Woman Kicked Out Of A Restaurant For Complaining About Bartender On Twitter
from the customer-disservice dept
As a few different folks have submitted, a woman in Houston was apparently ejected from a bar/restaurant after the general manager saw her complain about something the bartender had done. The woman, Allison Matsu, had apparently gone to Down House, and overheard the bartender talking to two other employees and making fun of another restaurant owner/bartender. She didn't think that was appropriate and used Twitter to call the bartender "a twerp." Apparently, after that, she actually had a good conversation with him, but about thirty minutes later, the General Manager of Down House (who was not there that night) called the restaurant and asked to speak with her. Apparently, he had read the tweet and called to kick Allison out of the restaurant. There's a bit of a dispute over the nature of the phone call, but both agree that the end result was that she was told to leave because of the tweet.Obviously, a restaurant/bar has the right to refuse service to anyone. But it really makes you wonder what Down House general manager Forrest DeSpain was thinking. It clearly marks Down House as a place where any sort of criticism is not at all welcome. That's not going to attract a lot of customers. Sure, it sucks to have someone say something (very slightly) mean about an employee, but why not just try to understand it, or respond defending the guy without kicking the woman out of the establishment entirely.
Honestly, the part that struck me as most interesting in the article was another restaurant owner explaining how he used Twitter in a much smarter way (and almost entirely the opposite of the way DeSpain used it): to invite people who had bad experiences at other restaurants to his place instead:
"However you feel about Twitter, it makes a big difference," says Kevin Strickland, owner of Ziggy's Bar & Grill and an avid Twitter user, who runs the account for both of his restaurant's locations. "I depend on it. It allows me to have a dialogue with my customers, and they'll usually get a response from me."Which approach seems better for business?
Strickland emphasizes that Twitter should not be used by restaurateurs eager to take a crack back at unruly diners. "I've done the opposite," he points out, referring to times when he's seen patrons Tweet about a bad meal elsewhere, and inviting them in to have a better meal at Ziggy's on him.
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Filed Under: complaints, customer service, twitter
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Add some hypocrisy to the mix
"Down House's owner Chris Cusack defended the manager's actions and told KPRC Houston it was not out of line to kick Ms Matsu out.
"Any business is allowed to set the tone of their establishment. If you go to someone's house and start calling them names, I wouldn't really expect to stay too much longer after that," Mr Cusack said."
So setting the tone of the establishment includes kicking out paying customers but apparently not ensuring the establishment's own staff adhere to these standards against name-calling, if the customer's original reason her tweet is to be believed. Nice double standard!
That other account I saw also included this gem from the person who was allegedly the subject of the bartender's original comments:
"Mr Heugel, the person at the centre of the Twitter-storm, even weighed in on the incident. "Social media can be a fickle bitch or your best friend," he tweeted. "Some of ya'll need to chill.""
So true!
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Re: Add some hypocrisy to the mix
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Re: Re: Add some hypocrisy to the mix
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Re: Re: Add some hypocrisy to the mix
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Re: Re: Re: Add some hypocrisy to the mix
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Re: Re: Re: Add some hypocrisy to the mix
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Re: Add some hypocrisy to the mix
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Re: Re: Add some hypocrisy to the mix
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Which approach seems better for business?
The one that allows the business owner to feel superior and lets the staff continue behaving unprofessionally while alienating the paying customers.
No? Bugger that, next you're gonna say that them {RI|MP}AA guys are wrong too I bet.
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twitter and customer service
I was pleased with the outcome in both cases.
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Restaurant tweet.
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Re: Restaurant tweet.
Want news? Go to a news site, not a blog.
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Re: Restaurant tweet.
Stephen: I don't actually call myself a school, no.
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Not on Twitter, but...
http://instinctmagazine.com/blog/nj-bridal-shop-refuses-to-sell-wedding-dress-to-woman-bec ause-same-sex-marriage-is-wrong?directory=100011
Absolutely horrible, in my opinion. However, these businesses are just making their beds in the way that best suits them. They will, of course, have to sleep in that bed, so it's all on them.
Personally, I agree that these two businesses are being foolish and closed minded (and really, really HORRIBLE in the story I linked), but it's their choice. As a result of that choice, I would choose to not do business with them if they were in my area. That’s the price they pay for ‘being right’.
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Re: Not on Twitter, but...
The problem I have with this whole business is that these same people who are making these choices are the ones who sue folks for defamation when it is reported in reviews of the company. They want to make their bed, but they don't want to sleep in it. I would make the same choice as you, if I knew, but if they threaten you about telling it to everyone and we don't hear, then bad business practices are allowed to continue.
Then again, I am a little more direct...I see this posting to twitter as a cowardly approach, and if I heard a bartender saying something I didn't like, I would tell him. Then again, I let a lot of stuff slide too, and maybe he was just having a bad day...but if I heard it a couple times I'd let him know I didn't think it was appropriate.
