My husband and I had Valentine’s dinner at B.Smith’s restaurant at Union Station in DC. We decided not to drive, but ordered a taxi instead. Our goal was to be catered to for the entire evening.

There was much anticipation. After all, my first official date with my husband was in a branch of the restaurant in downtown New York. And in DC, we have eaten at the Union Station location many times.

We arrived at about 8:45 p.m. for our 8:30 p.m. reservation (the cab was delayed due to snow still on the ground) and were greeted by friendly, very professional staff who informed us that they were just seating their 8:00 reservations. Did I hear that right? It was 8:45 and they were just seating their 8:00 reservations?

My stomach dropped. And I believe that it showed on my facial expression, as they seated my husband and me right away. Two thumbs up for transparency!

The dinner was to consist of 4 courses and we were able to order immediately, pretty much. It was Valentines Day so yes, the place was busy and yes every member of the staff was running back and forth.

Be that as it may, the wait between our second and third course was a good 45 minutes. Not good. Because the wait was so abnormally long, I expected the waiter to check in on us or even offer an apology.

I won’t allow that one event to change my positive perception of the restaurant. Every business is entitled and expected to sometimes show that they are imperfect.

What I will say is this. I own a house cleaning business. There are times when employees are delayed in showing up to homes. What I do is ensure that they have copies of the telephone numbers of clients so that if there is a problem, either seen or unforeseen, they know to call and let the clients know what’s going on. At all times, the clients’ minds should be at ease.

Nothing beats great customer service. It is the backbone of any successful business. No client or customer should ever be left hanging, wondering what’s going on. Every problem should be anticipated. For example, at the restaurant, they clearly knew that they had over-booked so there should have been the anticipation of delays and employees should have been given some type of guidance in dealing with the issue—in terms of soothing customers who had clearly made reservations.

Will I visit the restaurant again? Absolutely! They are incredible overall and the food is fantastic. But the lesson I take away as a business owner is to always be mindful of my clients. Keep them happy. Keep them informed. Anticipate potential setbacks and challenges. And have a script ready for employees in how to deal with the issue(s).

Photo credit: KJerringa1