Customer service at Chinese restaurants

[doudesuka]

They just forget who is sustaining their business, that's all there is to it! I just say your lucky to get a friendly foreign owned restaurant in the U.S. If you have no problem, that is great!
I think sometimes these people are straight immigrants that haven't been in the country long. And like Maciamo said before, they might of had a strong hard past and the culture is just different. But, I still say that if they want to succeed in their restuarnt with PR, they need to realize how to do business in America. I think some of them are just in America for buisness and don't really want to be part of the community.
Just my observation!

 

[doudesuka]

I think Vancouver . I know there is a giant asian community but I am not sure.

 

[Erik]

Originally posted by doudesuka
I think Vancouver . I know there is a giant asian community but I am not sure.

nah, I know San Fransisco's is bigger. Just because half the population seems to be asian in vancouver, doesn't mean their chinatown is the largest!!! =D

 

[jspecdan]

I think it's SF. There's also a possibility of Flushing Queens, NY.

 

[Gaki]

Chinese restaurants do have some rude staff ~ but this is how Chinese lifestyle is. You eat, you pay, you get out.

It's not always intentional that they are rude, but look at it from their view, they work throughout the day on their feet, running around from table to table taking orders ~ and taking your food to you.

The difference between Western and Chinese restaurants are that Western staff is more likely to have rotations of workers, whereas Chinese would only tend to use one set of staff.

Meaning much more stress for the individual who is serving you....

 

[Erik]

That doesn't excuse them for setting up shop in somewhere other than china. If I opened up a western resteraunt in japan, I would more than likely adapt to that of japanese culture to increase business.

 

[kirei_na_me]

That doesn't excuse them for setting up shop in somewhere other than china. If I opened up a western resteraunt in japan, I would more than likely adapt to that of japanese culture to increase business.

Exactly.

I think the Chinese--or just any business owners in general--here are very nice because this is a very small town(pop. 900 or so). Everybody knows everybody and that what will make or break a business here--if you're friendly or not.

 

[Dream Time]

sometimes when a Chinese do not smile at you,
it does not mean we do not want to treat you good,
it is just our culture,traditionally Chinese people do not smile that much to strangers.

if a Chinese speaks loud to you,
it could just be the Chinese isn't too well educated,
or have not been living in the country too long,
if you have noticed,the Chinese language sounds very loud,
if a Chinese do not speak much English,or do not always speak English,chances are the Chinese maybe shy or nervous to speak English to foreigners,when a Chinese speaks loud to you it does not always mean he is rude.

 

[Dream Time]

when a group of Chinese gather together,yes they do get noisy,
it is also because our culture is like that,they like to be loud like partying
(although I do not like to be noisy and I also hate it when a group of people gets so loud and it annoys me)

about customer service,
I do not like it too,I've also had some bad experiences in Chinese restaurants.
but most of the time,if they don't smile at you,they don't talk to you much other than asking what meal you want,
it is because..Chinese restaurants usually uses only one set of people,and Chinese stores/restaurants operates for very long hours,
if you have noticed,Chinese stores/restaurants rarely closes for holidays even if many other stores of foreigners closes,
we are like that,traditionally Chinese are very hardworking people,they work work work work work and that got themselves lots of stress

and please remember,
some of Chinese people working in foreigner places,
their families situation may not be too good,
especially if they are refugees,
like some people maybe working to collect money for their parents because they are very sick and needs medical care,ect....

 

[Dream Time]

I'll tell you guys some of my experiences
as I am Chinese,so of course I always go to Chinese restaurants.

this happened on my 11th birthday,
so my father took me to a small restaurant in Chinatown to eat something for lunch.
and I ordered some fried chicken wings,it tasted little bit weird but I didn't really notice it,my father tried and it found it was rottened,
so he told the service girl to call the owner to come out,
and they had a big argument,shouting loud,
caught the attention of all people in the restaurant.
the owner,about 40 to 50 years old,was very rude.
I was crying,hey you know I was just 11 years old.
they argued for quite long,
so here is just a short script of what they said

father : 'hey this is rotten stuff'
owner : 'oh maybe the cook took this from small corner of the refrige'
father : 'why are you guys using the rotten stuff?'
owner : 'well we didn't know it is rotten'
father : 'this is not good for my kid'
owner : 'this isn't harmful for your kid,see,he is still here and feeling alright'
father : 'how could you know it is not harmful to him?'
owner : 'what do you want then? do you want call an ambulence,take him to hospital and check?'
father : 'yes!'
owner : 'sure,call an ambulence then'
father : 'if there is anything wrong with my kid,I will sue you!!'
owner : 'go ahead!! sue me! you think I will be scared of you?? sue me if you want!!'
me : 'dad,we'll just leave!!'
father : 'leave? this guy never apologized!'
me : 'just leave!!'
so we just got up and started to walk to the door,
on the way,my father shouted to the owner 'watch it! if anything wrong with my kid,I will sue you!',the owner still replied 'go ahead,sue me!'
then we left the restaurant.

that guy ruined my birthday.

