Employees First, Then Clients?
Over the weekend here in Boston, a well-known chef did something so surprising, it made the headlines. He kicked a patron out of his restaurant.
While his restaurant had made mistakes, every effort was made to appease the unhappy customer. Rather than listening to reason, the customer continued to complain so obstinately, that it upset other patrons, causing one table to leave and another patron to slam a glass of wine, breaking it.
Quoting Chef Andy Husbands,
“I love my staff, and they work very hard, and I have to back them up. And this woman was being really unfair and mean.”
How would his staff have felt if Husbands did not back them up? How many other patrons would have stormed out had he not ejected this toxic customer? I think it is clear that Husbands values morale and acted to protect both the atmosphere and the reputation of his establishment. His patrons agreed. They gave Husbands a round of applause for his actions.
