I went to a local pizza establishment to burn off some steam have a beer or two and then order a pizza to take home. So I placed the order for pizza and a beer and asked which table I could sit at well I had a couple beers and then took the pizza home. They promptly told me that I couldn’t do that. I looked out amongst the tables half of them were empty and I pointed at a table and asked why not that one. I was told because I ordered a Carry out pizza and that Carry out can’t sit at a dining table. I explained I didn’t wanna be difficult but was curious on why that was, the person checking me out stated that it was just their policy and he couldn’t do anything about it. If I was dining in then I could sit at the table but seems how I ordered a carry out pizza I couldn’t. I then asked what about the beer I’m drinking and they said technically that’s still not dining.
Baffled and confused I took my beer to the parking lot and drank it and waited for my pizza. clearly not a policy designed for a good customer experience. In fact hardly ever is there a policy that is designed for good customer experience. As a job I support restaurants with IT work, have many personal friends who work at or own restaurants and are surrounded by the hospitality industry. This clearly was an example of what not to do in the hospitality business unless of course your desire is to no longer have customers. Sugar River pizza N ew Glarus is normally a pretty good place to go to go. Pizza is amazing and I’ve always had good service before but this experience will definitely make me not wanna come back.
And now to wrap this Cruelladaville customer experience. I wrote the first two paragraphs waiting for my pizza. The young man, maybe 22 delivered the pizza about 20-25 minutes later as I was drinking my beer in the parking lot. He hands me my pizza, then grabs my half drunken beer at the mouth piece (During Covid). I tell him I wasn’t done driving the beer. He says “Oh sorry” and hands it back to me. Of course I tell him I no longer want to drink the beer. We go on with this in closing small talk where I bring up customer experience and how important that a good customer experience should drive policy. He tells me that with out policy you cant run a business. He’s 22 and this may be his first job ever, and he lays on me “Have you ever owned a business”. At that point I new that there was no way he would be able ti listen or have a conversation. He had his opinion and that was the narrative. I let him know we are done and walked away.
So before I showed up I loved Sugar River Pizza, after the order, I still loved the pizza, and felt maybe I just ran into a bad egg who didn’t understand how to create a following. By the end, I have no desire to ever go back, and will share my story with everyone I can. True this is probably not the norm, but I believe it will become the normal for Sugar River Pizza as someone there is pounding the policy drum much louder than the customer experience drum.