How do customers feel about fountain drinks at take out places

I am addicted to fountain drinks, it is my vice. I will take a fountain drink over a bottle almost every single time. Concerning the person insisting on getting a bottle of root beer for the same price..... no. I can see him asking for his money back, saying he wanted root beer, but there is no reason you should have to give him a bottle for the same price. People are used to throwing a fit and getting what they want. I would explain to him that you cannot do that because the cost is twice as high.

 

From one balla to another, I think you should honor the lower price when your fountain machine is inoperable for a particular drink that the customer wants.

 

aliens?

 

As a customer, no, I don't expect that. I know that those are two different items. I think you're doing it right.

 

The gray area is that you couldn't provide the drink your machine says you offer. I don't think there's any need to offer the fountain price for the bottle, but it seems like a customer-friendly policy that wouldn't cost very much unless you're regularly out of fountain soda. And in that case, you should be addressing that problem.

I guess it just boils down to how important being customer-centric is to you. It varies by business.

 

Unless the menu specifically states a flavor will be provided, I don't think you should have to provide the bottle drink at the same price. Makes no sense to me. What if you put up a sign that displays the price...no substitutions/no exceptions

 

Some customers are more demanding (unreasonable) than others. I'm a "deal with it" kind of guy, if a flavor is out, I just pick another one that is available.

 

The real question is, how bad do you want the customer to come back? Is it worth the extra money for the bottle?

 

How about you put in in small print under the drink section of the menu.

 

Couldn't you just stock more replacements to deal with exigent circumstances?

I don't drink soda but there's no way I'd complain over something so trivial.

 

As long as there is good sweet tea i'm not trippin

 

I don't think you're contractually obligated to ALWAYS have every flavor of soda at any given time. As a customer, I can't imagine being pissed enough to ask for the bottle for the same price. I would probably just pick another drink and move on with my life...

I think you're doing the right thing. If a customer doesn't like it, he can go to another laundromat.

 

If it was a set menu and he wasn't informed beforehand then give it to him out of goodwill. otherwise tell him to hit the road.

 

This, and I can't believe people actually complain about this. Actually, I guess I can, being 'Murca and all. I only get bottled water, no soft drinks if I'm picking up something, but if I witnessed someone complaining about this I'd probably lol audibly.

 

I didn't know you owned a restaurant. Whats the name. I might make it up to Houston this summer...would love to take you some business

 

Of course he doesn't "have" to. Whether he does just reflects what kind of approach he wants to customer service. There are successful businesses that do it both ways. Zappos, for example, will go out of their way and take a loss to make their customers happy, regardless of who's fault a problem is. They have built an entire brand reputation on that and it more than pays itself in the long run. Walmart, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the customer experience - and is amazingly successful that way too by providing other benefits like lower prices.

At my coffee shop, we happily take a loss to build brand loyalty. If someone buys a drink, tries it and doesn't like it (and tells us), we'll make them something different even though we have to throw away the other drink. The whole approach builds a lot of brand loyalty and customers love our staff and their experience at the shop. On the flipside, there are many other shops in town that essentially take the opposite approach to the customer and they are really successful by doing other things well.

There's no right or wrong answer here - it's just about how he approaches the customer and what his priorities are.

 

I agree with this. You'll still make a profit on the drink, and it's not like there is any labor involved in getting them a bottle.

It's also better to make some money on the bottle, then refund them and make $0.

You get a happy customer for a really small cost, seems like a good business move.