Food for thoughts!

Last couple of weeks I gave a lot of thoughts to food and the experience of good hospitality! In some countries hospitality comes first, in others it is the food that counts, here in London it is the pace of life that sometimes stands in the way to get both.

I had the privilege to visit Dubai and be welcomed in a very warm way. I also had the chance to notice that during dinner the manager would come out and make sure everything was alright with the food.
I was really impressed with that. The manner they would approach the table was discreet, professional and honest. The Lebanese food I got addicted to, was divine.

Then I stopped at Wagamama's the other day which we all like for the occasional healthy meal no one has time to cook anymore. Four times in 20 minutes I was asked if feverything was OK. Which someone might find fine, but I certainly don't. The reason being - they don't care. I am always interrupted in the middle of a conversation, they always seem to be more interested in the feedback being written down for their customer satisfaction research than if I really liked it and I always have the feeling I am being pushed to eat fast, talk fast and leave even faster.

None of the mentioned places are fine dining. The prices are comparable too. And we are all busy, but we mustn't get too busy to relax and exhale. Or not to be allowed to by bad and hectic service.

Now, the point here is how to get the balance right. With so many restaurants and customer services in London, including my own work for my clients I believe it comes down to personality how one set up their place and business. That creates the culture in general.
I met one succesfull person in the restaurant business this week and when I asked what his biggest talent was, the answer was hospitality! Deserves a big smile!

duda does deals with a lot of bad customer service on behalf of clients and it becomes increasingly annoying. One of the main reasons why I started duda does was my desire for honest hospitality and professional customer service.
I was treated badly twice on Virgin Atlantic, since then I fly with BA no matter how much I admire Richard Branson.

Each one of us deserves to eat nicely when we go out, we also deserve to be allowed to enjoy the experience in total, the ambient and also we need to take responsibilty how we treat our customer and clients.

Funny how a trip to the Middle East, a nice meal with friends and meeting a succesfull person with a talent for hospitality can be so refreshing.
It is good to be reminded that at the end of the day my clients get the best and I get the best too - seeing them happy and relaxed.

PS Many thanks to Kika and Wissam for a lovely welcome in Dubai!