You Found An Insect in Your Coffee—What Should You Do? An F&B Veteran Gives Advice

(SPOT.ph) In this age of cancel culture, it's no longer unusual to see a social media post recounting someone's unfortunate experience in a food and beverage establishment. The latest of this series is one that's going viral as we speak: a customer saying he found some insect in his order. He raised the complaint to the restaurant's staff, only to be told a manager wasn't around to address the matter. Days pass and the customer claims no one has reached out to him from the allegedly erring establishment. Which is why the customer took to social media to air his grievances. Which is why you're reading about it now.

It's not the first time you've heard of an issue such as this exploding on the internet—a situation that could likely cause harm to someone's job or business, and could most likely have been avoided if people had played their roles right (and if our default response to a surprising misfortune is humility and empathy).

Cockroach in Your Drink? Here's What Edward Bugia Says Should Happen

But humans are not perfect. Otherwise, we wouldn't be bothering noted chef and restaurateur (of Mimi & Bros. and Alabang fave Bean & Yolk) Edward Bugia from performing the day's kitchen duties only so we could ask him: What would be the best response to a situation such as being made to wait for an inexplicable amount of time for one's steak, or being served a cold soup (when it's meant to be hot), or being rudely treated by a waitstaff, or finding something gross in one's dessert? 

Chef Ed, whose experience in the F&B industry started in the mid-2000s, believes that for establishments receiving such complaints, management response in the first 24 hours is what is most crucial. "Apologize immediately," he says. "Show the customer you have empathy. Being human being doesn't need any escalation to upper management. Ask what you can offer immediately (replace, refund, give compensation) and for customer servicing after (offer meds, a thorough investigation)."

And what can he tell customers? Chef Ed says there's absolutely no way to completely avoid such unfortunate circumstances from happening to one's food— the safest way is for the customer himself to prepare the food on his own. But for those who frequently dine out or buy consumable products from shops (e.g. supermarkets), the chef advises, when misfortune lands on their lap: "Be as thorough as possible. Explain the situation. Document everything. Be aware that this incident could have been 100% an accident, but make sure to let the establishment know ASAP."

Lesson to learn in the aftermath: "Customer is always king"

Dining establishments have always been extra susceptible to pest-related complaints—among many others such as "bad customer service." Which brings Chef Ed to bring up an oft-repeated saying: The Customer Is Always Right. "This is wrong," he tells us.

"They aren't always right. However, 'The Customer is always KING.'" He says businesses should always treat customers with respect. "[They] actually took the time, money, and effort to patronize your establishment. [Respect to customers] is of utmost importance and ingrained in every employee training manual."

As of this writing, the establishment has not released an official statement regarding the now viral complaint. SPOT.ph has reached out to them regarding the matter and we're awaiting their response.

How to File Complaint With DTI

Now, if you're at your wits end as a customer, you can always turn to the government; at the very least, file a complaint so there's a record. No need to go down the blotter route, but you can call on the DTI. They handle complaints on all sorts, from defective products to yes, food in restaurants. Fingers crossed you never find an insect in yours. 

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, a complainant can formally address their concern through their national or provincial offices via their email address: consumercare@dti.gov.ph. Note that there is a complaint form that needs to be filled out before addressing the director of the organization. Visit the website of the Department of Trade and Industry to learn more about consumer rights.

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