We are not a steak house. First time visitors, coming from a ways away for dinner. Lamb & filet of beef. We do these dishes well, on a regular basis. Beef can be requested from bloody rare (you know the potential risks if you choose to do this) to well done. And we do the range well, regularly.
What I learned tonight is that we do not have the equipment to do "charcoal" dark on outside, just a little red on the inside & really medium.
Beef on the menu was not what we had planned on day one when we opened. With the decision to serve dinner came the urging of some regular customers for BEEF. So, we do a nice filet, grilled without the flame broiling capability common in steak houses and probably many other fine dining establishments.
How did this come to be an issue with discomfort tonight? -- When you know you can't do it and don't let the customer know the same -- there is a no win situation set up. And we had that in spades tonight. Unhappy customer, unhappy server & unhappy cook. I will say, it was a first & I imagine we could have been prepared for it however we were not. The mis-communication from all BR parties caused us to allow the customer to expect what he ordered - who wouldn't, right?
When I was asked to come down from the office where I was merrily emailing to folks who wanted to do private parties here in the spring... I found a situation gone beyond the food itself. I listened & swallowed the attempt to assuage. And of course, the meal served successful was not billed to customer as I have learned this can be a valuable tool to keep the door open in a tough situation.
I always want to hear the problems customers encounter - the small to large & I know that that helps us grow. Whether it is moving a table out of the front dining room because it was a bit too tight (that you for that comment - everyone is happier with the new arrangement in the front room!) to a problem with a dish - to the mega issue of this filet -- worst nightmare is a customer leaving upset & hungry. There was nothing this individual wanted other than the meal he had ordered, cooked as he had requested. And we could not do it. And we did not do the right job of letting him know when it might not have caused him an upset for the entire dining experience.
I hope these folks will give us another try, particularly now as we get started with our new exec chef. He has a lot to get his arms around and in his first week +, he is doing a great job. On the menu front - he has already put his stamp on our cassoulet & it is now truly ambrosial - served in baking dish & bubbling, just out of the ovens. If you liked it before, come again soon and have a try!
So, until the right piece of equipment is purchased, we will be more careful with orders in the beef / steak category.
What would you do in this case? What would you want if you were the upset customer?
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