One of the biggest mistakes I see hospitality businesses making is being too concerned about everyone liking them.
To be honest it is something I am equally guilty of and it takes great discipline to remind myself to step away from perceived criticism.
The thing is if we design businesses for everyone to like then we need to constantly compromise and if we do that then what would be left to love about our businesses?
The problem that hospitality business owners have is that they fell in love with this industry because they wanted to make other people happy, they wanted to create a place where other people come to relax to feel safe, to have a good time and to create memories.
So a bad review is devastating, the idea that someone was disappointed or unhappy was not what any of us got up in the morning for.
But the problem with this is that in a hospitality business anyone can walk into your venue.
The general public will wander in for a drink or something to eat and expect you to be a pub or a restaurant or a coffee shop and they will have a very clear idea in their head how that should look and feel.
But everyone has different tastes, what one person likes is different to the next, where one person feels a sense of belonging is different to another person.
When you get a bad review sometimes it is just because you were not the right fit for that guest and what is not often enough said is sorry ‘it just wasn’t for you’.
‘If you try to attract everyone you will attract no one’
Your business needs to have a clear identity, a place that feels right to your ideal customers, those who do choose you and those who become your community and tribe.
If you are getting it right for them then the odd person who stumbles into your venue and doesn’t ‘get it’ needs not be your concern.
But to be told that you are wrong stings and this is where hospitality businesses go wrong.
What they need to do is to step away from the criticism and decide who is actually complaining.
If it is a member of your ‘tribe’ someone who you would identify as your ideal customer, then you do need to question what happened to lead them to be disappointed because a customer of this type will only be complaining because they really want to help you.
Most of these customers don’t complain publicly, they are on your side and they will tell you when there have been mistakes or when things could have been better because they want you to be able to improve and fix things they want you to succeed.
Alternatively, it is a customer who doesn’t ‘get’ you and therefore their disappointment is actually a misalignment between their own expectations and your business.
There is not much you can do here; it was them that made the mistake not you. They accidently mistook you for something else, one of the places that they belong and fit in.
If you respond to these complaint by trying to fix whatever perceived problem they raise then all you will do is erode your own purpose and damage the identity of your business for those ideal customers who are part of your tribe. These customers rarely tell you to your face, they are public complainers which is itself a form of shaming. My advice is to not rise to it.
If you know what your business is and you know who your customers are and you really understand them so that all aspects of your business have been designed to deliver a perfect experience to them then stand your ground, be confident and don’t let others undermine you.
If in doubt take some time, step back. If you decide later that you should respond then I wrote a whole other article on how and what to say.
But what you need to remember is that not everyone will like your business and that is OK. Stop trying to please everyone, trust yourself and your decisions and know that there is a whole tribe of people out there who love what you do, they are the ones who deserve your attention… keep doing what you do well.
