Ever been to a restaurant/lounge/bar/whatever and heard this:
‘Sorry, there’s a private function tonight…you’ll have to come back another time’
Don’t you just hate that? Makes me feel like a peasant who isn’t fit enough to dine with the king in some far-off magical kingdom.
Well, I was about as happy as Arthur must have been when he pulled the sword out of the stone this past weekend as we, the peasants, finally got an audience with the king.
How’s that? A bunch of us were looking for a lounge and were allowed entrance at Chivana in Kitsilano even though there was a private function that was about to take place (I still don’t know how 20 people or so, including the army of 20-something staff they have there, constituted a private function worthy of closing the place down qualifies, but hey, what do I know?).
After we walked in to Chivana, though, we got our first dose of peasant treatment (yes, there were a few worth mentioning) and the Arthur/sword happiness quickly dissipated. This should sum it up nicely:
Hostess: Hi, Welcome to Chivana.
Us: Can we take the couches, please? There’s going to be 5 or 6 of us.
Hostess: Sure, you’re going to have to leave at 9:30 though (it’s now, 8:45 or so).
Us: We’re likely going to want to stay longer than that…there’s 5 or 6 of us.
Hostess: (beating our customer service experience down like a gong) Sorry, you’re going to have to leave at 9:30 though (it’s now, 8:50 or so).
Us: (thinking and talking amongst ourselves – echoing in the vast open space that is Chivana) That really doesn’t make a lot of sense…why even bother letting us in, then?
Hostess: Um, I don’t know…as long as you leave at 9:30 though (it’s now, 8:56 or so).
We are now in need of drinks…so we reluctantly agree to capture the couch witk reckless abandon in this alarmingly empty lounge. Thinking that maybe ‘private function’ connotes ‘no one is allowed in tonight’, we are a bit confused as we sit down and order the first round.
I won’t bore you with the details of the evening as that’s really not the point. What is, then? Treating your customers: 1) nicely; 2) honestly; and 3) without bias (i.e., peasants vs. king analogy).
This is clearly something the Chivana staff we encountered (dealt with a fair chunk of them that night as they had nothing else to do, or so it seemed) at Chivana Kitsilano needs to brush up on.
The other two ‘incidents’ I recall definitely left a black mark on Chivana for me:
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A friend of mine tried to order some tequila for the group at the bar (my girlfriend and I just got back from a few weeks in Isla Mujeres) as she wasn’t getting any service on the peasant couches
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The answer, “Sorry, I can’t. You guys are going to have to leave at 9:30”
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Her response, “But it’s not 9:30 yet”
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The bartender’s Shakespearean-like retort, “Yeah, I know”
Clearly, our bar slinger wasn’t a student of logic. Our second incident went a little something like this:
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One of the servers (don’t know which one) drops by our table very close to 9:30 and says, “Is there anything else you guys want before you have to leave?”
I don’t know about you, but as part of my whole customer service experience, I don’t like to be told to leave by anyone other than myself. It’s just not done…peasant or not.
Despite the fact that there was a microscopic private function going on in the corner of this massive lounge, why rush us out the door? We’re more likely to honour the king’s wishes and leave in an orderly fashion with a good impression if we are treated with some level of respect and kindness, don’t you think?
Kind of reminds me of another experience we had in Vancouver that combined lying with karaoke…didn’t think it was possible?…guess again.
In the end, the Chivana staff’s rude demeanor (intended or not), ridiculous 9:30 curfew for a small group that could easily have stayed and paid a lot more, and markedly poor customer service experience overall will have this peasant (and those he was with) likely not returning to the magical kingdom of Chivana anytime soon.
T&D Rating: 2 tequlias (out of 5)
Hmmmm, I’m not sure I quite follow or agree with the ‘peasant-king’ analogy. Is it really so strange that people sometimes host a party at a bar or restaurant? And if I was hosting a *private* party, and paying to do so, I wouldn’t want strangers to then also be allowed in, no matter how small my party may be.
No doubt it was annoying not being able to have some drinks and having to move elsewhere, but putting this down to poor customer service seems a little harsh.
I hear you, ejtje, and I agree, it isn’t so strange to host a private party and to pay to do so. We’ve probably all done it (or been to something similar).
Why I (and we) were disappointed with Chivana came down to a few main points: 1) we were allowed in when we probably shouldn’t have been; and 2) received poor service because of it. In essence, we were reminded time and time again that we were not ‘welcome’ guests. My point…don’t allow your customers in if you don’t intend on treating them well.
Point well taken. I completely agree that they should have just told you they were closed for the evening.
What would have been above and beyond great service is if they’d offered you a complimentary drink or appy or something before you left… something like:
“We’re so sorry to have to ask you to go, but to show our appreciation that you came by, here’s a drink on us. Please keep Chivana in mind in future.”
That would have been nice instead of “Can I get you anything else before you leave?” (Especially the way she said it with her hands on her hips.. priceless!)
A little goes a long way.
If you were told you had to be out by 9:30 why would you go in? At least they gave you the option when you arrived instead of telling you to leave at the last minute. Have you ever hosted a party where you have paid (thousands of dollars) to have the place to yourself and other people have been allowed in as well? I agree the complimentary drink or appy would have been a nice touch but they did tell you before you went in.