This review is based solely on the lack of customer service.
My husband and I are both retired, and we love the new craft beer establishments in South FL, with the Food Truck trade being a positive enhancement to those establishments. We are on the older end of their marketing spectrum, but our expectations are based on personal experience. My husband was a decorated military officer and former commercial pilot, and I was a CPA working with advertising companies specializing in shopper marketing, so we have both worked as the creators of customer experience, and now we are the consumer.
Tonight at 5pm, after my husband returned from a Veterans meeting, we went to BOM for a beer and sandwich. When we arrived, the CE food truck was appropriately parked in the Food Truck area. The lights were on, and the service windows were open. The marquee was on displayed in front of the truck.
We entered and sat at the bar where the CE menus were on display both at the bar at several intervals, and on the tables. We ordered a beer, looked at the menu, and within 5 min of arriving, I went into the parking lot to place my order. "Sorry," I was informed,"We are closed!" Really? Seriously?
"Here's 4 pieces of bacon", said a person who led me to believe he was the owner. He then went into a diatribe about how hard he works. His reaction was not about the consumer and it was not about service.
We have eaten at the Cheffrey truck several times in two different locations, and enjoyed each time, until today. Which leads me to our review.
Let's take a few steps back here, and talk about sustainability. There are dozens of food trucks in South FL. Most offer great to outstanding food, and the playing field and baseline are pretty level. The asset expenditures are the kitchens, trucks and the food inventory, which I imagine, are highly leveraged.
Assuming that profit margins are low, and the entrepreneur expectations are high, it is my guess that owners either (1) hope to increase revenue via expansion, or (2) create a brand eventually open for franchise.
But in order to achieve either given food truck competition, you need to create brand recognition, offer outstanding service, and create brand loyalty where each patron is equally important.
May I preface this by saying that we are not one of those patrons looking for a freebie, and we are good tippers. But how could have Cheffery Eats better handled this situation? (a) When you are closed, you shut the windows and doors to the truck. You put up a "closed" sign. You collect the menus from inside the establishment. You bring the marquee inside the truck, for starters. You remove all indicators that show that you ARE in business. (I do not need to hear that you made an announcement 40 minutes prior to our arrival. If we knew you were closed, we would have hopped back in our car to go to a different location.)
(b) Have available a "make good" coupon for a BOGO, or a couple dollars off your next visit, due to closing early, or for when the customer is disappointed for some reason. NOW you have created customer loyalty, and you have ensured that your "market" will return for a repeat visit.
Who is going to survive in the Truck Food Wars? Saturation point is getting close. Most food is spectacular. How do you distinguish yourself from the others? Answer- Customer Service. Truck owners- please pay attention to your consumer. (Look at Tim S's 4 star rating. What could have made it a 5 stars?) This is your future. read more