# Returned drinks - do you get offended?



## Glenn

How do you view customers who return a drink or ask for another shot (provided they haven't finished their original ...) ?

If I am not happy with a drink I will ask for it to be remade and know of others who do the same.

Most of the time I get a smile and a new drink but on occasions I am met with bemusement and the request has sometimes been turned down (lost customer!) because the person behind the bar thinks they know best.

Although it is often quoted that 'the customer is always right' this is not the case, but in a service industry this motto rings true - if only to keep a customer.

I would rather serve another shot than to lose a customer and it might be the wake up call that is needed after a long shift (or week) to keep you focussed and on your toes.

What are your thoughts and how do you handle this type of request?


----------



## awlred

For me, if a customer ever returns a drink then I'll immediatly appologise and re-make it. At the end of the day I'm only human and I am capable of mistakes. I try and watch for quality shots and try to notice if anything looks awry but the occaisional one slips through the net.

If the second one isn't up to standard either I'll do a test shot for me to taste to see if its something like beans being stale.

At the end of the day I want everyone leaving my bar to enjoy the drink i've made, thats why I'm there.

And if its just down to something like us being different to what they're used to then I'll explain that to them.

Indeed, I kind of appreciate a customer returning a drink because it keeps me on guard and stops me getting sloppy, but sometimes I think that people's expectations are very low so I could get away with a lot more than I ought to, but I try to keep that in the back of my mind and keep doing my utmost to make the best coffee I can.


----------



## coffeemaster

I dont get offended if customers return it. If there not happy I am more than happy to remake it. I think that the customer deserves what they are paying for


----------



## LeeWardle

We are there to keep the customer drinking outstanding coffee and to make sure they keep doing it! If it's a badly made drink then it's big apologies all round and the drink is re-made. If it's because they wan't an extra shot, or it's too strong etc. I'll find out how they like thier coffee and re-make to suit. I'll also make sure they feel comfortable to ask for it "thier way" the next time they order.

I do get a liitle irritated when a customer asks when ordering for it to be "extra hot" or "not too much froth (hate that word)" etc. I tend to ask them if thts really how they'd like the drink or have they just had a bad experience elsewhere and are saying these things to try and make sure it's right. Most of the time they'll recant you with a tale about "my latte is always cold".....so I offer to make them one properly and if it's not hot enough then I will make them a fresh one no problem. When they leave they usually comment on how nice the drink was and they always comeback. I have found these people then tend to be your most loyal customers.

Lee


----------



## RolandG

I'm generally of the same opinion, and certainly I'm happy to change the drink until it's what the customer wants (whatever that might be). I think the only thing I'd add is that sometimes customers are "wrong". I don't mean that in a complaining way - whatever a customer prefers is fine by me - but I've had demands for drinks that I know are just too hot to drink without burning yourself. There are reasons - for example, the customer likes to take their time over starting the drink - but at the end of the day I can't deny a slight, urm... confusion, on my part that someone would purposefully seek a drink with milk that is scalded. But again, you can't relate to everyone's palate - if they like it, then your responsibility is to give them that - there is only so much you can do to offer them something you consider tastier/better (my view at least).


----------



## LeeWardle

I hate the "cappuccino please, no foam" Oh. A cappuccino consists of foam, milk and espresso. SO you want a latte then? "No, a cappuccino no foam". So you want espresso, topped up with textured milk. "yes". SO you want a Wet latte then? "no a capp with no foam". Actually, they want a wet latte with chocolate on top! I'm still wrong though, because regardless of the fact that it's not a cappuccino, she wants it so it is. It does make you want to curl up and hide sometimes.


----------



## coffeeman

We're in our jobs though to satisfy the customers and, moreover, educate them. not that they're wrong but that there is sometimes another way that's better.

We have to serve latte's in glasses and they take longer to heat than porcelain cups so I like to half fill with hot water and allow to sit for a few minutes before pouring it out and milk in at the normal temp and explain what I'm doing and why.

If a drink comes back I'll gladly re-make it but I have to know what's wrong with it and explain why it's done that way either because it's the way we do or because I messed up. If you're paying for a drink you deserve a certain standard.


----------



## Simon888

I think the above replies ring true in all aspects of retailing. Surely the cost of a repalcement drink is not worth losing a customer for - even if in our opinion they are wrong. You never know how many people they will tell of their bad experience. It doen't take long to lose a reputation, but a long time to build one.


----------



## MikeHag

My friends laugh when I go on about how much I learned during my 2 years at Pizza Hut (20 years ago!) but back then we always did whatever it took to make the customer happy, and if it still didn't work we didn't charge...even if we knew there was nothing wrong. Those principles course through me now.

If only Costa Coffee Wimbledon had a similar approach. Few months ago I watched my double shot being pulled in 9 seconds and taking up about 90ml. It wasn't cheap, so I politely explained how I wasn't happy with it. The manager was called and he said there was nothing they could do to affect how the shot comes out. Amazed, I said "just try tamping harder". He looked at me blankly (no idea what I meant), then opened the till and gave me my money back, and then refused to speak to me. I never returned, and I'm happy to share the story with anyone who'll listen. Hopefully it will prevent as many people as possible going there. If he'd just given a damn about what I wanted rather than being offended it would have been very different.


