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Warning: that advice about greeting every customer with a joke backfired hard
My old manager at the diner near 12th street in Portland told me to always start with a joke to break the ice. Tried it on a regular who came in at 6 AM last Tuesday, said something about eggs being overpriced, and he just stared at me for a solid 10 seconds before ordering black coffee. Has anyone else gotten burned by some feel-good customer service tip that just doesn't work?
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johnb952d ago
Yeah the "joke first" thing is terrible advice... most people at 6 AM don't want a comedian, they want coffee and quiet. That regular probably just wanted his usual without any small talk. I've seen new hires get stonewalled like that and it's brutal. Best move is to just say "morning" and see if they even want conversation.
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grace_perry441d ago
Friend of mine works construction and says the best advice for early mornings is to just match energy - if they grunt, you grunt back. Tried the "how's your day going" approach once at 5 AM at a diner and the guy just stared at me until I ordered. Now I just nod and point at the menu, works way better than trying to be anyone's morning hype man.
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