Bad customer service contributes to closure of resto, bars
Iloilo City -- The attitude of Ilonggos towards food and bad customer service offered are the underlying factors that contribute to the closure of several restaurants in the city.
Southeast Asia Food Inc. distributor Eugene Sunio said the Ilonggos are 'regionalistic' when it comes to food. It is the character of the Ilonggos that contribute to the down fall of some restaurants here, he said.
Sunio said Ilonggos love to eat certain kinds of food but after three to six months they get bored of the taste and wants something new.
He said, the Ilonggos' liking for food becomes a 'fad.'
He cited the case of Sunburst, a high-end chicken restaurant, which have captured the taste of Ilonggos. It first opened branches in Iligan, Cagayan, Cebu and later to Iloilo. Since they opened, people started to patronize them, Sunio observed.
He made his assessment in yesterday's press conference relative to the upcoming 2nd Visayas Food Conference which will focus on sustaining the fast food, restaurant, bars and catering business.
The two-day conference will be on December 2 until December 3 at the Amigo Terrace Hotel.
The conference is a project of the University of the Philippines Food Technologists Alumni Association (UPVFTAA), Junior Chamber International Philippines-Metro Iloilo Dinagyang Jaycees and UPV School Technology. The Southeast Food Distributor Inc. is the major sponsor of the conference.
The forthcoming conference will showcase different Ilonggo products in an exhibit. They will also present methods, techniques and practices on how to sustain the fast food, restaurant, bar and catering business. It also hopes to enhance appreciation of the best practices in food preparation.
Sunio said getting into the food business is very challenging and lucrative. It is also a trial and error on the part of the owners. They should always come up with new ideas to cater to the taste of their customers.
He also said the bad customer service rendered by waiters also becomes a reason for the closure of the establishment. They (waiters) are not receiving enough for their job but it is still a better job. It is still a decent job.
Sunio added that 'padding' or cheating of customers particularly on bars should also be stopped. Better auditing of merchandise and products should also be imposed by resto and bar owners.