Soup Story

Ordered soup in a restaurant and realized that it was not to my liking, so I had a chat with the server. The server cleared the air about the dish, and it turned out that I got confused between two similar dishes.

The server could have very well opted to do nothing about it because there was no fault on his side.

But he saw the slightest discomfort in my face and decided to act on it.

He brought extra sauces and veggies to spice my next dish. He also had a brief chat about the health benefits of eating onions when he saw that I hadn't been eating it. The conversation would have been unnecessary if I was in a hurry. But since I was dressed in pajamas and didn't have my phone, he knew I'd be up for a chat.

The server was an old man and has been observing customers for over a decade. He was courteous in providing the right amount of attention to deal with the situation.

And by the time, I left the restaurant, I forgot all about the soup. All I remembered was the warmth in which the food was served.

The episode made me realize that Service Marketing is an art that can be learned only with experience and one that cannot be learned in class.

Orginally published on LinkedIn