Great Customer Experience #3 - Recovery.

Ah, the wedding anniversary! Good to remember it. Better even to celebrate it.

One year, I did my homework and without any prompting, booked dinner for two at E… Bistro, a restaurant with one hat in the Age, Good Food Guide.

The bistro was funky and fine. We decided to go for the three course prix fixe menu rather than the five course degustation menu.

The waitress was attentive and engaging without being overbearing. I hate "overbearing" at dinner. She asked if we would like a side dish of vegies or salad with the mains. Although I thought it was unnecessary, I was conscious of the occasion. Wedding anniversaries deserve a green salad, even if the price is going north.

At the risk of sounding like a food snob, the entrees were underwhelming. The mains however were in a different class. I had a barramundi fillet. It was damn fine although not the best I have ever eaten. Surprisingly, Mrs Wells had ordered the pork. It came with two different cuts: a loin and a piece of belly. We don't often hear Mrs Wells raving about meat. She cut a piece of the belly and offered it to me on her fork.

How romantic!

I have to admit; it was divine. We both agreed it was the best pork we had ever eaten, narrowly eclipsing the pulled pork shoulder that Mrs Wells prepared herself for a dinner party for 32 guests two years earlier.

But where was the salad? If we had really wanted the salad, I suppose I would have asked. By the time Mrs Wells was licking her plate, I decided it was too late. No tip for E… tonight and I was certainly not paying for the absent side dish.

Just when I thought that our waitress had failed her most important test; delivery of the wedding anniversary green salad, she approached and asked if it had arrived. We said "no". She was contrite and apologetic. She offered to get one forthwith but noted that we had finished our main courses and so it might be too late. We agreed. She emphasised that we would not be charged for the side dish and reiterated her disappointment at letting us down because she had "upsold the salad to us in the first place".

Recovery lesson #1: If you make a mistake, fess up to the customer before the customer is forced to bring it to your attention.

It still wasn't enough to garner a tip but at least it made me feel better because I would not be required to alert the establishment to the mistake when the bill came.

Dessert for Mrs Wells. Cheese for me. Then, our waitress asked if we would like tea or coffee. We both ordered an espresso and it was a very pleasant way to complete an agreeable bistro dinner.

When I asked for the bill, I noticed that we had not been charged for the coffee. The waitress remarked discretely that this was in recognition of the mistake made with the salad.

Recovery lesson #2: If you make a mistake and follow up your confession with a nominal concession, the customer's demeanour is often improved. The secret is the pro-activity. If you have to be asked, it is too late.

The waitress received a $20 tip. That was a brilliant recovery considering the position near the end of main course.