Respect Vendors, They Are Not Invisible

Systematic HR

Most people like us assume that vendors are sellers who supply restaurants and other businesses with goods which they need to serve the customers. But a recent post I read by Heather Turner has challenged my assumptions about vendors. “Businesses may not realize it, but many times a vendor is actually, or may potentially be, a customer of your business. And in addition they can be the influencer of others, both positively and negatively.” Vendors are actually the same as any regular customers. Like regular customers, they eat in your restaurant or buy your products. They form opinions about the quality of your business; they tell their friends whether or not your business is worth the price.

In Turner’s blog, she explains that vendors are customers, too. She also describes that she has witnessed a situation where an employee and a vendor have an argument. The vendor tells her that she will not come back as a guest because she does not like her visit. Even though restaurants provide good foods and services, they somehow may treat vendors poorly by arguing with them about certain problems that are related to the business agreement. For example, Turner “witnessed a poor wine vendor get pinned like a butterfly in between two partners exchanging verbally poisoned darts at one another.” This means that the vendor has been in the middle of the argument between the two owners. This situation has made the vendor uncomfortable, and may spread the words that the owners are mean and can’t solve their problems professionally.

I agree with Turner that we should respect vendors because they are people who may be the restaurants’ “potential guests.” These people are just like us who want to look for something to fulfill our needs and wants. When we go to restaurants, we want them to satisfy our hunger and mood.

I think reputation is very important to restaurants because they need to rely on their customers to make money. Since reputation is important, restaurants have to keep their images positive inside and outside the restaurants. Vendors are examples of a setback outside the restaurants because they can tell other people about their experience through word-of-mouth. If the comments are negative, the restaurants may have a problem of losing customers.

The solution of avoiding a bad reputation from vendors and other customers is that employees have to respect them and do not lose their temper. No matter what happens, the employees are supposed to represent and set a positive view for the restaurants. If there is an argument between the vendors and employees, they should work it out by discussing the problems professionally and respectfully.

As a future restaurant employee, I should treat everyone with respect, no matter who he or she is because anyone I meet may be a potential customer. Since vendors are customers, your friends, family, and neighbors may be customers, too. Turner’s blog gives me an insight that you never know when vendors can bad mouth about your restaurant or cause you to lose customers. So, respect vendors as if they are your customers.

Yelp!

Do you know where to go for your birthday or other special occasions? How do you know where to find a good restaurant? Do you look at newspapers or the Internet? Since we live in an era with advanced technology, most people surf the web to find good restaurants to eat. People may use Bing to search, but the most common website is Yelp, an online review of restaurants, dentists, shopping malls, and other service-oriented businesses.

I used Yelp to search for popular restaurants, such as Hard Rock Café, and it was really helpful to me. The reviews for Hard Rock Café were all positive about the services, but there were mixed reviews about the foods. When I went to Hard Rock Café at Fisherman's Wharf for lunch, I ordered a cheeseburger with French fries. The burger was not what I expected; it tasted a little burnt. Service was great because the server knew what I wanted before I called him, such as refilling drinks. I thought it was worth my time like some reviewers wrote because I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere.

New York Times

After customers leave the restaurants, they are sometimes afraid to share their experiences with the restaurants about their foods and services. Yelp is a good way for previous customers to communicate with other people online. These reviews are posted and read by many people from all over the world. These reviews also can be about how they feel, whether or not the foods are good, and how the employees in the restaurants treat the customers.

When restaurants have a problem and do not know what it is, they often ask customers to fill out a survey. Other times they give customers their contact information, so customers can mail or email their experience or concerns. Both of these methods are good, but they are a waste of money, time, papers, and resources. How many people are willing to take the time to do the survey, and mail or email their feedbacks? Yelp is a better method because it is easy to use and people feel more comfortable by sharing their experience with others online.

Since Yelp is open to the public, restaurants should use it to their advantage. It is easily accessible online and provides customers’ comments. By reading the comments, restaurants can try to make changes, such as training their employees, improving management team, keeping sanitation in and out of the kitchen, and creating improved policies based on the problems.