----------



## Caffe44Pembs

We take on a lot of work experience people in our area. They come to use for a 6 week placement which has been arranged by one of the local work programmes. We contacted them because we can't afford to take on staff. So, we take the work placements and train them from making various drinks, cash handling and customer service. Since we started that, all our work placements once their time is up have gone on to find jobs as baristas in Costa and other restaurants and coffee houses.

However, they are nervous when they first start (i was too) and make mistakes. I explain to them that we are all human and make mistakes. You just pick yourself up and get back on the horse.

I will happily remake my customer a drink but I will ask what is wrong with the drink and then I will explain to them what i'll do to fix it. I also explain to them the purpose of our cafe is to recreate quality coffee in a authentic Italian style and they their way of doing things is different for example the temperature.

Once they understand, they tend to appreciate more what we are about and we appreciate them as customers. They also realise we care about our coffee and aren't just another costa copy. We are slowly building a following. Slowly but surely.


----------



## Jon

MikeHag said:


> If only Costa Coffee Wimbledon had a similar approach. Few months ago I watched my double shot being pulled in 9 seconds and taking up about 90ml


I had a similar experience, lady 'Barista Maestro' [obviously good then] heats my Cortado's milk to about 17 million degrees (I know she superheats milk so asked for it to be 'warm' not hot)

So I tell her it's scalding - she tells me I'm wrong because "no-one else complained".

Oh OK; my mistake obviously. I must have imagined my sore, red, burnt tongue...

So I watch them do another - it's a quick extraction - I asked "how long do you extract for?"

The answer: "10 seconds"

OK weird - seems this is the standard extraction time Costa are working to - haven't been back since.

I would always re-do a drink happily for reasons others listed above!


----------



## Hatbeard

funnily enough I had the same thing in wimbledon costa as well, it was hotter than the sun and the coffee was totally undrinkable even when it cooled.


----------



## Jon

Hatbeard said:


> funnily enough I had the same thing in wimbledon costa as well, it was hotter than the sun and the coffee was totally undrinkable even when it cooled.


I think their Baristas used to be better - or maybe my knowledge or tastes have improved - ought to start another thread about this really: but doesn't seem to be a decent big brand high street coffee shop now. Which is fine if you have good independent shops - but if you don't, like us, it's an issue.


----------



## origmarm

Very interesting thread. I haven't got a business myself but it's re-assuring to see the responses here. For me it should be straightforward, the marginal cost of a coffee is not high and the potential marginal gain (i.e. happy, future customers) is.


----------



## Barry Cook

jonc said:


> I asked "how long do you extract for?"
> 
> The answer: "10 seconds"
> 
> OK weird - seems this is the standard extraction time Costa are working to


You're probably about right with that. The Costa across the road from us had their espresso machine go down a few weeks ago, and the assistant manager came over to get a latte from us, giving me all these requests about when to shut the extraction off and how many shots blah blah. When I queried their extraction time for a double shot (just so I knew what I was comparing against) I was told 20 seconds.

I would guess this is to assist in them getting volume through the door instead of quality.


----------



## Coffee Is Art

I will always re-make a drink if asked, but there a few circumstances that do really annoy me.

I always ask if a customer would like their coffee with their meal in the cafe as some do, some don't so it's best to ask, BUT it really annoys me when I they do ask for coffee with their food then don't touch it till after clearing their plate when the coffee is stone cold. It's the same when people don't touch their drink but chat for 10 minutes first. The annoying thing is though, is that these people rarely so complain so I fear they leave thinking my coffee is rubbish! Or they do complain yet the drink was absolutely fine! Catch 22 situation.


----------



## hopsyturvy

jonc said:


> doesn't seem to be a decent big brand high street coffee shop now.


This hole in the market is exactly what I think Harris + Hoole are going after. More power to them


----------



## The Systemic Kid

When I was a child, I remember going into the Kardomah in my local town and being mesmerised by the smell of roasted coffee. Remember, in the 1960s, aubergines, peppers, avacados hadn't been invented so a visit to something like a Kardomah was something special. The '70s and '80s, for me, coffee-wise were synonymous with Demis Roossos and after dinner party coffee courtesy of a Russell Hobs percolator producing overcooked bland, bitter coffee. So when chains like Starbucks, Costa, Caffe Nero etc sprang up, it seemed a quantum leap for coffee quality and, initially, I was impressed until I got into making my own espresso and realised that there was much more potential, taste-wise, to be tapped. Sadly, most people don't seem to be that bothered about quality which is why the big chains have got it sewn up. Personally, I rarely go to a big chain outlet and, when I do, I am invariably disappointed. I have sent espressos back when they have been cooked but the replacement hasn't been much better. So it's nice to hear about the Harris and Hoole. Hopefully, they will take the quality in the chain sector to a new level. I look forward to seeing one open in the N West. In the meantime, I'll stick to making my own.


----------



## johnnied

ofcourse its gutting to have a drink returned but I'm always happy to remake a drink, I think it helps you become more personal with your customers and in some cases a well remade drink can be better than 5 consistently well made drinks if you play it well.


----------