 

[Gaki]

Originally posted by Erik
That doesn't excuse them for setting up shop in somewhere other than china. If I opened up a western resteraunt in japan, I would more than likely adapt to that of japanese culture to increase business.

Well that's the difference between Chinese and Western culture, Chinese dont really like to compromise ~

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by Gaki
Chinese restaurants do have some rude staff ~ but this is how Chinese lifestyle is. You eat, you pay, you get out.

And then other service is exemplary. The owner of the most reputable Chinese restaurant where I live (fairly small midwestern USA) actually sits down with each customer individually, explains in detail each of the specialities (her own extraordinary recipes) and make recommendations for that evening. She also speaks fluent Japanese, though, which is my real interest in the place.

 

[Erik]

Dreamtime,


Chinatown downtown Vancouver is generally quite hardened in my opinion. I know it's very difficult to work there and especially with all the crack ****** and bums living so close to them always wandering into chinatown, but customer is not a crackwhore and shouldn't be treated like one. A good relationship to keep customers coming back is very important. Sorry to hear about your experience when you were 11 years old, but typically, that conversation is quite common in chinese shops. I was working for a chinese owned computer shop in Vancouver and I heard "I'll sue you" once a week. The week didn't seem right if someone didn't say "I'll sue you!" I always got lots of flak for being too nice to people... lol... I didn't waste time, I just made a little small talk while doing a transaction! I was top salesman because of it! But the owners didn't like my way of thinking. =)

speaking of chinatown, isn't there some festivel happening from the 4th to 7th of september? I read some ad about it but can't seem to find the ad again.

 

[budd]

"it is because..Chinese restaurants usually uses only one set of people,and Chinese stores/restaurants operates for very long hours,"
that is VERY true! just saw it at lunchtime (but the pineapple chicken was great as usual! still fantasizing about it...) at my favorite buffet establishment.
i went to a karaoke party a couple of weeks ago, just want to kick back and peep cute girls.
my friend's brother from vc canada said "oh, you ain't just gone sit here and chill! if you gone kick it with asians you got to eat and drink and sing karaoke! here's your beer!" [ref. "hard partying" comments]

 

[doudesuka]

Chinese are hardworkers, I agree!

The secret of more success in the restaurant business is friendly service!:

OOH! I hate to think how food is handled in the kitchen at that restaurant if the owner was not concerned or surprised. I wonder how many people contracted food posioning.

 

[Dream Time]

Originally posted by Erik
Dreamtime,


Chinatown downtown Vancouver is generally quite hardened in my opinion. I know it's very difficult to work there and especially with all the crack ****** and bums living so close to them always wandering into chinatown, but customer is not a crackwhore and shouldn't be treated like one. A good relationship to keep customers coming back is very important. Sorry to hear about your experience when you were 11 years old, but typically, that conversation is quite common in chinese shops. I was working for a chinese owned computer shop in Vancouver and I heard "I'll sue you" once a week. The week didn't seem right if someone didn't say "I'll sue you!" I always got lots of flak for being too nice to people... lol... I didn't waste time, I just made a little small talk while doing a transaction! I was top salesman because of it! But the owners didn't like my way of thinking. =)

speaking of chinatown, isn't there some festivel happening from the 4th to 7th of september? I read some ad about it but can't seem to find the ad again.

I think they will just have to learn,
especially for those who just immigrated from China (or Singapore or Malaysia) not long ago
it will take sometime to learn.
and,they are always busy so they might even not have the time to get into the mainstream community and learn how to treat people of other races properly,so again,it takes time.

I think most of the Chinese workers don't mean to be 'mean' to anyone,they are just busy and stressful so it might look like they are rude or something. but then,you know,I understand this since I am a Chinese myself,so if they don't smile or don't talk much to me,I won't be bothered much by that,just except if some workers that are just TOO RUDE and don't talk reasons like the restaurant owner I've mentioned above.

 

[Dream Time]

cultural differences, about 'tips'

this year's my birthday,
my family went to a Japanese restaurant,
so after we've finished eating,my brother paid the money,
he paid some extra dollars for tips,
but then the Japanese girl came and wanted to give him those extra dollars back,so my brother said 'no no,those are tips'
after the girl left, he said the girl was stupid for not knowing those are tips....

well,that night later,I talked to my friend and he told me that Japanese restaurants usually do not receive tips,or the customers put the tips into an envelop and give it to the person.

so I guess,these are cultural differences,
in Chinese culture,it is very common to give tips,to show the customer is 'rich' so he gets some 'face' (respect) from his friends and the workers of the restaurant.
but in Japanese culture,I guess they don't like to receive tips? because as I know,Japanese people are traditionally very honest and they don't like to get 'bonus'

if you go to Chinese restaurants
you decide whether you should give tips or not
if the workers treated you good and the food is good,probably give them some extra dollars,
but if the workers sucked and the food sucked,don't give any tips.

