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In April I wrote a blog called Bad Business at Greensboro's Bistro Sofia, and it referenced a blog post by a woman named Sarah Jones in Greensboro who had a negative experience at Bistro Sofia which included some alleged anti-semitic comments by a waiter and a bunch of other stuff. My main point in writing the post was that it was amazing how the woman's story spread thanks to her blog and the fact that it was noticed by a prominent blogger named Ed Cone and then picked up by at least one other blogger in another town in the region (that would be me). I also pointed out that since Google loves blogs my post might get a high ranking for the search term "Bistro Sofia." Sure enough a month later that post now comes up third with that keyword. Which is why I eventually came to the attention of Kerrie Thomas, the restaurant's general manager. He left a comment on the post and that started a very good email correspondence between us.
Long story short I was not at the restaurant and I don't know which version of the story is most accurate, but I wanted to say that Kerrie has made a very smart business move by addressing the issue (not wishing it away) and his correspondence with me has been very professional and, I think, forthright. Kerrie wrote a letter to me explaining their stance on this issue and I am posting it below with his permission. I think it offers a good lesson in modern PR for any small business.
I'd also like to say I've learned a valuable lesson myself. Sometimes I feel that I'm writing this only for my own entertainment and for an audience of a few friends and family. The truth is that I never know who's reading and I have to be careful how I write. After the correspondence with Kerrie I realized that I neglected to say that the events described were alleged to have happened. Ed Cone, who is a professional journalist, didn't make that mistake and I consider it a valuable lesson learned.
So without further ado here's Kerrie's letter. I think it's worth the read:
To Mr. Jon Lowder:
From Kerrie Thomas
As briefly as possible I’d like too address the issues raised in the blog you reference on your sight. I feel it is critical to note that the story we know is in stark contrast to the one we read.
First, the remark made to the couple by their server (and it is our contention that the exact words of the exchange were quite different than what has been asserted) was, regardless, poorly chosen and unfortunate. Their server, even as he recounted the details of their evening, was unaware that he had in any way offended them and most certainly hadn’t intended to come across in such a way as to do so.
It is also important to note that when the remark was brought to my attention by Mrs. Jones that evening (when she called in reference to the charge amount) and I asked her what he said that might have been “off color”, she said that it was a conversation for another day. I immediately apologized for whatever it might have been and promised to speak to their server, Joshua, about it at the end of the evening. I also asked if we had taken care of her otherwise, to which she responded that the food was wonderful and everyone was really great (or something to that effect).
When Mrs. Jones emailed the owner, Beth Kizhnerman, the following morning and we were apprised of what she thought Joshua had said, along with several pages detailing her entire experience from the moment she walked in, Beth responded with a written apology. She assured her it was a misunderstanding, Joshua was truly sorry and that he felt awful about it.
Second is the issue regarding the charge amount. When processing the Jones’s card, Joshua hastily and unwittingly added an extra digit to the amount. When it was brought to his attention, he apologized, immediately adjusted the transaction to the correct amount. Then, he informed the Jones’s that if they view their account online, the original “charge” will show up as an authorization amount but will disappear after a couple of days. Also, if the hold on the account might cause any problems (the bank will treat that electronic contact from our processor as a hold regardless of it being adjusted on our end) she should call them, the bank will then call us and it will be eliminated. It was obviously an honest mistake and he instructed them on how to properly take care of it were it to become a problem.
When Mrs. Jones called soon after their departure that same evening, I was as yet unaware of anything going awry at her table and thought we had a good rapport through the evening. She said that they enjoyed their meal but didn’t think it was worth the $1200.00 that she was viewing online in her account. Well, of course not. I assured her that we certainly would not process her card for that amount and it would be taken care of (not knowing it had already been adjusted). She said it was a debit card and would cause all sorts of problems. Therefore, I said she would have to call the bank to have it cleared from her account (because it isn’t possible for me to discuss her account with the bank). I also said, reassuring her, that if in fact she had any problems, incurred any charges or fees whatsoever; we would completely take care of them. (Conveniently absent from her story). I’m also sure that I apologized for the error. A few minutes later the bank called to confirm the error and the authorization amount was cleared.
I did follow up with Joshua at the end of the shift and asked him to recount exactly everything he said to the table. It was not in a threatening way and he had no reason to not speak truthfully to me, especially since he had no idea what “off color” remark he might have said. In the recounting, yes, I realized what she would have been taken aback by regarding their exchange and I let him know then that it could easily have been misconstrued. It was careless and he needed to apologize. I told him that when we invite them back in, he would be taking care of them and buying them dinner. To which he said, of course, he would be glad to.
I made a note to call her back the next day to follow up on what she had said about an “off-color” remark. That call, of course, was preempted by the lengthy morning email Mrs. Jones sent to Beth.
The incongruity of the story is so striking because her version is hyperbolic. A wonderful experience/a horrible experience. Characterizations of our attitudes or about any pretension are just nonsense. Yes, errors were made by us, they were apologized for multiple times and they were fixed. Beth apologized to Mrs. Jones in response to her email because Mrs. Jones sent the email to her personally. There is no higher authority to apologize to her than the owner. Mrs. Jones at that time seemed satisfied with the response from Beth and if she wasn’t, she most certainly could have told us otherwise.
Beth and I have both since emailed Mrs. Jones personally regarding her disseminating the story. She has yet to respond, save to say on her blog that she received a couple of “ugly emails” from Bistro Sofia. That is neither a fair nor accurate characterization of them but, once again, good storytelling. We noted in the posts to Mrs. Jones’s blog many hateful, inflammatory remarks about our restaurant by people who don’t even know us and similarly disparaging remarks in subsequent broadcast emails by folks referencing the blog. An alarming bit of brouhaha over a single dining experience, especially considering the unadorned story and the many apologies made to Mrs. Jones. We are nothing like the picture she paints; it’s a shame that she doesn’t recognize it.
Since you were referencing it in your blog we thought you should know this.
We’re an independent, hard working, conscientious, honest, caring group of people (and anyone familiar with the restaurant is well aware of it). And, ironically, the restaurant is Jewish owned. We can’t speculate on Mrs. Jones’s motivation but we hope she will reconsider keeping that entry on her blog.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for allowing me to write you.
Kind regards,
Kerrie Thomas
General Manager
Bistro Sofia
Postscript: It might be important to note that Mrs. Jones says that while checking her account later she thought we didn’t charge her at all and then a couple of days later we did. In fact, nothing else was done regarding the charge after my conversation with her and the bank the night she was in. It was normal bank processing after that.
