Hot dog cart customer service. It's important, and just because your business is mobile, seasonal, part-time, or whatever, that doesn't mean people don't expect great service.

Customer Service – Good for Business

So nobody likes hearing customer complaints. It can make you angry and ruin your day if you let it. But how you respond to a customer complaint can make a huge difference in your business. Take this example from my own experience as a hot dog vendor…

A customer brought back an order of six hot dogs, claiming they were cold. Now I don't know how long he'd had them in that bag before he decided to come and complain. My first instinct was to fire off some sarcastic remark. But I resisted that urge and asked him for a moment to finish serving the customers I was working with.

Then I took him aside and apologized for the cold hot dogs. I looked in the bag and saw the six dogs he was holding. I did the math on how much he'd paid for those (it was $2/dog at the time)… I said ok, six dogs, that's $12. And I pulled out a $20 as a refund and gave it to him. He took it and walked away.

The next day, he was back in my line. I thought he might try to get some more refund money out of me, but he came up and ordered again. This time, I said no problem. This order's on the house because I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. He seemed surprised, mumbled a bit, and said thank you! Then he took his food and left.

I used those opportunities — which could have turned out much differently if I had gotten angry and said the sarcastic things that popped into my head at first — to make a great impression on a customer.

Sure, it took some restraint and patience to deal with the situation. But think about what would have happened if I'd been angry and mean. I could have refused to give him a refund, argued with him, and made a scene. I might have kept a few more dollars, but I would have lost him as a customer, and probably other people who were watching.

Instead, I made a great impression, and he came back.

Make a great impression and you will gain more in the long run. Remember, you're in this business to make people happy. Take every opportunity to do that and you will enjoy the work more, and so will your customers!