Recently I read a review about a new “cafe” in my neighborhood.  The service was friendly, the food tasty, and the location easily accessible.  On the first day that the article appeared, I decided to try this establishment and, while the service was a little slow, I didn’t mind because the owner was friendly and the seven customers that I counted didn’t seem to mind the wait for a freshly made sandwich or a steak sandwich cooked to order.

While I waited patiently for my turkey club sandwich, the owner commented that he was surprised by the response to the newspaper article about his . I told him that now that the secret was out, he might want to consider getting extra help, at least temporarily, to deal with the influx of new customers.

I raved about this little cafe to a colleague when I returned to my office. It was neat and clean, the owner kept the food covered and refrigerated, and he also had specials available. The very next day, three of us went to this spot, based upon my recommendation.  And that’s when it hit…  There were five people ahead of us and one sitting down eating.

I immediately asked about the specials.  He told me that he didn’t have time to prepare any because he had been too busy. So we put in our orders (of the five customers ahead of us three were not ready to order).

The owner had one assistant helping. However, neither had protective covering on their hands or head. We noticed that there was uncovered raw meat in a container on the back counter.  We also observed that the that the fryer was not turned on for french fries (the fries were part of our order, and I guess we were the first ones to order fries that afternoon).

While the assistant started preparing our orders, two of the three who had not ordered left.  The other customer still hadn’t placed his order (he was on his cell phone).  Meanwhile, the customer who was seated had finished his meal and was waiting patiently to pay.  He waited…and waited.  Realizing that there was a problem, I told the assistant that the customer had been waiting to pay, and she relayed the information to the owner.  The owner apologized to the customer as he collected payment.

While our orders were being prepared, five more customers came in.  After five minutes, they left, but not before expressing their displeasure about the service.  The owner never acknowledged their presence until they spoke up when they were leaving.  Three more customers walked in before our order was completed, and left also.  I don’t even think the owner knew that they were there.

While some of you business owners think that this can’t happen to you, it is important to plan for increased activity.  Why wait until something happens? Think about the potential losses to your credibility if you aren’t proactive.  Your business may stay afloat for a while, but it will not grow.  If you don’t prepare yourself for increased activity, eventually your business may disappear.

I left my business card on the owner’s counter, and I hope he calls me for professional assistance before it’s too late.

Posted under Strategic Planning