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Personally I am always impressed when a business hears about a bad experience and expresses a genuine interest in doing what they can to resolve it. For me that is the type of place I would rather spend my money at, even if it cost a bit more.
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I don't know...
Back Asswards, but hey, I guess if it works someone will use it.
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I was banned for blogging
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Semi related note
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Re: Semi related note
Why is the tip jar anywhere near where customers can access it?
Around here when you leave a tip in a bar you leave it ON the bar and the barkeep collects it and puts it in the tip-jar. Also you don't F*ck with other people tip money.
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Re: Re: Semi related note
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who cares..
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I don't want to print the Houston Post article...
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Who cares indeed
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Re: Who cares indeed
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Re: Who cares indeed
Moron.
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The Customer is Always...
Being practical, in our operations we went with “The Customer is NOT always right, but they are NEVER going to hear it from us”!
Any hospitality manager (or employee) acting in such a maner as in the article, and a few examples in the comments, are not practicing hospitality.
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Right to Refuse Service
I only comment because it's about the third time in the past couple weeks that someone has said that and it's kind of irritating because it's not true.
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Re: Right to Refuse Service
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> service to those you deem unacceptable largely due to their
> ethnicity. Of course, in court, any first year law school grad
> would skin you alive and run your hide up the courthouse
> flagpole. So go ahead and try it. Do you feel lucky?
Wow, that's a whole lot of bullshit wrapped up in a shiny package of macho nonsense.
Fact is, whites, blacks, hispanics, men, women, Jews, Muslims, Christians, handicapped, whatever, get kicked out of private businesses every day and no one gets skinned alive for it or run up a flagpole unless the booting was done based on the person's 'immutable characteristics'. If they're just being a jerk, out they go. No muss, no fuss.
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Social Media does make a difference
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Using Social Media In Business
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They may have to change their name soon.....
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Tip for running a business, don't actively drive your customers away
Imagine if he'd instead called and asked her to explain her issue and if there was anything he could do to fix it. Instead of losing a customer he'd probably have made a new friend and repeat customer and gotten some free advertisement when she tweeted about what a great guy he was.
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kicking a patron out of restaurant
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He should put a "Analogue people only"
Website showing "Japanese only" establishments in Japan(even though it is against the law)
http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html
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""and overheard the bartender talking to two other employees and making fun of another restaurant owner/bartender. ""
so she was eavesdropping on a conversation the bartender was having with two other employees, not customers, employees, and rather than complain to the manager, that she has no manners and listens to other peoples private conversations, what did she do?? goes public with someones conversation, she got what she should have gotten, tossed out
the customer is always right, bullshit, that is a fallacy of service, that has led customers to be the worst dickheads in the world and still expect you to treat them like gods
she handled the situation just like a child, running and screaming to everyone, if it bothered her so much, she should have said something to the bartender or the manager
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""and overheard the bartender talking to two other employees and making fun of another restaurant owner/bartender. ""
so she was eavesdropping on a conversation the bartender was having with two other employees, not customers, employees, and rather than complain to the manager, that she has no manners and listens to other peoples private conversations, what did she do?? goes public with someones conversation, she got what she should have gotten, tossed out
the customer is always right, bullshit, that is a fallacy of service, that has led customers to be the worst dickheads in the world and still expect you to treat them like gods
she handled the situation just like a child, running and screaming to everyone, if it bothered her so much, she should have said something to the bartender or the manager
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Huh?
I mean, if I went to a restaurant right now and tweeted some mean things about the staff, how would they know I did it as opposed to the person at the table next to me or the one across the room?
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well-known houston tramp...
Plus it is well known among those in the high end fashion retail scene in Houston that she stole over $10,000 from Barney's & was fired for doing so... so who would give this little child any credibility?
She's still living off of her dad, surgeon Dr. Eddie T. Matsu of Foundation Surgical in Houston; and was fired from Riazul Tequila for her constant flaky behavior & THEFT of product, not to mention abusing the company's credit card. She cost the poor owner of that company much grief thanks to many of her late nights blowing coke and getting wasted at every Houston bar (this is not her first time being asked not to come back to certain Houston establishments due to her behavior).
This spoiled #twerp has ruined many businesses and made several struggling business owners suffer for her immaturity. I can't believe people would defend her or WORSE honor her with an award as the Houston Press did... for what?!
Being a drunk...? What a joke of a publication.
What is this world coming to!
I'd say leave her a message and tell her what you think personally:
Allison Margaret Matsu
(832) 465-5335
or maybe pay her a visit:
4307 W. ALABAMA ST. APT #1
Houston TX 77027-4935
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Just some wannabe gal craving attention
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Terrible Sports Bar Manager
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référencement site web gratuit http://referencersitegoogle.wordpress.com référencement gratuit
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