The case of the offensive pastry

Today I had a positive customer service experience. I was at a Laurent Patisserie where I ordered a pain au chocolat to have with my cafe latte (there's nothing like a healthy breakfast, is there?)

Taking a bite from one end (luckily a small one) I found it was tough and chewy rather than light and flaky. I attracted the attention of a staff-member and quietly explained the problem. I find it bad manners as a customer to be extra-loud in complaining, unless you've been given the brush-off in which case you're left with little choice.

The staff member apologised and whisked the offensive pastry away. She was new, so she offered me a replacement, which I declined (being a bit put-off) and then she vaguely wondered, "did I want my money back?" I said, "No, that's fine, I just thought you should know." I only declined because I didn't feel up to fighting for a couple of dollars.

I continued to sip my latte while the staff member took the pastry to the manager. A low voiced discussion ensued. The staff member returned with my money and said, "Really, we have to return your money" she apologised again and explained that the problem seemed to be that the pastries had not risen properly during baking, so although they were inedible, I was in no danger. All the pain au chocolat was being pulled from sale, and a complaint would be registered with the central bakery.

I was impressed, and even more so when I saw the staff look around the cafe and discover another customer about to eat a pain au chocolat which had been served moments before I made the complaint. They rushed out and stopped the customer, who happily enough chose a different pastry.

I did wonder how the inadequate pastry had slipped through. I have never had a bad baked-goods experience at a Laurent. It appears to be a problem of success, the staff are so used to making and selling a good product, that they missed the subtle signs that there was a problem.

Did the baker not notice? There was nothing egregiously bad about the appearance of the pastry, but the sales staff later assured me it was "undersized" probably because it had not risen properly. I wonder if it is protocol to actually taste-test one of each "batch" of product, and the protocol was not done, or if they just eyeball the goods.

Then there's Gordon Ramsay's dictum, that if you wouldn't want to eat it, don't serve it. I wondered how the staff at the cafe had failed to notice a problem while putting the pastries out when they opened, and it was the same thing. Probably they start out being very careful to check, but after weeks - months? - of problem-free pastry, complacency kicks in, and no doubt waistlines kick out offering a double disincentive.

Good work overall, Laurent. I was respected as a customer, and left feeling that you care about the quality of your product. It is true that a well-resolved customer complaint can leave the customer more loyal than before. There's food for thought in that, eh Watson?

This is post 48 of 100 posts in 100 days.