Another Lesson On Customer Service

We live in an age of customer experience…Mickey and Mooch is an upper end steakhouse in Charlotte, NC.  Their meat is top shelf – in fact, you can request Angus or Prime, depending on how much you want to spend, and the portions are good.  The atmosphere is very nice, and it would appear to be a great place to take your wife or special someone for Dinner.  But here’s why I am never going back…

Total Lack of Attention to the Customer

When I arrived with my wife last night – the maitre d’ was just down right unfriendly.  This is the person who creates the first impression.  Even though I had a reservation and arrived early – before the crowds showed up, they sat me at this little table in the corner.  It turned out that this was not actually our “assigned table,” but asking to be moved was like the old Burger King commercial where they guy tries to order onion rings at McDonald’s – everyone goes into slow motion wondering what to do.

Totally Confused About How to Cook a Steak

Confusing the Customer is a Great Way to Begin

Once seated, it was time to review the menu and order.  We were there to have steak, so the decision was made and we started our order. Our server started out by informing us that our steak would be undercooked, so we should just explain how we want it cooked.  That’s odd…good way to confuse the customer.

How Many Steaks Does It Take To Get It Right?

Twenty minutes or so later our steaks arrived.  We both ordered the top end filet…Our server was confused about who got what steak, but after a short experiment we figured it out.  My wife’s steak was more like a brick than a steak.  It looked like they had left it on the grill about 10 minutes too long.  So we sent it back…with the detailed instructions  – Lightly pink in the middle.  Now I cook steaks all the time.  It’s not that difficult.

My wife’s new steak arrived just as I was finishing up my entire meal.  This time her steak was somewhere in the medium rare category. Bright red, with that sort of gelatine look.  Well, that just wasn’t going to work, so we sent it back again, with the side item so it would be hot when the steak was finally done.

Another 20 minutes went by.  Finally the waiter appeared, explaining that the cook, who is also the owner, overcooked the steak again, and was cooking another steak.  When it arrived, it was full of fat – in fact, it was the wrong kind of steak.  We wanted the prime filet – this was not. Back to the kitchen – we’re about 2 1/2 hours into this meal now, and my wife is really looking forward to eating dinner. My dinner is long gone…

The new steak arrives – it’s cooked just right, however, I can hear my wife crunching on her under-cooked broccoli all the way on my side of the table.  We didn’t bother sending it back.

The Moment of Truth – The Check

When my check arrived, I expected them to offer to credit us for her steak.  They said nothing…so I mentioned to the waiter, “Any quality restaurant would have offered something – free dessert, no meal charge, gift card,…”  He said, “Would you like me to say something to the owner?” Of course I would – or I wouldn’t have brought it up.

He returned with our check – without an update from the owner/manager.  So I asked, “What happened?”  He simply said, “Mickey doesn’t really care.”

If you live in Charlotte, do yourself a favor – skip Mickey and Mooch and head over to Sullivan’s, Capital Grill, Ruth Chris…even The Long Horn does a better job all around.

While this has nothing to do with technology – it has a lot to do with repeat clients.  A simple lesson in customer service.  And, if Mickey and Mooch can’t figure out the customer service thing – they might benefit from a cook that knows how to cook a steak.

© 2014, David Stelzl

P.S. I know, this isn’t a Pizza Post…