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| The new Paul store in Fez...getting off on the wrong foot |
For months Fez locals have been watching with keen anticipation building work progress on the new Paul boulangerie and patisserie in the Ville Nouvelle. It opened this week. So what is the verdict?
The exterior of the French franchise Paul looks very smart, and a lunch time crowd filled the outside tables. Inside is an extensive display case with a multitude of luscious looking cakes, baguettes and quiches with delicious fillings. However, according to a local identity, the service leaves a lot to be desired.
Our source visited Paul yesterday. After choosing her two sandwiches (39 dh), she was offered an upgrade to "Classic" specials, which included an additional cake and drink with each, for a total of 49 dh. She accepted, and the staff did a beautiful job of packaging the items.
It was when she reached the checkout the trouble began. The total bill came to more than that for two "Classic" specials. When the customer inquired as to the reason for the price increase - the price was prominently displayed on the wall behind the young woman serving - she was told she had chosen another type of special, which was more expensive, and that the type of sandwich she had selected was not offered with the "Classic".
However, there was no mention on the advertising poster that the "Classic" offer was restricted to any specific type of sandwich, and a staff member had offered it to her knowing the kind of sandwiches the customer had chosen.
Naturally the customer disputed the price increase. Instead of acknowledging their mistake, or offering her an alternative type of sandwich, staff refused to discuss it. They simply took away the items from the till, unpacked the boxes and returned the sandwiches and cakes to the display cabinet. So the Paul store lost the 98 dh sale, the customer her purchases, and - more importantly - any goodwill she had towards the new venture. She suggests you wait to visit until they have ironed out their customer service issues.
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5 comments:
Jasminka wrote: "Well that's not very customer friendly. No way to win customers but makes itself a bad name."
I also visited Paul and although the food was okay, the service was unfriendly. It was also more expensive than La Villa. I too will wait until they improve their service. Thank you for sharing. :)
Avant, du temps du bouche à l'oreille ou encore ce que l'on appelle le téléphone arabe, un client insatisfait ou mécontent signifiait 11 clients de perdus pour l'entreprise source du mécontentement. Aujourd'hui avec internet, le nombre de clients perdus est beaucoup plus important.
Les enseignes de ce type ne m'intéressent vraiment pas! Car rien ne vaut ce que je me prépare moi-même à la maison avec contrôle de tous les ingrédients. Je suis un peu de la vieille école mais je préfère savourer un bon tagine de veau qui n'est vraiment pas de la viande de cheval...
Bonne soirée!
I had a similar problem on opening day. Ordered the tea for 18 dirham, expensive in its own right. Then the bill comes for 32. Waiter was nice enough, but points out on his electronic menu that it's 32. I ask to see the menu, and point out that it's 18. Waiter goes and talks to his boss and comes back and scratches out the item, and I paid the original price.
Agree about La Villa.
It occurred to me some years ago that restaurants are not really a part of Moroccan culture. Almost all food is prepared and eaten within the context of home and family.
Your average Moroccan family does not go to a restaurant even if they can afford it, which most cannot.
Restaurants are for foreigners, the nouveau riche and the lunch crowd of the inner big cities.
So it does not at all surprise me that anything to do with the behavior and psychology of running a restaurant eludes many of those working in the industry. It's even worse when the food is mediocre on top of everything else!
I recommend learning how to cook as the best way to enjoy an exceptional meal. The best meals I have had outside my own kitchen have been simple lunches in the countryside with bread often different than the type one finds in a city and fresh barbecued brochette or kofte.
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