A friend of mine, down in Boca Raton, called to tell me about a run-in he had with the staff of a local Pei Wei restaurant -- a subsidiary of the P.F. Chang's chain of eateries.
For the last few years, he would stop in at least once a week to pick up a "to go" order for his family. And he readily admits that there have been a few instances that he's had to call management to report problems -- like when he's received an incorrect order or when there've been issues with food quality. (There had been a recent problem with the restaurant's rice cooker and he, along with a number of other customers, supposedly received undercooked dishes. The rice, which makes up a sizeable chunk of each entree order, was "as hard as rocks; inedible," he reported.)
On Saturday, August 9, 2014, when he went to pick up his latest purchase, he neglected to catch what was written on his receipt, until long after he got home. But right at the top of the slip -- conspicuously displayed after his name and cell number -- was the following notation:
Guest Notes: a lot of complaints
"'A lot of complaints?' ... Well, when I saw that, I had to call and complain," he said sardonically. (Of course, the irony of the situation wasn't lost on him.)
The local store manager -- "a very nice, young lady" -- was quite empathic, but failed (in my friend's view) to offer an appropriate expression of apology. "After all, when my family and I read that receipt, we were highly offended and reluctant to touch the food. We thought it was some kind of code; a way of blacklisting us. It made me and my family paranoid."
Interestingly, after hearing the guy out, the manager didn't offer a refund -- which ended up exascerbating the family's tension and unease. So, the following business day, a call to the chain's corporate offices out in Scottsdale ensued.
There, my friend found a sympathethic ear and was promised that the matter would be thoroughly investigated. And after several days, he received the following update via email:
Thanks for the follow up, and my apologies for the delay. I have reached out to our Market Partner, Joe, and we have followed up with our team. This type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable and we are truly embarrassed. Although I am unable to discuss employee disciplinary actions with you, please trust that those directly involved have been appropriately addressed. We will make certain that something like this does not occur in the future.
We are having the General Manager refund your order, and I will also be personally following up with you in the mail with a letter containing gift cards for you to enjoy dinner on us. These cards do not expire and can be used at any one of our locations. I do hope that you will consider my invitation and dine with Pei Wei again soon.
C. M. | Guest Relations Specialist
* * *
"Gift cards? What am I supposed to do with gift cards," he asked on Monday, "particularly when we don't know what happened to the staff members involved? Are those farkakte notes going to follow me or my family wherever we go? " (He had a point there. Why patronize an establishment that doesn't appreciate the business and makes you feel like you're an "annoyance?")
My colleague was resigned to the fact that the government may be monitoring emails, computers and phone lines, "but I'll be darned," he paused melodramatically, "if some store clerk is going to run off to the Soviet Union with my family's behavorial habits and order history!"
"Way to go P.F. Chang's," he added. "I'm taking my kvetching ass -- and hard-earned cash -- elsewhere."
(Think they'll take note of that?)