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July 19, 2009 (Sunday)
Soap Box
And now some political commentary. Café Kaila sucks.
Been there probably four times. From the very first instant I was not impressed, and even disappointed. But I persisted and gave them the benefit of doubt. Heck, given all the positive press and word-of-mouth hype they must be good, right? Alas, after this morning's painful experience I've written them off.
The food is mediocre--it's highly overrated. Relative to that, the prices are so-so. But what strikes me about the place is the poor service.
It's obvious that the front-of-house staff has no training in the basics of customer service. I'm talking simple stuff like smiling, saying hi, saying thank you, being attentive, being polite, anticipating needs. And there's no doubt that the workers I've interacted with have no formal food service experience.
But skills can be taught. Attitude not so. And what you get here is indifference and cockiness bordering on rudeness. I think this stems from the unjustified popularity of the joint. First, let's admit it. Many locals (including myself) aren't very discerning and wouldn't know good quality if it bit them...you know. Next, really there aren't many options in this category (sit-down, local-style breakfast eatery) in the area. (The college kids and the Yuppies are in need of a hip place to park their butts for the morning before they hoist their longboards onto the Mini Cooper.)
So it's busy and packed, and if you want a table you'll need to sign the waitlist. Hey, we're good: look around, suckahs, can't you see? We don't need your stinkin' patronage. And we don't have to be nice. Don't like our tude? Leave.
They don't care about the customer, their guest. Cash only. What???!!! Are you serious?
There used to be a small coffee shop downstairs in my apartment building. Very low-volume with five smallish booths and several tables. Running an A/C (they didn't have one) would've surely decimated their razor-thin margin. Processing credit cards? It would be lunacy from a business standpoint.
But what about Kaila? What's their excuse? Lack of concern? Lack of caring? Why should we provide such a service to the fools who come in here? We don't give a rip about them; the only people we like are ourselves. That's what they must tell each other every day when they count the deposit at closing time.
Ah, but there's the rub. Anyone who knows the restaurant industry in this town knows that today's "star" is tomorrow's cruft. All it takes is someone to do it better for a fairer price. And often it doesn't take even that. Just novelty or newness. Then you'll learn the fickleness of loyalty. Then the fatness of your margin will be the least of your worries. Then you'll know the truth of the maxim that one should always strive to exceed the expectations of your customer.
Posted at 9:43 AM