Restaurant Update

Well, I must say that the restaurant I wrote about has made improvements! A friend of mine called me Sunday night and said that the service was better when they visited. I have never said the name of the restaurant and I will continue to keep the name anonymous, despite the improvements. I did get an email from the owner this morning. Take a look:

Mr. Vaughan,

Thank you for your continued feedback about the experiences of yourself and your friends. I apologize that we continue to disappoint. Slow service and a lack of cleanliness are unacceptable and I understand your concern.

During the past few months we have made several changes and improvements. We have added 3 new manager trainees who are mature adults with customer service backgrounds. Their training is almost complete. We have also added a 3rd maintenance person in the store to help with needed extra cleaning. Additionally we have several new procedures and checklists for the shift managers to utilize during their shifts.

This is all designed to improve Quality, Service, and Cleanliness. Although I realize we still have improvements to make, I am proud of what my staff has accomplished so far. We are graded each month by "mystery shoppers" and during the third quarter this year we have improved from an average of 80% to above 90%. Sales were flat during most of the summer and have begun to increase again, service times have improved in most day parts (Sunday nights at 6:30pm are apparently still an opportunity), and the attitude of the staff has improved as well.

Part of the continuing problem is staffing. As we have made changes and increased expectations this has caused some turnover. This will continue as long as we still have those that are not helping us to improve.

Mr. Vaughan, it is my desire for (name removed) to be an asset to this community, to every customer, and to our employees as well. I take responsibility for the fact that operations slipped to the point that all of this is necessary and I am aware that we still have improvements to make, but we are headed in the right direction.

Thanks,
(name removed, Franchise Owner)

My wife is out of town this week, so I'm sure I will be in there in the next couple of days. I look forward to seeing the improvements. I'll keep you blog readers posted. I will say that I am impressed by the Franchise Owner's email. I think they notice that there is a problem and are taking action.

Have a great day!
Ryan