Outstanding Service I Have Come To Love And Admire

[Dag]

The following scenario of service excellence is what I really find endearing about Thailand.

To set the scene.....a new small coffee shop restaurant opened on the main road near our place. not very big, but nice looking and modern design. The type of business because of its size needs to rely on good food and good service in a good atmosphere for business to come and keep coming.

We were 9 people looking for somewhere for lunch and decided to give the new place a shot, we had all been meaning to pop in and try it. Were 4 adults and 5 kids.

Entering the premises we asked about sitting upstairs in the outdoor terraced area, nice view and breeze. We were told by the owner that greeted us that if we wanted to eat up there it is a 10% surcharge. Asking why she said that it was because of the stairs, they are awkward and dangerous and we have to carry the food up there and it is for extra insurance. Giggles from us and we declined the upstairs spot.

We grabbed 2 tables and my wife proceeded to get menus and order. She was translating for a couple of foreigners so it usualy takes a little longer. She had ordered 6 items and asked about something on the menu, the owner said "you have ordered to much food"....my wife was somewhat dumbfounded by such a comment and enquired as to why ....the owner said "you have 6 items already"....wifey said "yes and there is 9 of us altogether"......she continued to translate to the others and placing orders and the owner then said "come on you are taking too long, i have other customers coming".....to this my wife looked around curiously to see we were the only ones there along with another 2 people on another table and they were busy eating.

So, this from the owner and with relatively high prices......I can imagine we will not be going back there again, nor will any of the others nor any of their friends they do not recommend the place to. From a small business like this that relies on personal service and quality.....twas a funny lunch and we all had a bit of a larf at her expense.

[travelmann]

Yeah but sadly the owner was deadly serious.............

[Semper]

Dag.

I'm not saying that you're lying, but I don't believe you.

[Dag]

I know....i did not believe me either when i just recalled it to write it here......amazing huh.

[Darrel]

"She had ordered 6 items and asked about something on the menu, the owner said "you have ordered to much food"....my wife was somewhat dumbfounded by such a comment and enquired as to why ....the owner said "you have 6 items already"....wifey said "yes and there is 9 of us altogether"......she continued to translate to the others and placing orders and the owner then said "come on you are taking too long, i have other customers coming"....."

And yet you didnt just get up and walk out? You are astoundingly forgiving.

I would have walked out as soon as I heard the "10% extra for stair insurance" nonsense.

[KeyserSoze01]

Same here, I would have gotten up and walked out. If they don't want my custom, there are plenty that do. There is shitty service and then there is unacceptable.

[Mossfinn]

We were told by the owner that greeted us that if we wanted to eat up there it is a 10% surcharge.

"you have ordered to much food"

....

"come on you are taking too long,

.....

You know sometimes a hint and a nudge is sometimes, you know sometimes, better than being rude, but you have to be clever enough to read the signs

I can imagine we will not be going back there again,

You know you are learning after all

[greytown]

Sounds like they weren't too keen on the five children situation. A place full of noisy kids can be pretty irritating to other customers and hard work for the staff. That may be the reason they were not too hospitable. Probably this cafe was not the right place for big groups with kids.

[Soutpeel]

Sounds like they weren't too keen on the five children situation. A place full of noisy kids can be pretty irritating to other customers and hard work for the staff. That may be the reason they were not too hospitable. Probably this cafe was not the right place for big groups with kids.

WOW lets be an apologist for the bad service provided by the business shall we.... ......seeing as the OP doesnt give the ages of the "kids" how do you know they were irritating and noisy...you are making excuses for bad service.....if the business owner doesnt want to deal with all types of clientel then he should not have opened the business in the first place....

[Ulysses G.]

They should have just been honest that the outdoor terraced area is more expensive because it is like getting the better seats at a concert - you have to pay more (in their place).

As for telling them that they were taking too long ordering... well maybe they were. However,it does not sound like a good way to run a restaurant.

[bkkjames]

Build it and they will come - once...popular business model here.

[rak sa_ngop]

I've worked it out!

The coffee shop is in the UK and this is what makes Thailand so endearing.

Gold star and go to the top of the class?

[Spoonman]

Sounds like they weren't too keen on the five children situation. A place full of noisy kids can be pretty irritating to other customers and hard work for the staff. That may be the reason they were not too hospitable. Probably this cafe was not the right place for big groups with kids.

what in the OP gives you the impression these "kids" were noisy and irritating ?

Edited August 16, 2011 by sbk
flame removed

[greytown]

Sounds like they weren't too keen on the five children situation. A place full of noisy kids can be pretty irritating to other customers and hard work for the staff. That may be the reason they were not too hospitable. Probably this cafe was not the right place for big groups with kids.

