There are some calls in a restaurant that can be hard for those in charge to make. One of them is when to merit offering to compensate the meal and when you are being taken advantage of. Sometimes the dining experience leaves something to be desired and customers will complain about it.
Saying you are sorry may not be enough though so offering to pick up the tab for the dinner can soften the perspective of the customer. This is going to cost the restaurant money though so you want to avoid doing it when you don’t have to. On the other hand though you don’t want to risk losing out on repeat customers.
In the long run you have to decide if you are willing to comp a meal and hope they will come back again or not. If they don’t, they can also prevent others from coming back in. Word of mouth is quite powerful in the restaurant industry as people don’t want to take chances when it comes to the food they order.
When you do try to make things right with offering a free meal, it does show your commitment to customers. They will remember what you did to remedy the situation and that will likely get them back in the door. Most people are willing to forgive things that occur if they feel the mistake was sincerely addressed well.
However, it is important to understand that there are people out there who will take advantage of this. They will go to a restaurant with the intension of not paying for what they ordered. They will complain and often create a scene. Of course the restaurant wants to keep them quiet to paying for their meal is often offered.
People brag online about doing this several times a week at various restaurants. It works best for them in larger cities where they have more selection. They will choose busy times of the day or night too. That way dealing with them is something that the staff wants to do rapidly so they can get back to taking care of their other guests.
It is important for the restaurant to have a plan of action for dealing with such issues. That way they don’t escalate out of control. This is a decision that the manager needs to execute though rather than the staff. This way discretion can be used to determine when offering a free meal is right and when it is a ploy that someone is after.
You will have to decide what lengths you want to go to in order to keep your customers happy. Some of them will really appreciate the gesture while others walked out with exactly what they went it looking for. You definitely want to be fair but at the same time you don’t want to be taken advantage of.