Thursday, February 18, 2010

It Pays to Speak Up!


My daughters and I enjoy spending time taking in cultural events in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Minnesota Orchestra are two favorites. Last month we went out to lunch after a concert at the Minnesota Orchestra and to celebrate Leah's birthday we went to an upscale restaurant in Minneapolis.

We had a very lovely prix fixe meal that we all enjoyed and the service was outstanding. As we finished our lunch, however, Leah happened to overhear two kitchen staff arguing and using profane language! Can I just confess here and now that I was checking a voicemail on my telephone before we hit the road and when I am engaged in a task I am sometimes (okay, usually) oblivious to my surroundings? Emily was away from the table and I was preoccupied so Leah was the only one who was subjected to the kitchen outburst. It was bad enough that our server told them she had young customers at a nearby table and to please control themselves. Unfortunately, that didn't have much of an effect and our special lunch ended on a sour note.

Leah didn't inform me of the chefs' tirade until later in the day and so I wasn't able to say anything while we were at the restaurant. The more I thought about it, however, the more I felt I should express my displeasure with the manager and the owner of the restaurant. I sat down at my laptop and crafted a letter and mailed it off a couple days later. We had been waiting for a response, wondering what they would say and today we received our answer. A letter of apology and a $50.00 gift card for the girls and I to return and try again! We are all excited and willing to give the anonymous restaurant another chance.

I'm not sure that they serve diet food but sometimes you've got to splurge.

Bon Appetit!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow! you're right. waytogo!

Auntie Cake said...

Very nice of the restaurant to send you a gift card. I am kind of surprised, so many of the places would not have even taken the time to apologize when you called. Customer service seems to have gone down the tubes lately. Along with polite conversation... Or our ability to control our tempers...

And yes, slow and steady does win the race. I'll bet you are toning up, not just loosing pounds. You will be ready for vacation in no time. I, on the other hand, have been glued to tv watching the Olympics. I have watched more tv since the start of the Olympics, than I have in the two years combined since the summer games were held. Sigh, its bad... But I can't tear myself away...

I love snow also, but I think I will start getting itchy in a bit. It was wonderful to see green grass in my pictures. I didn't even remember what it looked like.

Have a great weekend, you will be working out, I will be watching the Olympics... I will think of you during the commercials as I do my exercising, running down to throw in a load of laundry and racing back just in time...
Kate

Emily said...

Yum. Now I'm glad you wrote them. :)
Xoxo, Emily

Alexa said...

Take me! ;-)

Can do mom said...

I may just have to have you all draw straws!

If you love french cuisine, that is...

Leah Marie said...

I'm glad I said something! Now we can go again.

WendyBee said...

Well, I am glad that you wrote to the management of the restaurant. And to their credit, they did care about your feedback. I do see a cultural trend away from civility. And as the old saying goes, all that is needed for evil (or in this case, vulgar incivility) to prevail is for good men (or in this case, women!) to do nothing. I applaud you, as I do feel it is important for any of us to raise our voices, graciously, when standards of decorum are ignored, or even don't seem to exist.
You rock, CD Mom!
WendyBee