The Chef and the Customer
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The Restaurant: Gjelina, where Chef Gordon Ramsay and pregnant Victoria Beckham dined.
The restaurant industry is abuzz right now over Chef Gordon Ramsay’s tirade at Gjelina, a famous restaurant in Venice, California. The incident had the chefs as well as restaurants reviewing their rules and policies when it comes to their guests’ wishes. What is right, many chefs ask? Should we grant our customers’ wishes? Or should we stick to our strict rules and policies?
Dressing on the Side Versus “No Substitution” Policy
Because Chef Ramsay is an excellent chef who always has his customers’ satisfaction on his mind, he expects chefs to be just like him. However, an incident at the Gjelina proved that it was not so, and dailymail.co.uk’s title (Gordon Ramsay blasts chef after Victoria Beckham’s salad request is denied in LA) got it just right.
While dining with his good friend, Victoria Beckham, at the Gjelina, she requested that the dressing on her salad be served on the side, instead of its usual presentation. However, the waiter would not grant her special request because of the restaurant’s “no substitution” policy. Irked, Chef Ramsay, who is also known for his temper, spoke out what was on his mind. He stated that the customers’ wishes should be honored. After all, the lady is pregnant and how she chooses to eat her food is her prerogative. But the management adamantly refused her special order, which disappointed both Chef Ramsay and Beckham.
In the restaurant’s defense though, their spokesperson stated that they are treating all of their customers fairly, may they be popular or not. A restaurant policy is a restaurant policy, and nobody is above it, may the guest be popular or has an allergy to one of the ingredients in the menu. He even went on to say that Chef Ramsay should have known better.
So, Who is Right?
Chef Gordon Ramsay and Victoria Beckham
The incident sparked the interest of many, the majority of which sided with Chef Ramsay and Beckham. The comments listed below came from my Facebook page, and I thank them for sharing their thoughts on the said incident.
One commenter, Chef Jesse, stated that he couldn’t believe what the management did. Her request should have been honored, not because Beckham was popular but because she was simply a guest/diner at the restaurant. Another commenter, Haneez Hassan, stated that the guests were paying for their meals, so it was their prerogative how they want their dishes served. Furthermore, he added that it was too much for the management to say that they do not even care if the guest has an allergy. Hassan was right when he said that there is such a thing as anaphylactic shock. I agree on that regard. After all, an anaphylactic shock because of an allergic reaction to something on the dish could lead to serious complications. A third commenter, Ron Smith, also stated that the dressing be served on the side does not necessarily mean substituting a meal.
On Sabor Boricua! Chef JE Seary’s Facebook page, you will see more comments siding with Chef Ramsay’s opinion. As what Sylvia N Olavarria said, she admired Chef Ramsay for his brutal honesty. Leslie Gonzales also shared her sentiments. “What happened to ‘the customer is always right?’” she asked. It is not worth dining at a place that charges too much yet cannot accommodate the simple wish of the guest. That is nothing but a show of pride.
Sabor Boricua! Chef JE Seary shared a great tip. He once went out of his way to give a child what he wanted, SpaghettiOs. It impressed the child so much that whenever his mom and dad inquired where he wanted to eat, he would always say that he wanted to eat at his restaurant. That is what a great customer service is always about, Gonzales agreed.
But then again, there were also those who sided with the restaurant. One commenter stated that Chef Ramsay saying the lady is pregnant has no bearing whatsoever to the issue. However, it should also be known that pregnancy hormones tend to change what a woman wants, especially when it comes to the foods she eats. The restaurant should have been at least sensitive to this.
But the damage has been done, and the incident has already sparked some heated debate in the Internet. After all, we all know that chefs working for famous restaurants have big egos to boot. However, I, for one, think that big egos hinder excellent service.
So, how about you? What are your thoughts regarding the incident? Is a “no substitution policy” needed? Or should there be no “no substitution” policies, and instead restaurants should start catering to the needs and wants of the guests?