WOW lets be an apologist for the bad service provided by the business shall we.... ......seeing as the OP doesnt give the ages of the "kids" how do you know they were irritating and noisy...you are making excuses for bad service.....if the business owner doesnt want to deal with all types of clientel then he should not have opened the business in the first place....

I've never been a waiter but I believe they are generally not very happy to deal with groups with many kids. I think often (young) kids can end up being a pain when they start getting restless, running around when the parents do nothing to control them, and the staff ends up having to "babysit" them. More work, more hassle etc. Now if the kids weren't too young then that may be a bit different.

Edited August 16, 2011 by greytown

[h90]

can you give me the address? Sounds like a nice place :lol:

[PattayaParent]

Same here, I would have gotten up and walked out. If they don't want my custom, there are plenty that do. There is shitty service and then there is unacceptable.

I would have done the same but I doubt the point would have hit home that they've lost 9 hungry customers and only have 2 remaining and they are losing money.

[JAFO]

Interesting chain of events at that business and sad to hear. In this particular case, I would have excused myself and left without any further delay.

I have read many posts as a lurker here for a few years about poor service in Thailand. In fact there is one right now in the US Vs Thailand and poor service and better service in US is debated. I have yet to run into poor service here. In fact in most cases it has been the opposite. Anytime I go to any major store there are people standing around waiting to help. This always kind of blew me away as in the US Good Luck finding someone to help you. Most attendants in the US lie when asked to check stock and are very lazy.

I was with a friend a few months back who bought an AC unit at HomeWorks. They sold it, then coordinated the install. I volunteered to wait at the house. They came with a team of 5 on time, installed it and did an awesome job. Very polite. In my Condo if I have any issues they come in minutes. I took my Moto in for a radiator flush and they did it for me while I waited. The car wash around the corner lets me use their pressure washer to wash my moto as I am picky. They help me dry and charge me half the price of a car wash(Even though I pay them the full total 35bht). I bought a shoe rack at Tesco, they carried it out to my car even when I tried to do it myself in the cart. Any restaurant I order food I get it in minutes.

In the end I think you are treated as you treat others. I am always smiling. Very polite. I have witnessed on quite a few occasions where a foreigner walks into an establishment carrying this "I am better then you, treat me like a king" swagger and I bet they get poor quality service and are treated to a higher price to boot. Do not get me wrong. There are people everywhere in the world that will exploit a tourist when the opportunity presents itself. Its the sad reality in traveling.

[SomTumTiger]

I would have left - you didn't - deal with it.

[Dag]

I would have left - you didn't - deal with it.

We did deal with it tiger....thanks for your well thunked out input.

As for those saying they would have left......this place was inbetween 2 places we were visiting, so it was convenient and being new and all of us wanting to try it, so we gave it a go to see if the food was outstanding and if they redeemed themselves at all. No biggy, we just wanted to try it.

We have only ever walked out of 2 other restaurants in 8 years here, one in hua Hin and another nearby here as they were both taking way to long to serve...

As for noisy kids.....while they are kids, they are well behaved and if anybody does not want kids in their establishment...a nice big 'fuc_koffkids' sign out front would suffice.

oh....and the kids did not become noisy and irritating until after we got the outstanding service from them........and as for noise for all the other customers.....yes, they both might have been upset....especially as the passing traffic noise is considerably more.

As Jafo mentioned, I have found service in general to be very friendly and overwhelming....however not always helpful and knowledgeable....but they try and thats the main thing.

take where I got my computer fixed recently......they fixed it and then downloaded a pile of stuff for me as they have a good connection, i do not. They then reloaded windows when they loaded a Thai version of Office by mistake....they then did a few other things that i did not find setup correct and then they admitted that they seemed to have stuffed up my cd player and offered to replace it.....plus I can bring it in 2 times to be 'rehashed' ....dunno technical word for it.....for free anytime....all done with a smile.

[PattayaParent]

Interesting chain of events at that business and sad to hear. In this particular case, I would have excused myself and left without any further delay.

I have read many posts as a lurker here for a few years about poor service in Thailand. In fact there is one right now in the US Vs Thailand and poor service and better service in US is debated. I have yet to run into poor service here. In fact in most cases it has been the opposite. Anytime I go to any major store there are people standing around waiting to help. This always kind of blew me away as in the US Good Luck finding someone to help you. Most attendants in the US lie when asked to check stock and are very lazy.