I recommend everyone to use Yelp to find a good restaurant to eat. If customers do not directly give feedbacks about their experience, it does not mean that there is no problem. I also recommend restaurants to read comments about them, so they may understand what customers are thinking and try to make changes to solve the problems if necessary.

Come Back, Veggies!

A restaurant not only faces internal issues, but also external issues, such as the economy, natural disasters, and vendors. Since a restaurant does not magically make its own ingredients, it needs to buy them from vendors. It can buy ingredients locally or out of town, as long as they are fresh and maintain their colors. If anything bad happens to the vendors’ products, the restaurant’s business may be in jeopardy.

How do vendors affect restaurants? In Erin Skarda's article, she explains that the cold weather in Texas, Florida, and Mexico currently causes a shortage of vegetables, so vendors may not meet most of the demands. This is a problem for restaurants because they need a certain amount of ingredients to make their foods. This article also describes how restaurants handle the situation by increasing the prices or posting notices about their limited supplies of vegetables.

I think some of the restaurants’ solutions may work, but it depends on the customers’ perspective. When a restaurant does not get enough ingredients from vendors, it may increase its prices to pay for the increased vegetables. By increasing the prices, the restaurant may scare away its customers because they do not want to pay more for their foods. Regular customers may come back because of the quality of the foods and services. For instance, customers may still eat at McDonalds, Chili's, or other fine dining restaurants because they enjoy eating the foods, even though prices have gone up.

I don’t think a restaurant should post a sign about their missing or limited ingredients; it is not attractive to the customers. If customers who are vegetarians know that their favorite restaurants stop serving certain vegetables, they may not go there anymore and find other restaurants.

I think the best solution to solve this issue is to substitute the ingredients or the foods. Non-meat ingredients, such as tofu, can be substituted so there are still balances of diets for the customers to stay healthy. The restaurant also can change its menu items that match the limited ingredients that they have. If a restaurant decides to change anything in its foods, it should write down on the menu, so the customer may be aware of the changes.

I hope that more vegetables come back because people want to eat their favorite foods, such as pizza and salad, with vegetables. Personally, I like to eat tomatoes with my sandwiches or burgers; they provide a juicy and sweet flavor. So, please come back, delicious vegetables.

Taco Bell’s Mystery Meats

Do you ever wonder what is inside a Taco Bell’s nacho or burrito? What kind of meat does it put in its products? When I was a child, I used to go to Taco Bell, a Mexican fast-food restaurant, and ate a Steak Burrito. I remembered the tortilla was smooth, the meat was tender and juicy, and the sauce added a delicious flavor to the whole burrito. When I ate it, I never thought about what kind of meat was in my burrito.

In an article that I have read, Taco Bell is facing a lawsuit because its advertisement does not portray its actual meats from the menu items that are served to its customers. This article says that Taco Bell’s meats are not actually beef and chicken, but “non-meat substances.” Taco Bell is not giving up and will fight against this lawsuit.

Every restaurant’s nightmares are customers’ complaints and lawsuits because it has to spend lots of money to pay for compensations and defend itself from lawsuits. If Taco Bell’s meats are really not what the customers expect, it may lose business by losing its customers’ and their trusts. Words spread around fast; customers who have not heard about this lawsuit from the articles may hear it from their family and friends, and they may not go to Taco Bell anymore. Even though the court has not officially declared the result of the lawsuit, customers fear that the foods may not be healthy for them. Despite the lawsuit, Taco Bell has to find a solution to recover from the loss of its business.

Since we live in an era where technology is growing rapidly, restaurants take advantages of it by improving their services and performances. In Sharon Gaudin's article, she explains that Taco Bell has used Facebook to bring back its customers and their loyalty by giving out coupons, such as a free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco. I think this is a good idea because a restaurant has to gain back their reputation of bringing back its customers.

Currently, I am shocked to hear that Taco Bell’s meats are not what people expect to be. If there is evidence that it uses “non-meat substances”, then I am disappointed in Taco Bell. Even though it is difficult to run a business due to budgets, a restaurant’s responsibilities are to serve delicious and healthy foods to the customers, and do not lose the customers’ loyalty by portraying false advertisements. I hope Taco Bell won’t disappoint me the next time I try its burrito again.