Service in Beijing: A horde of hockey fans versus The Irish Volunteer
People love to complain about service in Beijing, with some comments fair and some comments whiny, but there are times when it is hard to find a bone to pick. Such was the case on Sunday morning as more than two dozen hockey fans showed up to watch an NHL playoff game at The Irish Volunteer (map). This is what they experienced:
- Mugs, whether for beer or coffee, filled in reasonable time.
- Breakfasts coming out at a steady pace.
- Orders for food and drink competently filled whether given in English or Mandarin.
- Bills calculated accurately for each patron.
- Polite service throughout the morning.
Number of patrons: 30.
Number of waitresses: 1.
Yes, a single waitress handled all those sports fans as they inhaled breakfasts and guzzled beer, cocktails, and coffee for three hours. Places such as The Rickshaw would do well to discover the secret of this service success, as I have found myself outnumbered by employees yet, in comparison to The Irish Volunteer, have waited longer for meals or drinks (and at times received the wrong order), found errors in the bills or my bill included with those of people I am not even there with (or both), and found employees who have trouble dealing with simple tasks. Sometimes less is more, and when it comes to service staff, having one competent employee can be worth more than a half-dozen who struggle to do the job.
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