Shuckers Restaurant, Cape Cod

Recipient: Shuckers Restaurant, Cape Cod, Massachusetts 
Reason for letter: bad dining experience
Response: None


August 6, 2011
Subject: Extremely disappointed with dining experience


Hello Kevin and Karen,

I visited your restaurant on August 3 around 4 p.m. with my husband while we were vacationing in Cape Cod. We chose your restaurant for the great views and the opportunity to sit right on the water, but to be honest, the experience ended there. I want to share with you the experience we had with hopes that you value your customers' feedback.

Despite being one of only three tables in the restaurant and five teenage staff members hanging out gossiping at the front door, it took 25 minutes -- and a request for a server -- for someone to take a drink order. While the server was friendly, she was not great. I ordered the lobster boil -- what you consider yourselves to be experts in. My dinner arrived without a lobster cracker because the waitress didn't seem to know that I needed one. When she came back with it, I asked for a lesson on how to eat lobster and she shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't know either. 

As we were finishing our meal, our server asked if she could cash us out because her shift was over. When I asked for more wetnaps, she forgot them and only brought the bill.

Unfortunately, we are not the only customers to have had this kind of experience. When I Googled your restaurant to find your website, the first page that came up was a list of negative reviews on Tripadvisor. 

You are fortunate to be in a beautiful location, but sadly this experience left a tarnish on our trip to the Cape. 

I hope you find the helpful in some way and work with your staff to educate them on appropriate customer experience and knowledge of the food that they are serving. 

Lindsay

The Objective

At least twice a week, I think: "I'm going to write [insert company name here.]"


I appreciate good customer service and I know when I get it -- and when I don't. As a valued customer though, I think it's my responsibility to share my experiences -- good and bad -- with companies. 


In the last two months, I have had experiences so frustrating that I did reach out to a retailer and a restaurant. What frustrated me even more though, was the volume of their silence. So I wanted to cast my net out wider and share my experiences with not only the letter recipient and my friends and family, but anyone who stumbles upon this blog. 


So I have decided to challenge myself and to write a letter each week to a company, restaurant, author, anyone to express my feelings. Broadly, these letters could be about a positive or negative experience, a thank you or just general feedback. But they will all be about personal experiences and real situations.


It is my hope that I do get some response -- which I will share here -- but also that others might be inspired to write their own letters. After all, feedback is how things improve and sometimes, it's just nice to know you're doing a good job!