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The Service Needs Work at Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant Chain
December 11, 2007

I finally got around to maybe winning a thousand bucks. I can use the dough, what with the holidays ahead. All I had to do was answer a few questions about my experience at Maggiano’s. That is worth a $1,000, isn’t it?

It was easy to toss my hat in the online ring for the weekly drawing, which probably means there are lots of people trying to cash in for the prize--especially this time of year with more people in restaurants.

Although last night’s crowd in Maggiano’s dining room didn’t seem very large. The place was half-full at best, though the banquet rooms upstairs may have been busy.

This morning I called the number on my receipt, eager to answer the survey questions. Whoops. The customer service rep told me it’s an Internet survey, dummy. You have to fill it out online to have a chance at winning the weekly drawing.

Only the CSR was too polite to call me a “dummy.” Instead, she said many people mistakenly call the number ready to take the survey. Like me, they apparently do not read the receipt closely. Still, she wondered, “Was there a problem with the food or service?”

Well, now that you asked…

Not wanting to get anyone in hot water, I explained that my issue has almost nothing to do with the particular unit I was in but the chain in general. No problem, she said.

Then I told her how much I like Maggiano’s. How its handsome bar and dining room never fail to impress me. So do those old-school uniforms: the white shirts, dark tie, long aprons. Taken together, it’s a great look--one that builds my anticipation.

Yet given this promise, I was disappointed last night, I admitted. Our waiter was polite and service-oriented and I expected our party of four to be in good hands. And, for the most part, it was. Side note: The fellow neither opened the wine bottle properly nor offered a taste before pouring it into everyone’s glass.

What really got me, though, was the person who brought two salads to the table. Unlike his colleague, he merely declared, “Side salads?” No hello, no smile and, worse, no idea who got what? He had to interrupt our conversation to find out.

The CSR was sympathetic. She guessed the problem was systemwide.

So I asked: Why can’t a restaurant that prides itself as “upscale casual dining”--and certainly looks the part--figure out who in a party of four (or even six) gets which dish? I’m sure there’s an operational explanation. But what could it be? That the runners are too lazy to look at the ticket?

By leaving the auctions and guesswork to servers at other casual-dining chains, Maggiano’s would add another important difference to the guests’ dining experience.

In my humble opinion, that suggestion alone is worth, oh, $1,000

Posted by David Farkas on December 11, 2007 | Comments (1)