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A regular at my spot in Chicago told me my risotto was too salty for three months straight.
I kept brushing it off, thinking he just liked bland food, but he finally pulled me aside and said, 'Lisa, you're using the wrong stock, it's already salted.' I switched to a low-sodium vegetable base and cut my added salt in half, and now the dish is perfect. How do you handle it when a customer gives you the same piece of feedback over and over?
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valellis14d ago
Kimmurphy's point about a secret code is so real. It makes you wonder if the person giving the feedback is actually scared to hurt your feelings directly.
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What if the customer isn't just complaining, but trying to give you a secret code? I had a guy always say his burger was too dry, and it turned out he actually hated the new buns we switched to, but didn't want to insult the baker. He used the main part of the dish as his way in. Sometimes people fixate on one thing because they don't know how to say the real problem. It makes you wonder how many times a repeated comment is just the easiest flag they can wave.
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michaeld481mo ago
Ever notice how the same complaint keeps coming up? I started asking "what else feels off" when someone repeats themselves. Half the time they spill the real issue once you give them an opening.
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