If you agree with the former, why and, more importantly, what are your thoughts regarding those guests who have food allergies? Should their requests be ignored simply because of the policy and not care about what will happen to them?
If you agree with the later, do you not think that some guests could abuse their right? If you say yes, what are your tips on how to avoid such abusive guests?
For those who commented, thank you very much! And for those who will share their thoughts, we look forward to reading them.
Image Credit: yovenice.com
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Australian Chef- Matthew J. Goudge is the mastermind behind the formation of the ProChef360 platform.
I am surprised a place like that even still exists. With a simple request like that being denied? It is ignorant, plain lazy, or all the stuff is already premixed – all of which make a restaurant look like a loser.
Who cares if they are rich or famous or homeless – they are our customers and chef should take a pride in feeding them.
It’s just food but it can make people happy – that’s what chefs are for.
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Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 11:27 am
Thanks for your input Natalia.
Matthew
http://www.facebook.com/prochef360
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I am currently living in a country where no restaurant policies exist. The restaurant tries to accommodate a request as far as possible and that’s it. I understand the need to keep things organised especially in the US where customer is king. However it would be wiser to analyze each request and treat it accordingly. Even if substitutions were allowed in that restaurant, not every request would necessarily be met, e.g. if an ingredient was not available.
Bottom line is: if the request is feasible and doesn’t cause too much hassle, do it. The restaurant’s reputation will benefit from that.
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Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Thank you for your valuable insights into this issue. I 100% agree with you.
Best wishes from Matthew
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This is a fascinating issue that really does delve into those oh-so-fun gray areas.
On the one hand, the restaurant has it’s policies in place and I respect them for sticking to their guns; you can’t make everyone happy. In my opinion, however, asking for dressing on the side does not constitute a substitution. If anything it saves the kitchen staff an extra bowl to clean and some time freed up from not having to mix.
I suppose you could argue it was a substitution based on the fact that you are substituting a “new” dish since the dish isn’t being served in it’s original form. Anyway, not really the point.
Having worked in the biz and having owned a custom cake shop, I know how important it is to please your customers. Word of mouth: it’s hard to get and it’s hard to get rid of.
I think issues such as substitutions should be taken on a case-by-case basis. Dressing on the side? Sure! Please leave the parsley out of my dish? Sure! Can you make my peanut sauce without peanuts? Um, no. Can I please have local {out of season} fruit here at your slow food establishment? Sorry, nope.
It’s always possible to strive for customer excellence while still maintaining your principles and business practices. Sure, you can’t make everyone happy, but striving to is more important in the long run.
[Reply]
Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
June 10th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Hello Tiffany,
Thanks for stopping by. You view points add yet another dimension to to area of customer satisfaction.
Matthew
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I always prefer my dressing on the side, mainly because I don’t want much of the dressing on the salad. I don’t see where asking for the dressing to be on the side is a menu change…perhaps it’s due to the face that the kitchen is too lazy to consider who pays their salary….which is the customer!!
I never want butter or sour cream on my baked potato if ordered as they drench it with the stuff and the actual vegatable looses it’s flavor.
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Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
June 18th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
I remember once when I asked for dressing on the side. The waiter asked me what side
I just smiled and said any side will be fine thanks.
Matthew
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In this instance, it seems absurd to me not to allow a guest to have her dressing on the side. However, it is important for a restaurant to remain true to it’s integrity. I own a QSR with a healthy theme. We occasionally get customers who just tear apart our entrees with substitutions. One of two things happens: the dish goes out wrong because of so many details, or, another guest sees it and wants it, but by then, the kitchen doesn’t even remember what it was. You really can’t have rigid rules in customer service. There is a finesse required of a waiter to be able to have the customer feel s/he got what they wanted without driving the kitchen mad or destroying the restaurant’s integrity.
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Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
June 18th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Thanks Chef Chip for voicing your opinion on this issue.
Matthew
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Where do you draw the line dressing on the side seems easy but what if the customer wants to change your menu…. can I have it with a different dressing? No!
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Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
June 19th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
The debate continues
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