A take out lobster dinner — is it really too much to ask?

For the past few weeks I’ve been on a roll addressing the good, the bad and the ugly of customer service. I’ve been walking around feeling as popular as Beyonce with the endless comments I’ve received from people who have enjoyed the series and wished to share their own experiences with customer service. I digress.

I’ve directed many people to the ‘Opinion’ link on the Bermuda Sun’s website [www.bermudasun.bm] to read my previous articles.

Since the last article, an incident happened which really caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end: My parents had been wronged.

As seniors, my parents work extremely hard. Anyone who knows them would agree that they rarely rest! They were tickled pink to be celebrating the third anniversary of a personal accomplishment they had both achieved.

Mom in particular wanted to celebrate with a lobster dinner that she wanted to take out and enjoy at home. She called a popular east end restaurant to place an order — only to be told that they do not do take out orders for lobster.

Mom, with taste buds still salivating, asked if she could give them her debit card number and her phone number to assure them that she’d be there. Still, she was denied, not because they don’t accept debit cards, but because they don’t do take out lobster dinners.

She was very upset and so was I, because the whole family was sharing in my parents’ joyous occasion. She won’t be patronizing that business again — and neither will I. It’s just that simple.  

Complacent?

Has business become so lucrative — or have attitudes become so complacent — that some establishments can turn away business in this way?

I suggested my mom go to Bermuda Bistro on Front Street.  I ate lobster there last season and was hooked on the taste and the service. Kudos to the head chef there, Antonio Belvedere — a rising young Bermudian in his field with a passion for excellent food preparation. I discovered that Bermuda Bistro will willingly accommodate a lobster take out order. Customer service there has always been fantastic.

Bad customer service often start with dysfunctional relationships between staff and managers. In my everyday conversation with the average working employee, I ask what their relationship is like with their boss.  Most people I spoke with did not care very much for their bosses.

Could this be because we generally despise authority, no matter who it’s coming from? Or is it that some bosses are just not nice people?

The common gripes were that the boss was uncaring and insensitive and that bosses abuse their positions with tardiness and days off that would be deemed unacceptable for an employee. I’ll be writing more about employer-employee relationships and the benefits of a good work atmosphere.

In the meantime, think about how the relationship with your boss affects your work day and your attitude about work in general.

And stay tuned as I name a few other establishments from which I have received excellent customer service treatment.

• Shawnette Somner is an educator and mother. Email: [email protected]