Comments on: Thinking Small http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/ Branding Opinions From Our Fearless Leader - Scott White Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:40:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Chaz http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/comment-page-1/#comment-4158 Chaz Sat, 27 Dec 2008 03:35:45 +0000 http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=1141#comment-4158 The fee should have been disclosed ahead of time, without any inquiry on your behalf. it also should have only been charged for the people who actually had the cake. A few years ago, I brought a couple of my famous peanut butter-brownie chunk cheesecakes to a very large party at a bar/restaurant It was at the request of a friend who was celebrating her 5 years cancer free. When I asked the bar if there was a problem with bringing in the cheesecakes they didn't even blink and said 'of course you can' We spent several thousand over two nights, and everyone loved the venue and the way the staff treated us. Had they said there'd be a fee, we'd probably have been fine with that as well, had it been presented as a surprise, they'd have caught hell. The fee should have been disclosed ahead of time, without any inquiry on your behalf. it also should have only been charged for the people who actually had the cake.

A few years ago, I brought a couple of my famous peanut butter-brownie chunk cheesecakes to a very large party at a bar/restaurant It was at the request of a friend who was celebrating her 5 years cancer free.

When I asked the bar if there was a problem with bringing in the cheesecakes they didn’t even blink and said ‘of course you can’ We spent several thousand over two nights, and everyone loved the venue and the way the staff treated us.

Had they said there’d be a fee, we’d probably have been fine with that as well, had it been presented as a surprise, they’d have caught hell.

]]> By: Paul Dirks http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/comment-page-1/#comment-4152 Paul Dirks Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:55:17 +0000 http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=1141#comment-4152 I'm with the Kahuna on this one. First off, St Thomas is way too small to think that how you treat one individual customer won't come back to have an effect on your entire island-wide reputation. Secondly anytime anybody charges any money for anything, it should be understood up-front before the transaction is half-completed. That is just simple courtesy. I’m with the Kahuna on this one.
First off, St Thomas is way too small to think that how you treat one individual customer won’t come back to have an effect on your entire island-wide reputation. Secondly anytime anybody charges any money for anything, it should be understood up-front before the transaction is half-completed.
That is just simple courtesy.

]]> By: BIG Kahuna http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/comment-page-1/#comment-4149 BIG Kahuna Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:13:53 +0000 http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=1141#comment-4149 Failure on the customer huh? that's an interesting approach. Failure on the customer huh? that’s an interesting approach.

]]> By: GriffinClubMerv http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/comment-page-1/#comment-4148 GriffinClubMerv Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:05:40 +0000 http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=1141#comment-4148 This was a spectacular failure on the part of the diners. The dinner was good, the service was excellent. The bill reflected a superior experience. To create a disturbance and then elevate it to this level over $40 is inexcusable. Someone among this party of eight should have simply and quietly said "I'll take care of this". And if another in the party responded "No! Its the principal!", the offer should have been firmly restated "No - I said I'll take care of this". End of discussion. It was $40. It was a failure on the part of the patrons to let $40 jeapordize an otherwise pleasant and memorable experience. This was a spectacular failure on the part of the diners. The dinner was good, the service was excellent. The bill reflected a superior experience. To create a disturbance and then elevate it to this level over $40 is inexcusable. Someone among this party of eight should have simply and quietly said “I’ll take care of this”. And if another in the party responded “No! Its the principal!”, the offer should have been firmly restated “No – I said I’ll take care of this”.

End of discussion. It was $40. It was a failure on the part of the patrons to let $40 jeapordize an otherwise pleasant and memorable experience.

]]> By: Carl Natale http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/comment-page-1/#comment-4147 Carl Natale Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:08:11 +0000 http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=1141#comment-4147 I understand why a business would want to discourage outside desserts. After all, that's their business: serving food they prepare. Diners are asking the wait staff to take time to do something that doesn't earn the restaurant any money. That seems a little unfair. But does $5 per person to serve a cake seem reasonable? That's an incredible mark up. How big of a problem is this? I mean, how many people bring in birthday cakes? Maybe if the restaurant offered a birthday cake service, it wouldn't have this problem. The restaurant definitely created a problem for itself. I understand why a business would want to discourage outside desserts. After all, that’s their business: serving food they prepare. Diners are asking the wait staff to take time to do something that doesn’t earn the restaurant any money. That seems a little unfair. But does $5 per person to serve a cake seem reasonable? That’s an incredible mark up.

How big of a problem is this? I mean, how many people bring in birthday cakes? Maybe if the restaurant offered a birthday cake service, it wouldn’t have this problem.

The restaurant definitely created a problem for itself.

]]> By: randulo http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/comment-page-1/#comment-4143 randulo Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:06:25 +0000 http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=1141#comment-4143 Totally agree with first comment. Someone should have called to ask. They may have made a deal that point, if the customer balked at the price. It was an unfair surprise to whip the cake out, in my opinion. Their response was actually generous and a good business gesture. Totally agree with first comment. Someone should have called to ask. They may have made a deal that point, if the customer balked at the price. It was an unfair surprise to whip the cake out, in my opinion. Their response was actually generous and a good business gesture.

]]> By: BIG Kahuna http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/comment-page-1/#comment-4084 BIG Kahuna Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:59:13 +0000 http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=1141#comment-4084 Okay, so let's say they called ahead and were told that there would be a fee of $5/person. And since there are only a handful of restaurants on St. Thomas that would charge for this we all decided to eat somewhere else that night to avoid the $40 fee. The bill was $800. Is it worth it to charge for the "cake cutting" fee on an island that's incredibly casual? Why is it the customers responsibility to call ahead? Couldn't they have told us that there would be a fee when we gave them the cake? I know one thing. I'm not sweating a $1000 deal when a contract is worth $100,000. But that's me. Okay, so let’s say they called ahead and were told that there would be a fee of $5/person. And since there are only a handful of restaurants on St. Thomas that would charge for this we all decided to eat somewhere else that night to avoid the $40 fee. The bill was $800. Is it worth it to charge for the “cake cutting” fee on an island that’s incredibly casual?

Why is it the customers responsibility to call ahead? Couldn’t they have told us that there would be a fee when we gave them the cake?

I know one thing. I’m not sweating a $1000 deal when a contract is worth $100,000. But that’s me.

]]> By: Dr. Wright http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/2008/12/04/thinking-small/comment-page-1/#comment-4083 Dr. Wright Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:35:34 +0000 http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=1141#comment-4083 I think you are unfair on this one. Cake cutting fees are like corking fees: Common and an unpleasant surprise if you do not ask ahead of time. The person putting this event together should have called ahead and asked about fees before they decided on that particular venue. Dr. Wright The Wright Place TV Show www.wrightplacetv.com www.twitter.com/drwright1 I think you are unfair on this one. Cake cutting fees are like corking fees: Common and an unpleasant surprise if you do not ask ahead of time. The person putting this event together should have called ahead and asked about fees before they decided on that particular venue.

Dr. Wright
The Wright Place TV Show
http://www.wrightplacetv.com
http://www.twitter.com/drwright1

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