A picture worth a thousand words

The beginning of 2011 has been spectacular with tourists flocking to Sydney to escape the Northern Hemisphere’s winter. The added bonus of the Cricket Test and the Sydney Festival have all bought additional diners to our door.

2011 may prove to be the very best of years for Chedi Thai.

Enjoy Chedi Thai

As every Australian knows, a small tip is normal in hospitality: if the service was satisfactory and appreciated. So where did our foreign visitors get this information? Yes, you are right, the World Wide Web.

The piece below has been lifted from a very helpful site called Trip Advisor and begins.

“Tipping is not generally considered to be a part of Australian culture.

Food service

It is not usual to tip for food service in Australia, although there are subtle exceptions.

Waiters get paid (by law) ~$15+ an hour.  Any tips are usually pooled so tips are not important except as way of getting self satisfaction from having pleased a customer to the point where they are willing to hand over money.

Some people tip (~10%) in mid to high-end restaurants when part of a large group, they have spent hours dining or they have a large bill.  Many Australians do not agree with this practice and it isn’t required. Comments and compliments on both good and bad service can be made in writing or verbally, however arguing, yelling or rude behaviour towards serving staff is considered inappropriate.

Australian service is often more casual than in many countries, even in expensive restaurants and hotels. You will very rarely get fawning service in Australia – in keeping with Australia’s relaxed national character that usually seeks to treat everyone as equals. Australians also don’t generally complain about service in restaurants.  However, if you have received rude or incompetent service, you should complain, politely, or do what Australians tend to do and just never go back to that establishment again.

You can take this tip and ....

It is blatantly obvious from the article that the author has never worked in hospitality and thinks service Down Under is mediocre; but don’t complain, as we are all equals in this Great Southern Land. Maybe he should visit Eatability to reconsider his notion that Aussies don’t complain about bad service: but they are big on revenge.

A last word: tipping in restaurants is considered universal and should be earned by good, friendly and attentive service whether in Australia or abroad.

Thanks Mate, I enjoyed the meal.

Enjoy Good Service

Word of Mouth

So what influences a customer’s word of mouth? It all depends of expectations. In Australia there are no Michelin star restaurants; so we must rely on the SMH Good Food Guide awards to know; which restaurants are at the top of the foodie chain. Sydneys’ 3 hat restaurants are: Bilson’s, est, Marque, Pier, Quay and Tetsuya’s. So it must be all gastronomically downhill from these dizzy heights of gluttony. But then this makes it so much easier for casual dining restaurants like Chedi Thai, with no hats or awards but so many regulars.

All hoteliers know that 5 star guests are hard to please; as expectations when the bar is high are difficult to appease. But when your restaurant is located in Newtown customers do not expect more than average. This is the secret to success and where service, food and ambiance can all work together to produce a memorable experience and positive word of mouth.

But occasionally we get customers who for what ever reason can not be pleased. They want to ruin your business because their meal was slow in delivery or their dietary needs where confused with their lack of knowledge about a certain type of cuisine. One bad customer can spoil the broth.

Fortunately, we have some extremely positive reviews and many regular customers who bring their friends and tell their colleagues. So it can work both ways. But word of mouth is important and is a combination of many factors; which make a positive dining experience. Crucial factors such as first impressions, service, ambiance, quality and presentation of food, and finally lasting impressions; all culminate to make a customer a regular and a promoter of your business.

All customers want to be remembered, thanked and appreciated. So you better make your good bye as gracious as your welcome. I like to offer a customer a small gesture of appreciation for dining at Chedi with a complimentary liqueur, dessert or coffee. It doesn’t cost much to make someone feel special.

A good friend of mine once said “if you can’t say something good about someone; then don’t say anything”; but then he is an exception.

Word of Mouth Visualized shows that bad comments have a far greater multiplier than good comments. Just like the old saying “bad news travels fast” and that was before the spread of twitter. In hospitality, when a mistake is made it is crucial to ensure the customer feels that they have been treated and compensated fairly. It might be a complimentary drink, meal or discount. As it is much better for the customer to leave satisfied with their dining experience than unhappy.

So in conclusion: to all those fantastic customers, who appreciate our dining experience: we salute you and hope you tell all your friends about Chedi Thai.

Enjoy Chedi Thai

Her cousin visiting from America was kind enough to send me this picture which was taken with his i-phone.

Enjoy Ice Cream

Do not enjoy fast food

When the children and staff of the Baan Tharn Namchai orphanage in Thailand, heard of the devastating Victorian bushfires in February 2009, they wanted to help the survivors in their own small way. They decided with the help of the staff to raise money for the Australian children left homeless by the bushfires. A project was organised to make and sell donuts to the local community of Koh Lak.

Below are some of the pictures of the staff and children making donuts and then selling their cinnamon treats throughout Koh Lak.

A team effort

Hands on

A Chef in the making

Everyone loves a donut

Another sale

The children of Baan Tharn Namchai were never a threat to Donut King; but they did manage to raise Baht 100,000 which was given in the form of a cheque to a school in Victoria.

It is nice to see that Hands Across the Water has created something which can flow both ways. In addition, the children of Baan Tharn Namchai have found happiness by giving to others.

Enjoy giving!