<snip>

I always find that those people following you around waiting to help don't speak English and as soon as you ask them something have to consult half a dozen other store employees until one understands what you want and then they say 'mai mee' without even checking the stock.

Edited August 16, 2011 by PattayaParent

[Berkshire]

Dag.

I'm not saying that you're lying, but I don't believe you.

Actually, that was my first impression. If I had never set foot in Thailand, perhaps I might be gullible enough to believe some of these allegations. But c'mon. Cases in point:

"We were told by the owner that greeted us that if we wanted to eat up there it is a 10% surcharge. Asking why she said that it was because of the stairs, they are awkward and dangerous and we have to carry the food up there and it is for extra insurance."

COMMENT: Have NEVER seen anything resembling this in any restaurant in Thailand.

"...the owner said "you have ordered to much food"

COMMENT: Have NEVER had anyone ever told me/us that we've ordered too much food.

"...come on you are taking too long, i have other customers coming".....to this my wife looked around curiously to see we were the only ones there along with another 2 people on another table and they were busy eating."

COMMENT: Most times, the waiter/waitress would just leave to go do other things if we weren't ready to order. Could be annoying if we were just about ready. But no owner has ever suggested that we were taking too long. Ever.

Anyways, perhaps the OP is exaggerating or embellishing. Or the owner was just trying to be funny. Unless the OP is being truthful--which means that his wife might be such a flaming BG that was so offensive in looks and behavior that the owner was intentionally trying to chase them out. I'm not suggesting that, but what else could it be?

[JAFO]

Interesting chain of events at that business and sad to hear. In this particular case, I would have excused myself and left without any further delay.

I have read many posts as a lurker here for a few years about poor service in Thailand. In fact there is one right now in the US Vs Thailand and poor service and better service in US is debated. I have yet to run into poor service here. In fact in most cases it has been the opposite. Anytime I go to any major store there are people standing around waiting to help. This always kind of blew me away as in the US Good Luck finding someone to help you. Most attendants in the US lie when asked to check stock and are very lazy.

<snip>

I always find that those people following you around waiting to help don't speak English and as soon as you ask them something have to consult half a dozen other store employees until one understands what you want and then they say 'mai mee' without even checking the stock.

I cannot argue that point. I have found that to be the case on several occasions. But they do find a person who can help and it does not take long. I have not had out of stock line yet but Its usually because what I am looking for is on the shelf or up above and they just have to get it.

[DLock]

Dag.

I'm not saying that you're lying, but I don't believe you.

Actually, that was my first impression. If I had never set foot in Thailand, perhaps I might be gullible enough to believe some of these allegations. But c'mon. Cases in point:

"We were told by the owner that greeted us that if we wanted to eat up there it is a 10% surcharge. Asking why she said that it was because of the stairs, they are awkward and dangerous and we have to carry the food up there and it is for extra insurance."

COMMENT: Have NEVER seen anything resembling this in any restaurant in Thailand.

"...the owner said "you have ordered to much food"

COMMENT: Have NEVER had anyone ever told me/us that we've ordered too much food.

"...come on you are taking too long, i have other customers coming".....to this my wife looked around curiously to see we were the only ones there along with another 2 people on another table and they were busy eating."

COMMENT: Most times, the waiter/waitress would just leave to go do other things if we weren't ready to order. Could be annoying if we were just about ready. But no owner has ever suggested that we were taking too long. Ever.

Anyways, perhaps the OP is exaggerating or embellishing. Or the owner was just trying to be funny. Unless the OP is being truthful--which means that his wife might be such a flaming BG that was so offensive in looks and behavior that the owner was intentionally trying to chase them out. I'm not suggesting that, but what else could it be?

The OP related a story. He had a laugh about it and mentioned that service in Thailand "general to be very friendly and overwhelming".

Why would you even question a funny story with ridiculous comments and suggest his wife was a "flaming BG", and then hiding by saying "I'm not suggesting that, but what else could it be?"

We all have unbelievable stories from Thailand, including you, so why the hate?

[Ijustwannateach]

There ARE places in Thailand which offer terrible service- and no excuse for it, considering the number of people who need jobs.

Any place which acted like the OP describes- I'd never be back, of course. Although a place that humorously bad might just be worth bringing people for the 'I can't believe it!' factor.

At one place I eat, the convenience and the food are just too good- even though the staff are not the brightest on Earth and there's usually at least one small thing they get wrong with the order each time. Mai penh rai, as they say.

At another place I go, they know I tip and they go out of their way to make sure I get the right order, and speedily.

Another place I go, the waiters slip me free stuff because they can and because they know I tip.

