10/1/2013
In business circles I've heard the addage that 80% of business comes from 20% of customers, and is essential for any business to survive. One would imagine that the reason 20% of those customers are "loyal" is because of Great service, value for money (especially for unique products), and convenience, as well as some other factors.
Unfortunately for Dan and Andy's Hawthorne Garage, as of 9:05am on this fine Thursday morning, they did not pass the first test of customer service. We arrived at about 9am, keen on sampling some coffee and a little breakfast. The store looked immaculate, and we walked towards the coffee making area of the store, eyeballing the several of the bagels, quiches, and rolls on display. Stood around for about 30 seconds looking at these items, then we stepped over to their outdoor seating area, checking if there were any breakfast items listed on the blackboard. A few people with their coffees were sitting outside enjoying the morning sunshine. We hoped to be one of them soon enough. There weren't too many customers at all this time of the morning, inside and outside. Stepped back inside again to inspect what we could order, standing around for a few minutes. We observed that there were about 5 staff members behind the counter.
At this point we decided to seek an alternative. Even as we started to walk away, other staff members on the aisles seemed oblivious. Perhaps 9am is still too early, and they could be excused for being half asleep. The biggest issue for us, and most telling from the experience was the lack of greeting and a simple hello from anyone. Additionally, once we were obviously standing around, contemplating choices, the staff members behind the counter (one was making coffee), had no inkling (or desire?) to ask if we needed any assistance. It's a shame, because Dan and Andy's Hawthorne Garage is quite unique; the site itself was originally an auto-mechanic garage. They have a range of good gourmet products on offer, organic and gluten free options, as well as a clean and easy-to-navigate store layout.
As a rule of thumb people will pay a little more for unique products (the store is a little expensive), and if the store has that "something" different to offer. But regardless, customer service is paramount for most. I strongly believe that service underscores one's overall experience, and the underlying factor why any customer would ever come back to a business and hence provide that business their Raison d'être.
Our previous experience of Dan and Andy's Hawthorne Garage within the last year, when we've had to purchase some grocery items was quite good, and we were impressed with the store's overall presentation, products, convenient parking and operating hours. So it is only based on that experience that we are inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt this time around and hope that they can improve. read more