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I didn't use that line, though it is true

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  • I didn't use that line, though it is true

    Today my family went out for lunch - a very rare treat. We've been to this place a few times and have our favorite menu items. The restaurant recently changed ownership and they are working to improve the customer service, since it went down hill under the prior ownership.

    Unfortunately, today, the customer service we received was not very good. There were a bunch of little things (out of a few items, yelling to someone in the kitchen to find out if something was available, things like that) but the moment when my frustration showed was when they messed up our order and claimed we'd received an item which we hadn't and when they realized we hadn't received it made it seem like our fault and told me I had to be patient because even though we'd already waited for 25 minutes (and this was based on the time on the credit card receipt compared to my phone - so yes, 25 minutes was pretty accurate) it would take time to make the food, all while talking down to me. When we hit the 40 minute mark my husband went up to ask how much longer it would take and the response he got was that we'd already received it....fortunately, the original cashier knew we hadn't received it and quickly fixed the problem.

    So, the line I could have used but didn't - I know the owner. And I do - his wife grew up around the corner from us, and I've known her since she was in elementary school; I'm friends with her mother; I was invited to their wedding (though I couldn't attend); her father was my son's 4th grade teacher...yeah, I actually do know the owner, and he wasn't on site today. When we left, I contacted the owner directly and shared with him my experience.
    Last edited by justhere; 06-28-2017, 02:31 AM.

  • #2
    That, IMO, is the best way to use the "I know the Owner" line. Don't get into a confrontation that wastes both yours and the staffs time, but give feedback so the Owner actually DOES know something is up and can work to correct it.

    Of course most of the time folks who try to use That line do not actually know anyone in the ownership chain and are just looking for the confrontation and/or recompense.

    Hopefully your owner friend can turn the restaurant around. Growing pains when a big change happens can be frustrating, but the end result can be worth it. (or can be an unmitigated disaster....)

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    • #3
      Agreed. Threatening the staffer with "I KNOW THE OWNER!!" is likely to just make them roll their eyes, since they've almost certainly heard it before.

      Going directly to the owner is a much better idea. Hope he can fix things.
      Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
      ~ Mr Hero

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      • #4
        If I've learned anything from here is that the line is way over-used and usually a lie. So, I knew they wouldn't take me seriously, even though it was accurate.

        I do hope that he can turn this place around. He's already made a lot of changes (including taking off about 1/2 the items on the menu, which is good because it was just too much before).

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        • #5
          My favorite line (and for some reason I've been hearing it a lot lately) is "I know the family that used to be the owner.*" Followed by that expectant pause, like, now all the rules are waived for them, right?

          *Seven years and two -- well, technically, three -- owners ago. Plus, that family lost the business as a result of litigation; it's not as if they negotiated any kind of sale.

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          • #6
            Two of our favorite diners are family owned and operated. If the owners aren't there, their spouses, siblings or children are.

            Its really entertaining to hear a SC saying "I know the owner and the waitress asking their name and then yelling something like this into the kitchen: "DAD!!! There's a Janet here who wants to talk to you!!!"

            The back-pedaling starts and then its "discovered" that the SC actually knew the people who owned the place 10 years ago.

            I'm not the only one entertained by this, 90% of us customers actually do know the owners by name and/or have gone to school with one of the kids, or dated a family member or is a sister/brother/mother/father of someone who married into the family, etc.

            When an SC starts with the "I know the owner" line, everyone gets quiet so we can listen and snicker.

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            • #7
              Quoth Slave to the Phone View Post
              Two of our favorite diners are family owned and operated. If the owners aren't there, their spouses, siblings or children are.

              When an SC starts with the "I know the owner" line, everyone gets quiet so we can listen and snicker.
              That sounds like it would be extra fun; when the locals do know the owners and each other on sight, and some stranger starts trying that line. Everyone gears up for "Dinner and a Show" to see what's going to happen next and how the stranger is going to dig out when they find out they've stumbled into Jones' Diner when the Jones family is having a Friends and Family reunion dinner.

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              • #8
                You are so right, Jetfire, its great fun. The diner it happens most often at is just off the only stoplight since leaving the interstate and getting on the highway 30 miles back.

                Even if we don't hear the SC starting, we know because waitstaff and other customers all whisper "be quiet, don't look!". We are not supposed to start pointing and laughing until the SC pays their bill sans tip and stomps off. (For some reason, a regular customer does actually get up to leave, but stops to check their pockets/purse/etc. for their phone/keys/whatever right in front of the door. Just in case the SC wants to avoid the whole paying the entire bill hassle and tries to bolt out.)


                Once the bill has been paid and the SC is leaving, we can all point and laugh as much as we want. Which we do.

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