You’ve heard a version of this story before. It goes something like this. The customer leaves the restaurant a little disgruntled after a Friday evening dinner. The service had been particularly slow, his table had waited an hour for their meal and the waitstaff hadn’t nipped his complaint in the bud. His next move is to contact the owner to give his feedback. The owner’s response….

“If you wanted fast food you should have gone to McDonald’s” and “I don’t need you or want you to come back”.

When the customer shared his story online and the reporter came knocking the restaurant owner told her the complaint was representative of a trend in people expecting too much from restaurants.

“We’re in the business to make money, we’re not there just to be a convenience to people who want to eat out.” he said.

In a city where cafe culture is thriving this posture could be one of the reasons our owner has to fill his restaurant with people who have bought a discount deal from a group buying website.

The flip side for him and the takeaway for you….

You have the opportunity to tell the story of your business to the people who you want to hear it. You get to shape the kind of brand you’d like to become. You can build your business for the customers you really want to serve.

But your customer’s experience is part of that story and they have a hand in creating the ending. If your story sends the good ones away you’ll get the customers you deserve.

Image by Steve Rhodes.