If you're middle class or richer and in a city anywhere, it's really kind of contemporary etiquette to know at least a few restaurants and their staff well enough to be able to depend on them for special occasions- that's not speaking to the OP, which is about a new restaurant, but the point is that restaurants should want customers who want that kind of long term connection- if they're going to stay around long.

[Kilgore Trout]

Dag.

I'm not saying that you're lying, but I don't believe you.

Actually, that was my first impression. If I had never set foot in Thailand, perhaps I might be gullible enough to believe some of these allegations. But c'mon. Cases in point:

"We were told by the owner that greeted us that if we wanted to eat up there it is a 10% surcharge. Asking why she said that it was because of the stairs, they are awkward and dangerous and we have to carry the food up there and it is for extra insurance."

COMMENT: Have NEVER seen anything resembling this in any restaurant in Thailand.

"...the owner said "you have ordered to much food"

COMMENT: Have NEVER had anyone ever told me/us that we've ordered too much food.

"...come on you are taking too long, i have other customers coming".....to this my wife looked around curiously to see we were the only ones there along with another 2 people on another table and they were busy eating."

COMMENT: Most times, the waiter/waitress would just leave to go do other things if we weren't ready to order. Could be annoying if we were just about ready. But no owner has ever suggested that we were taking too long. Ever.

Anyways, perhaps the OP is exaggerating or embellishing. Or the owner was just trying to be funny. Unless the OP is being truthful--which means that his wife might be such a flaming BG that was so offensive in looks and behavior that the owner was intentionally trying to chase them out. I'm not suggesting that, but what else could it be?

The OP related a story. He had a laugh about it and mentioned that service in Thailand "general to be very friendly and overwhelming".

Why would you even question a funny story with ridiculous comments and suggest his wife was a "flaming BG", and then hiding by saying "I'm not suggesting that, but what else could it be?"

We all have unbelievable stories from Thailand, including you, so why the hate?

So just because it never happened to you it couldn't happen eh?

I don't have anything but the op's word to prove whether this happened or not but this kind of thing doesn't surprise me.

I once asked in Thai where the bathroom was at a restaurant and the waiter told me that he doesn't like "falang" speaking Thai and that if I wanted to stay I would have to pay double.

Thinking about it I can't believe it myself, but it did in fact happen.

[zzaa09]

Dag.

I'm not saying that you're lying, but I don't believe you.

Well, if anything, it makes for good threads, doesn't it?:jap:

[Orac]

Was the food any good?????

[jimbeam1]

"She had ordered 6 items and asked about something on the menu, the owner said "you have ordered to much food"....my wife was somewhat dumbfounded by such a comment and enquired as to why ....the owner said "you have 6 items already"....wifey said "yes and there is 9 of us altogether"......she continued to translate to the others and placing orders and the owner then said "come on you are taking too long, i have other customers coming"....."

And yet you didnt just get up and walk out? You are astoundingly forgiving.

I would have walked out as soon as I heard the "10% extra for stair insurance" nonsense.

Think I would have stayed about 1 minute longer than you.

jb1

What really gets me is when they bring one dish out, then a couple of minutes later they bring out another and so on and then the plates to eat off.

Edited August 16, 2011 by jimbeam1

[KeyserSoze01]

Same here, I would have gotten up and walked out. If they don't want my custom, there are plenty that do. There is shitty service and then there is unacceptable.

I would have done the same but I doubt the point would have hit home that they've lost 9 hungry customers and only have 2 remaining and they are losing money.

Sadly, I concur. As has been noted many times before, many (not all) Thais give little or no thought to the repercussions of their actions or inactions. Poor service = no return farang customers.

[JAFO]

Same here, I would have gotten up and walked out. If they don't want my custom, there are plenty that do. There is shitty service and then there is unacceptable.

I would have done the same but I doubt the point would have hit home that they've lost 9 hungry customers and only have 2 remaining and they are losing money.

Sadly, I concur. As has been noted many times before, many (not all) Thais give little or no thought to the repercussions of their actions or inactions. Poor service = no return farang customers.

But let's be honest, How much business do they really get from foreigners? .5%......1%.... ? It is probably noise in the grand scheme of things.

Again foreigners have virtually no impact on this countries GDP. Tourism is tourism. People will come and people will go. Their main clientele are Thai's. So an unhappy foreigner...Oh well its not like they will toss up their dissatisfaction on Yelp.com to complain and other foreigners will avoid it.. Honestly they do not care and in the end the foreigner customers were probably a heck of a lot more work to keep happy anyway because a great portion carry this arrogant attitude about them and demand 5 star service from a roadside business.

IMHO If you want 5 star service, eat at your hotel.