The closure of popular Auckland restaurant Gypsy Caravan shows there are risks to giving in to an outraged customer.
The owners closed the restaurant following a complaint about a manager’s behaviour toward a diabetic patron. The outrage on social media, gleefully reported in news media, eventually sparked a complaint to the Human Rights Commission.
The reason for closure was that staff no longer wanted to work there.
Having been publicly admonished by the owners and forced to write an apology letter, the manager resigned. These actions appear to have had a chilling effect on staff. The tight-knit hospitality community shunned the restaurant, resulting in a staffing crisis that the owner admitted was a “huge disaster for us”.
This is evidence that giving in to those who have no interest in your success is a risky business.
Comments