QUALITY AF (As Found) - Today's Topic: Quality in Hospitality

This is a series dedicated to observations of QUALITY AF ("as found") out in the wild - in the every day hustle and bustle of life.  Quality is EVERYWHERE!  And, here, we take time to shout out to the HEROS and throw rotten tomatoes at the ZEROS.  

Sometimes, we profile an individual, a team or a whole organization for being a shining light in the world of quality.

And sometimes, we recount experiences of quality that are absolute sh#t.  (Those are mostly funny - sad and tragic - but funny).

Let's learn from both!

Today's Topic:  QUALITY IN HOSPITALITY - ONLINE SUPPORT

This past year was a very weird year.  ESPECIALLY, for hospitality.  Restaurants and bars were forced closed, and they had to adapt quickly to "contactless", "online ordering", "curbside", and all kinds of other skills WAYYY outside their former "core strengths".  Lots of restaurants and bars have websites, but how much do they really rely on them?  Some of my favorite restaurants haven't posted a new photo or event since their website was created!

But, this year.  I had a new experience.  And, my experience was QUALITY AF!

"Tattoed Mom" is a super cool bar located on the popular South Street in Philadelphia PA.  The founder describes "Tmoms" as "beer * food *fun vegan menu available award winning jukebox a great meeting place for musicians, artists and creative people of all types".  And this place just has the warmest, most welcoming vibe ever.  My daughter introduced me to this gem on one of my visits to Philly and it is now a MUST SEE whenever we visit.  Tattoed Mom 530 South St Philadelphia PA 19147 215-238-9880

So, here's what happened.  Last year, during the pandemic lockdown, Tattoed Mom was participating in a gift-card-slash-fundraising initiative to support their hospitality professionals.  It was a "buy a gift card with proceeds directly to our staff" situation.  I purchased an e-gift card and sent it to my daughter as I knew it would be first on her list once the lockdowns were lifted.

As luck would have it, and lockdown lasting months as it did, the e-gift card got lost.  I had the receipt for the purchase, but the gift card was gone without a trace.  I reached out to Tmoms via their website (really not expecting an answer at all, to be honest.  But at best, expected a "sorry this happened, but the best we can do is 10% off your next drink" or something).

This is what I got......

Hello Marnie,

Thanks for the message & kind words about TMoms, apologies for the delayed response. Our website / email function was supremely funky in 2020. Which is sort of how the whole year was to be honest.

Our e-gift cards are sold through a third party site. I'll see what I can track down about your purchase and what options there are for retrieving / reissuing the card.

Thanks for your patience. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

And then,

Hi Marnie,

Apologies for the delay.

Just had the e-gift card re-sent to your daughter. The email address on file for that purchase was xxxxxxx@gmail.com - can you confirm this correct?

Thanks again for your support!

Cheers,
Robert Perry
Founder | Tattooed Mom
he / him

He HELPED me.  He really HELPED me!  And with a personal touch.  So, here I am, telling you now.  If you're in Philly, and you miss Tmoms, you must really hate a good time, great food and nice folks. 

So, what are my takeaways from this experience?  

First, adversity reveals a business's integrity.  For more than 20 (mostly good and healthy) years, this business has been committed to customer service.  This unimaginable pandemic didn't change that.

A lot of companies (albeit understandingly) are really shaken by the uncertainty of all of this.  But, they're losing their way.  A lot of companies are stopping all innovation, all self-funded research, employee development, training, cooperative intern partnerships, sponsorships, continuous improvement projects, etc, declaring they're in "survival mode".  While we understand the necessity to focus on what is critical and "essential" in times like these, it shouldn't give us an excuse to fall short of our potential.  There are challenges, but we must remember that scarcity often breeds innovation.  Scarcity forces us to look at what we have to work with, and innovation results in higher achievement!   A lot of companies are leveraging (aka taking advantage of) their staff through reduced hours, benefits, etc.  Tmoms didn't do that.  They actively took part in a new initiative to protect them.  A lot of companies would have taken that gift card and never answered me at all.  Tmoms didn't do that either.  They actually took the time to look up one single gift card, through a third-party provider, and sort it out for me.  It was a small act.  But, details matter.  I celebrate their unwavering commitment to outstanding customer service all the time.  Not just when it's easy and times are good.

It only takes a moment to resolve a customer issue and leave them delighted.  Was it easy for him (the founder, I mean)?  No.  Should it have been Priority #1 for him in the midst of the business climate he's managing his business through right now?  No.  But he did.  And I am grateful.  And he is an outstanding example of great customer service.

Second, if your business survives in times like these, don't you want delighted customers like me out there telling stories about how they were treated?  

I dunno about you, but I've had a lot of baaaaaaad quality experiences this year.  I forgive a lot, because I understand we're all going through a lot.  But, at the same time, I marvel at competitors, who, side-by-side, just present so differently from one another.  All things being equal, one business may put on the brave face, accept each day as a new challenge (ripe with opportunity), and keep putting one foot in front of the other in anticipation of a return to normal.  While others retreat into a scared and ugly reflection of their former selves.  And it shows.  And you know who's going to survive in the end.