The customer is always right

I was offended and perplexed by the article “Do you know what you are paying for?” (Courier, October 9) where restaurant owners and managers explain why they have the right to not only charge extravagant prices but also why we as consumers should sit back and accept it.

If you as a consumer are planning a night out and you choose to go to one of the best restaurants in town, then you need to know what to expect regarding prices of food and drinks, and if you are not willing to pay those prices then maybe choose a restaurant more suited to your budget.

As a consumer when I plan a night out with my family I want to go to a restaurant that first and foremost offers me good service. I want good food and a good atmosphere. I don’t care what I’m sitting on, I don’t care about your expensive tables – I just want a table to eat on and a chair to sit on.

The fact that restaurant owners think that they can justify the prices of their over-priced food (and let’s not forget the highly marked up drinks) because they have electricity, staff, water and other expenses to pay for is beyond me, because every business has its expenses, you’re not the first nor the last.

The arrogance of breaking down their costs of sweets, chairs, tables, table cloths, glass of “tap water” with a slice of lemon in, rent, dishwashing liquid, just to name a few, is a complete slap in the face.

If you want to be in the entertainment and service industry then you need to understand that not every customer will be happy with your service or food. However that does not give you the right as a business owner to belittle the consumer and point out everything that goes into making your business work.

Customers are not interested in what happens behind the scenes. We go out to relax, have a good meal and spend time with family and friends.

Consumers – rich, middle class or poor – care about the experience they get, getting value for money in their food and in the service they receive. So next time your waiters or waitresses are upset because they didn’t receive a tip from their table, remember that falls back onto you as an owner to make sure you train your staff to the best of your ability, as in any business, so you don’t get any complaints from your customers.

Unfortunately you get those few restaurant owners who feel they doing the consumer a favour by opening up a new restaurant or having their restaurant kitted out with the best of the best, but that’s not what it’s all about.

Take for example, the article in the North Coast Courier just two weeks ago of the food critic who went to a shebeen/restaurant to try out their shisa nyama and he loved it. There were no R4 000 tables to sit at or R1 400 chairs to sit on. It was just a rustic, good experience with excellent, flavoursome and inexpensive food, leaving him coming back for more. Isn’t that what dining is all about? I realise there is no comparison between the two restaurants, however it’s the principle.

No one wants to be ripped off and I’m sure that includes restaurant owners. I’m sure that when you buy stock from suppliers you make sure you get the best price possible. When you get your car serviced and you feel ripped off I’m sure you don’t just accept it, you voice your opinions as any one will do in that instance.

Your argument is irrelevant, your approach was not only unnecessary but rather offensive. Every business has expenses. Who gives you the right to throw them in your customers’ faces? We didn’t ask for expensive cutlery, over priced seating and freebies; you offer it because that’s the industry you have chosen to be in. You offer it because that is what gives you the upper hand over the restaurant down the road. It benefits you and your business, so don’t crucify us as consumers for your personal benefit. We have the right to make sure that our food is up to standard and we get what we pay for.

In closing, I have been to most restaurants on the North Coast, expensive and inexpensive, and I have had good and bad experiences with both whether it was service or food.

As a consumer I have voiced my fair amount of complaints and not because I am a difficult customer, but because I pride myself on giving constructive criticism, hoping as a result that they will improve and I can not only come back and be pleasantly surprised and enjoy my experience there, but that I can recommend it to family and friends in the future.

I and every consumer, including you, have the right to an opinion and I felt that the basis of your arguments were highly flawed. If you are going to try justify everything you do to keep your business running and hold it against the consumer then this is the wrong industry for you.

NASTYA DERCKSEN

Sheffield