htm