Handling An Irked Customer: Tips For Fast Food Restaurant Manager

There is a time and place for fast food. Usually, it’s when we are in a hurry—hence the name—or when we are looking for convenience over flavor.

After all, we can all freely admit that a burger cooked in less than three minutes will not hold a candle to the real meal you’d get in a sit-down-style restaurant.

However, a terrible customer experience when trying to eat may be a deal-breaker for a fast-food business. Here is a list of common issues consumers face with fast-food restaurants that business owners can better avoid.

Common Complaints Fast Food Restaurant Managers Need To Deal With 

People can be quite picky about their food. Therefore, you need to be ready to deal with them. As a result, we decided to list some of the most common complaints that fast-food restaurant managers need to deal with.

Just remember that this list is a compilation of personal experiences of different people. Therefore, take this section with a grain of subjectivity, as your experience might completely differ from what we discuss here.

With that note, let us dive right in and look at some of the most common complaints you will have to deal with as a fast-food restaurant manager.

Missing Items and Orders

Occasionally, nothing jumps out at you as being wrong, but that doesn’t mean things are on the up and up. How often have your customers gotten back home and discovered that their fries are missing? Or perhaps they got someone else’s entire order?

That means not only are they stuck with the food they don’t want, but your business is in danger of receiving negative feedback. Sometimes consumers try to solve their order issue by contacting customer service of the delivery app they used. For example, DoorDash customer service regularly receives complaints about wrong meals in orders.

While honest mistakes do happen, sometimes there are more deliberate mistakes that are made. One customer overhead employees calming discussing the order for the car behind his at the drive-through window. Apparently, the employees planned to swap out drinks just for laughs.

The manager stood by and thought nothing of the plan. Such practices keep a high chance of damaging your business reputation.

The Rude Employee

While it’s safe to say that a fast food worker isn’t going to be earning a tremendous amount of money any time soon, the employees have chosen to work in the service industry which means they should specialize in food and good customer service.

Apparently, not all of the employees remember this, however. There are many accounts of rude customer service in fast-food restaurants. Some employees get snippy and speak rudely directly to customers. They might interrupt, talk over or just give the customer more than a bit of attitude while the customer is trying to order.

When customers are dealing with a rude employee, they never quite know what to expect when they go to enjoy their food. If the service is terrible – is the food going to be any better? This is why as a business owner you should pay special attention to training your employees and customer service department.

Disgusting Conditions

There are requirements for food conditions in fast-food restaurants. There are requirements for cleanliness and hygiene as well. Sadly, sometimes consumers wouldn’t think there were any rules at all when they check out the state of the restaurants. Grimy floors, sticky tables, overflowing trashcans, and more can all make customers a bit ill when they think about a meal.

It all becomes that much worse when they realize the restaurant is a mess, the kitchen doesn’t look much better and all six of the employees on duty seem to be standing around talking as if they don’t have a single job they could be doing.

In most workplaces, conditions like that would mean that none of those employees would have a job for long anyhow. It is a part of your duties to watch out for keeping your restaurant clean and meeting all the requirements for food and sanitary conditions.

Slow Service

Slow service can tick off customers to another level. In fact, try to put yourself in their stead. You had a long day, and you are hungry. You pick a fast food restaurant, but the server is taking time. Does it not piss you off? 

Similarly, customers can find slow serving really irritating. As a result, it is a very common complaint that you will have to deal with at regular intervals.

The best way to avoid this complaint is to train your staff to be quick and adept. Dishes that require pre-emptive preparation should always be kept semi-ready.

This can help you guys lower the preparatory interval of these dishes and hasten the process of serving. 

Pricing Of The Menu

Pricing can be another sore point for the customers. Many customers will complain about the menu pricing. This is a very common ordeal that you must deal with on a daily basis.

The best way to handle this is to understand the market. Do your research and find out what your competitors are serving and the price point they are serving in.

This will help you keep the pricing competitive and in sync with the market. If that does not work, you could try to explain to the customers that the pricing is competitive and not exorbitant.

You can also try to elevate the overall experience of this fast-food restaurant with ancillary points like ambiance, music, serving style, etc. This will help you justify your pricing and leave your customers happy and wanting more. 

Some Tips To Deal With Customer Complaints

Dealing with irked customers can be quite tricky. They will say things to instigate you or push you towards an emotionally charged reaction. 

Therefore, you will have to keep a sound mind and approach the situation tactfully. Here are some tips for approaching irked customers while running a fast-food restaurant: 

• Active listening: Do not be a yes man or woman. Actively listen to your customer’s complaints. Ensure that they feel like they are being heard.
• Staying calm: Regardless of their behavior, you cannot lose your calm. You need to be calm, collected, and ready to reach a solution. 
• Be empathetic: Empathizing with the customer will enable you to connect with the complaint better. This might be a bit tricky at first, but you will eventually get a hang of it. 
• Present solutions: You cannot just listen and not do anything. You need to listen, understand, and present a solution. Something that will calm the raging hearts and chaotic minds of an irked customer. 
• Follow-up: Once the crisis has been averted, do not forget to conduct a follow-up. This will help you close the matter at hand and even make your customers feel at ease. 

The Wrap!

There you have it: These were some of the most common complaints that fast food restaurant managers and employees have to handle. 

However, every situation presents a new challenge. Therefore, your experience with an irked customer might be absolutely different. Hence, be prepared to adjust your approach.

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