Restaurant operators might be surprised to learn the face behind those who ask to speak with the manager is probably not the one they expect. A five-year study from the Edge Hotel School at the University of Essex identified personality traits that drive customer complaints challenging commonly-held assumptions about the “Karen” stereotype.

After tracking nearly 1,000 meals using 100 volunteer restaurant diners, the findings revealed there is no link between age, gender, or income when it comes to complainers. Men complained no more or less than women, older diners no more or less than younger ones, and higher earners no more or less than lower earners, according to the data.

It Comes Down to Personality
“It became very clear that the driver behind complaint behaviour was not age, gender or income but specific personality traits of entitlement, redress (sense of right and wrong) and assertiveness all increasing likelihood of complaining and empathy reducing the likelihood,”said Dr. Adrian Martin, Head of School at Edge Hotel School. University of Essex.

Martin, who worked in restaurants and managed a hotel early in his career, couldn’t understand why different customers reacted so differently to the same service errors so he set about researching the answer. They identified three factors that reliably predict whether a customer will speak up if there is a problem while they are having a meal out:

Staff actions during the meal
The circumstances of the meal, whether it was a birthday or other special event
Customer personality type
When it came to the personality type, the customers who were most likely to complain were those who feel they need to right a wrong or unfairness, Dr. Martin explained. After this, came those with a sense of entitlement and assertiveness. In comparison, the research found empathetic diners were significantly less likely to become dissatisfied, and less likely to complain if they were.

How to Handle Mistakes
The study also measured how restaurants handled mistakes once they happened. It found that 40 percent of errors made by restaurants were never raised by customers, with diners choosing to stay silent. A further 45 percent of errors were mentioned by the customer and resolved well by front-line staff on the spot. The remainder escalated, either to management or into formal complaints.

“Restaurant staff that fix issues as they arise significantly reduce complaints, yet interviewing staff many admitted to ignoring faults,” said Dr. Martin, adding that some said If they know a table is not happy, they don’t go over to them and see if they just leave without mentioning anything.

The biggest thing an operator can do to reduce complaints is to get the welcome right, as data suggests making customers feel special on arrival was a significant reducer of the likelihood of complaining. It sets the initial direction of the visit and is hard to reverse if the welcome is poor.

Many errors go unmentioned because the customer’s personality is preventing them from raising it, the data found.

“We need to get better at proactively fixing problems and apologizing without the need for a complaint. Others built such a good connection the customer forgave the fault rather than raise it. Staff fixed so many issues without management ever being aware of it, but there’s still room to improve.

Managers need to know that they are only seeing the tip of the iceberg of the errors happening under their nose, he added.

“I think we need to get better at individualizing the experience of customers rather than being consistent,” said Dr. Martin. “Staff need to be emotionally intelligent enough to spot a timid customer for instance and seat them in a defensive position (in a booth, for instance) whereas an entitled customer likes to be in the middle of the restaurant. Redress customers enjoy being thanked for their complaint and told it will help us improve and others will benefit.”

Creating Guest Connections
Another part of the research involves tipping which also relates to empathy and building connections so there are real benefits to the staff if they spend time building a connection, according to the findings.

“That greet and seat and initial order is so much more important that many realize and can reduce problems later in the meal as customers start to forgive those little errors that a poor welcome might mean a complaint,” said Dr. Martin. “Fix the problem and take charge of the complaint. Saying ‘I know the food is a little slow tonight, so I am going to do this for you…’ is so reassuring to the customer and turns a negative to a positive.”

While the research was conducted in British restaurants, Dr. Martin believes that while there may be cultural differences, the overriding result that it is personality led not demographically is global.

“I also believe the staff connection and welcome is a key global improvement any restaurant can make. Your best friendliest staff member needs to be that person.”

Dr. Martin has a few ideas why “Karen” became the face of complaints.

“My working theory is that we are just more shocked when we see a female lose their temper when complaining and more accepting of it when it’s a man. This suggests stereotyping is affecting how we see things as the data does not concur with the modern ‘Karen phenomenon.”

Source https://modernrestaurantmanagement.com/exploding-the-karen-myth/