A Cute Restaurant, Nice Attendant and Crappy Food
HOW IT STARTED
Hello babe, what are we having for lunch?
I don’t know. Just get anything. She hung up before I could say another word. She knows I don’t like an ‘anything’ answers.
Right behind me is this relatively new restaurant and bar along, Shaka, Jos, Plateau State, with an aluminum extension laced with colorful food designs to whet your appetite. Each box has a bold inscription “COME AND EAT.”
Dazed by hunger, I went in without hesitation.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Next, I am inside this place which feels like a box — well carpeted with artificial grass.
What do you have? I asked the attendant who wears a smile as she walks up to me.
That’s our menu. She points to a colored card paper.
I smiled. Are you telling me that everything here is available?
No Sir, they are not. We have Fried and Jollof Rice, Garri and Poundo Yam. And for soup, we have banga and egusi.
I requested a plate of poundo yam and egusi soup with peppered beef. She said it would take 15 minutes.
No qualms, but while I wait, do you have anything I can snack on?
Yes sir, we have sausage rolls.
Oh great, give me one… ehm, how much is it?
150 Naira, Sir.
Okay, give me two, then.
From where I sat, I could see her moving from left to right trying to get the microwave to work. Under my breath, I gave thanks to the heavens — thank goodness she’s kind enough to microwave the snacks.
If only I knew what I was about to taste.
About five minutes later, she hands me two tiny -cracked-grey coloured thing which she declared to be sausages.
Well, I was not expecting anything big for 150 Naira in the 2021 Nigerian economy.
And I definitely could not have expected what I was about to taste.
I closed my eyes, took a bite -
‘Yuck!’ What is this? I tried making sense of the smell I was perceiving but I could not.
Apparently, she had tried to conceal the rottenness of the sausage by microwaving it. Excuse me, I motioned to her -this is not fresh. I can’t eat it. I will pay for the one I have bitten. Please, take this away.
Okay, no problem and she turns back.
Her carefree response confirmed my suspicion. She did not argue because she’s aware the sausages were bad — I mean rotten.
Now, I am wondering why I haven’t cancelled my order. I can’t waste my time and money. What if the soup and meat were also rotten? But my guts told me to see this to the end.
I decided I would tell her how terrible it feels to be served rotten sausages, but I promised to do it with grace and kindness. The economy is bad after all, and everyone is trying to cut their losses.
WHAT I SAID
Moments later, she’s back with my food.
Can I talk to you for a bit? I asked as I hand her my money.
Now, it was no more about the food. I am speaking for other customers who will come after me. It’s about how much longer they’ll like to be in business. If this continues, I bet they won’t have a first anniversary.
When did you bake this sausage, I asked in my most friendly tone.
Ehm, las…last week
For context, I entered the restaurant on a Wednesday — let’s assume it was baked on Saturday, that’s at least 4 days.
You know this is bad for your business, right? I continued. I mean, as a chef, you know the shelf life for this kinda stuff. I agree that you want to make a profit, but if you sell stale (I was being nice again) snacks, you’d lose more business.
Yeah, I might pay for this one, but that’s all you’d ever get and I will make sure I spread words about how bad your food and snack is.
I made a few more points, she thanked me and I left.
WHY DID I TAKE THE PAIN TO TALK TO HER?
I am customer centric. I am passionate about businesses serving their customers well.
Generally, dissatisfied customers don’t let the business know they are unhappy but they spread the experience to between 10 and 20 people.
This guys would be out of business with that kind of shitty service.
GENERAL ASSESSMENT
WHAT THEY HAVE GOING
Though the restaurant is not close to a 3star, however, for the standard they represent, the exterior and interior design is okay.
The attendant/cook whose name is Martha was personable. She listened with interest to my dissatisfied suggestions, apologized and even refunded some of the money for the snack.
WHAT THEY SHOULD WORK ON
Heck, never sell rotten sausage to your customers. If it’s bad, throw it away. I am aware that unbaked sausage rolls can take 24–48 hours refrigerated and 3 -4 days when already baked. However, it requires an uninterrupted power supply. In this case, she told me it was not refrigerated. Similarly, when you reheat, do it at 200f. However, it won’t be out of place never to sell them after 24 hours. It’s a good brand message to have a policy for selling only fresh-baked snacks.
Employ more hands — Just imagine how she would have coped with 3 customers who walk in at once. It’s not acceptable for one person to attend to customers, cook the meal, collect cash, and clear the table.
SCORECARD
I would give them a score of 2 out of 10.
If you’d ever have reasons to patronize them, make sure you ask for a fresh-baked snack.
What about the food I bought? My wife could not eat the meat. She said it tasted like rotten meat.
I will like to hear from you, please share any similar experience and how you handled it.