We are facing a new chapter in the history of catering and hospitality. A phenomenon that has been ingrained in England, especially London, for far too long.
Since the advent of trip Advisor, the customer is no longer always right. The phenomenon resulting from trip Advisor has caused restaurateurs and hoteliers to submit to the blackmail of customers. If you don’t give me this, if you charge me this I will put the negative review on trip Advisor. The system that anyone can write negative reviews of a certain place even if they have never been there inevitably leads to ruin. And this is where the 2.0 guest is born.
Guest 2.0
About the guest that we will talk about is the type of contemporary guest, the one who insists on going to luxury places, even if his wallet is empty. The one who prefers to eat in a luxury restaurant to put photos on social media and then not be able to pay the house bills or be left behind with the rent.
The guest is no longer what they used to be, the 2.0 guest complains if the bread is paid. I’ll tell you a guest 2.0 secret, you pay for bread. Extra side dishes are paid for. Do not ask for a bottle of still water if, looking at the price, you tell me that you preferred tap water.
Nowadays, restaurateurs and hoteliers are more concerned about receiving negative reviews than looking at the actual budget or the service itself. They feel enslaved by the words of the customers, and even though they know that customer 2.0 is lying to get something for free, they give in to blackmail. Because the 2.0 guest knows that something is always achieved with a complaint email. This is all frustrating.
Why there is a shortage of staff ?
Companies are fed up, saddened by having to deal with the 2.0 customer every day. This is no longer catering it is a battle. In a historical period like this where the hospitality crisis is still an open wound, after Brexit and the Covid19 pandemic, people, workers are no longer willing to put up with arrogance, rudeness and impossible complaints.
All this leads to internal frustration and a lack of passion for the hospitality work, also given by having to endure all this for a low salary. Major hotels and restaurants in London in 2022 are struggling to find people with skills and passion. The reason comes from the fact that if you want me to have to undergo guest 2.0 you pay me, and you pay me well. Why do I have to go through it, you give everything to him for free and what remains to me? Bitter liver, broken legs and an empty wallet.