 

[Erik]

Well, I don't mind when they do not talk, I just don't like it when I do have a complaint and it is legitmate (ie: your story of the rotten beef) and they don't care.

 

[Dream Time]

I just hate it when they don't talk reasons
I mean..like using rotten stuff in a restaurant can be a very serious problem

and another time,like a year ago my birthday,
we went to a big Chinese restaurant in Metrotown (a big shopping mall in Vancouver)
and one of the dishes of food had some hair on it
(actually that dish of food looks like hair,it is some Chinese food called 'fat choi',but my brother found some hair on it)
so we asked the person to change it,
all the cook did was take away the hair and probably washed the food a bit and put it on another plate and gave to us
but we didn't eat it, of course.

but this time it didn't ruin my birthday
we had great time that day~

 

[Erik]

Originally posted by Dream Time
I just hate it when they don't talk reasons
I mean..like using rotten stuff in a restaurant can be a very serious problem

and another time,like a year ago my birthday,
we went to a big Chinese restaurant in Metrotown (a big shopping mall in Vancouver)
and one of the dishes of food had some hair on it
(actually that dish of food looks like hair,it is some Chinese food called 'fat choi',but my brother found some hair on it)
so we asked the person to change it,
all the cook did was take away the hair and probably washed the food a bit and put it on another plate and gave to us
but we didn't eat it, of course.

but this time it didn't ruin my birthday
we had great time that day~

I know that resteraunt you are talking about. I live in Vancouver too. The resteraunt you ate at, I worked right beside there. There is two twin office towers beside that resteraunt connected to the mall. I was working in one of them. Your talking about the resteraunt near starbucks eh? Lots of wedding parties are held there.

 

[Dream Time]

I am not sure if that restaurant is near Starbucks or not,since I never paid attention to it and I dislike Starbucks haha..

couple of years ago my father and I always go to that restaurant,but for a year or two we didn't go there,
until last year's my birthday,
I guess we will never go back to that restaurant again,it sucks

 

[doudesuka]

I had a stopover in Vancouver a little over a year ago. It looks like a nice place.

 

[Erik]

Originally posted by Dream Time
I am not sure if that restaurant is near Starbucks or not,since I never paid attention to it and I dislike Starbucks haha..

couple of years ago my father and I always go to that restaurant,but for a year or two we didn't go there,
until last year's my birthday,
I guess we will never go back to that restaurant again,it sucks

I really don't know of any really great chinese resteraunts in Vancouver... I heard they're all in Richmond if your looking for something good. But... I know this chinese resteraunt that's open all night until you run out of money! it's on kingsway... Me and my friends will go drinking there long after the hours of bars close! 7am, we were still drinking! only problem is, you have to share the place with some triads sometimes. Scary people!

 

[Dream Time]

Originally posted by Erik
I really don't know of any really great chinese resteraunts in Vancouver... I heard they're all in Richmond if your looking for something good. But... I know this chinese resteraunt that's open all night until you run out of money! it's on kingsway... Me and my friends will go drinking there long after the hours of bars close! 7am, we were still drinking! only problem is, you have to share the place with some triads sometimes. Scary people!

oh,Chinese restaurants are common places for the triads to gather,especially if the restaurant owner is a triad or a retired triad himself..
also,some Chinese triads go to restaurants and bars and stores in the areas where they 'control' and asks the owners to pay for 'protection fee',and if you don't pay the fee,they will come and ruin your place (Japanese triads in Japan also do this,by the way)
but I have never seen triads in Chinese restaurants


my friend from Macau (part of China,but was lent to the Portugese a hundred years ago and China just got the place back a few years ago,Macau is a place being famous for gambling and triads)
he was in a Chinese restaurant,and the table near him were a group of triads,maybe members of two triads,talking very loud,he said it is common to see triads in restaurants in Macau,they go to restaurants and 'talk',and very often,fight.

 

[Erik]

Originally posted by doudesuka
I had a stopover in Vancouver a little over a year ago. It looks like a nice place.

Vancouver? yeah, it's great here. Not too cold, not too hot. Lots of nature, mountains and oceans... Very big mix of cultures. here's a picture from my apartment... This picture doesn't do vancouver justice... but gives you an idea... If I wanna ski/snowboard, I'll goto whistler up in the mountains (this is where the winter olympics will be in 2010 Vancouver/Whistler). Victoria is about 1 hour away and it's probably one of the most scenic ferry rides... if you visit anywhere in canada, I recommend here. I sound like a travel brochure. =P