Had a really odd experience at Studfield Charcoal Chicken at 11.15 am today - Thursday 16 July, 2015. Had been there mid. last year. Was in the area, after having been past the shop many times. The young guy who served me that weekday afternoon was excellent - top service, and the chicken was delicious. As commitments took me back to that area today, I was looking forward to their food again.
The server was an older gentleman this time - perhaps late forties, solid build, dark hair. My first impression of him was that he was having a bad day - he seemed to want to be anywhere other than the chicken shop. I asked how much a quarter chicken and chips was. He told me $7.50. I said - May I please have chips and that leg please; pointing to a very well done (my preference) chicken. I'm not sure if he rolled his eyes, but his mood, which was already low, seemed to drop. He turned away from me, did something with the food at the back, then said "next customer". I thought this was odd - abrupt, as I didn't think he had properly finished with me. Still, after a while, he returned to the chickens and started to cut one up. I said - if that's mine, I wanted that leg thanks, to which he said - they're all the same. I said - they're not all the same; that one's much darker. He said - you don't get to pick the chickens, so I asked if I should spend my money elsewhere. Before I left, I mentioned I'd be happy to eat there if he'd sell me the product I'd picked out at the start. He said - no; spend you're money elsewhere.
!?
At all times I remained calm and polite.
I could kind of understand his position - you don't get to pick the chicken, if someone had ordered a quarter chicken just before me - if there was one already in pieces. However, there wasn't. When I arrived, all the chickens were whole - he was going to have to cut a whole one up anyway, so it was no skin off his nose to cut up the well done one rather than a medium one.
I tried to find their e-mail address - so I could write to them privately about this, but they don't seem to have one. Perhaps the guy who served me - given it was a weekday, during business hours, was the owner. If not, if I was the owner, I'd certainly want this matter brought to my attention. A good attitude and reasonable customer service cost nothing, and are increasingly important in this "moving away from bricks and mortar" shopping era.
I had planned on visiting Studfield Charcoal Chicken multiple times between now and August 6. read more