A bad restaurant review… before you have even seen how the restaurant responds?
A dish arrives lukewarm. An order is forgotten. A mistake appears on the bill. The customer is disappointed, and understandably so.
But if we accept that a mistake can happen in any restaurant, one question remains: should we judge the establishment solely on that mistake, or also on the way it puts things right?
A good restaurant is not defined only by the quality of its food and service when everything goes to plan. Its standards also become apparent when a problem arises: does it listen to the customer? Acknowledge the mistake? Look for a solution?
A conversation is part of the experience
If something is wrong, telling the waiter, manager or owner gives the restaurant a chance to act while the customer is still there. A dish can be put right, a mistake explained, a misunderstanding cleared up.
The response matters as much as the original problem. An attentive manager can rescue an evening that started badly. Conversely, a comment that is ignored or treated with contempt can make a small mistake feel much more serious to the customer.
Without that conversation, we do not really know how the restaurant handles problems. We are judging the incident, but not its response.
What the feedback tells us
Our survey of 30 restaurant customers and 10 restaurateurs found that, in around 80% of the situations described, a conversation with the owner or manager had helped find a solution.
This finding concerns the accounts we collected, not all Belgian restaurants. Nevertheless, it shows why we encourage customers to speak up first: in many cases, the problem can be resolved and everyone leaves happier.
Sometimes a negative review is still necessary
Talking before posting does not mean giving up your right to criticise. If the restaurant refuses to listen, downplays the problem or offers no satisfactory response, the customer is perfectly entitled to describe their experience.
Their review will be more useful, too: they can explain what went wrong and how the establishment responded. That gives other consumers a much fuller picture than a poor rating based solely on a mistake the manager may never even have known about.
Wallonie Gourmande's view
At Wallonie Gourmande, we believe mistakes can happen anywhere. What also sets establishments apart is their ability to take responsibility and put things right.
That is why we always encourage customers to speak to the manager or owner first. Let us give the restaurant a chance to show how it deals with a problem. Only then can we judge the experience as a whole.
What about you? When something goes wrong at a restaurant, do you give the establishment a chance to resolve it before posting a review?
