When Should You Comp a Meal?
When Should You Comp a Meal?
Every restauranteur has been here: your server spilled a tray of drinks on a customer; a guest asked to sub chicken for salmon in her salad, but the message didn’t make it to the kitchen; dinner service was exceptionally slow. So, when should you comp a meal? That’s the age-old question we’ll be addressing today. Mistakes are going to be inevitable in the restaurant business, so it’s important to act on them appropriately—in a way that’s not going to cause major revenue loss, but also encourages customers to come back and dine with you again. We recently read a statistic on Toast that 65% of negative online reviews are posted within just 1 day of a guests’ bad restaurant experience. So when we say you should act, we mean you should act fast.
Comping, Defined
“Comping” is short for “complimentary,” and it essentially refers to a free meal, drink, or item at a restaurant. Most often you’ll see something comped as a result of a mistake made by the restaurant, but it can also be an act of good will: perhaps a guest is celebrating something particularly special and you want to offer a free dessert. It’s important to remember that comping isn’t always offered because you did something wrong. However, as pointed out by the food truck website Mobile Cuisine, “By comping your food or beverages, you are training your customers to expect it.” That can be bad for business in the long run.
What Necessitates a Comped Meal?
There are several times in which a comped dish or meal makes the most sense. For instance, if it’s taking longer than one hour for a table’s food to arrive, it’s generally a good idea to offer their meal for free. If a customer finds a hair in his food or a foreign object, offer to comp their meal (you also may avoid a lawsuit, depending on the nature of the unwelcome dish addition). On a similar note, if a customer’s meal is served on a plate or with silverware that has obviously missed its trip through the dishwasher, a freebie is in order.
We did touch on celebrations as a reason for a free dessert, but another reason you may want to comp a meal is to recognize the loyalty of your regular customers. Regulars are the ones spreading the word about your business; paying their free advertising back in the form of a comped meal is a perfect way to say thanks.
What Doesn’t Necessitate a Comped Meal?
Guests with small complaints, such as their meal being too hot, don’t require a comped meal. Additionally, if a guest orders a dish and they don’t end up liking it, offer to make them something different rather than comping the entire meal. Finally, if you recognize a food critic is in your establishment, comping their meal will be seen as a bribe—and that’s tricky terrain.
How to Avoid Comping
How do you avoid having to comp a meal at all? The best way to ensure all of your guests are having an enjoyable experience is to ensure a manager or owner is always available and frequently checking in on tables. You clearly don’t want to be a bother, so a good rule of thumb is to have your servers stop by their tables soon after each phase of their meals: drinks, appetizer, main course, dessert. You need to make sure each order came out as expected, and rectify any complaints as soon as possible. The longer you make an unhappy guest wait, the more likely your chances of having to comp something (or worst case, the entire meal).
Your biggest job as a resultant owner is to make every customer feel as if their frustrations are being heard. Whether you waive the cost of their entire dinner or offer a gift certificate for their next visit, working to make their experience as great as possible will ensure repeat business—and a full and happy stomach.