The complaint that bankrupted a café

Hi,

Last month, a family-run café in Milan closed after 40 years. The final straw? A scathing review about their "rude staff and cold coffee" that went viral on social media.

But here's what's haunting: six months earlier, three different customers had left similar feedback about staff attitude and coffee temperature. The owners dismissed them as "difficult customers."

Those early complaints weren't attacks—they were free consulting. Each unhappy customer represents 26 others who felt the same but never spoke up. That's potentially 78 lost customers who simply stopped coming.

The café owners spent €2,000 on new equipment and €1,500 on marketing in their final months. But they never invested €200 in staff training or asked themselves why multiple customers mentioned the same issues.

Customer voices aren't just feedback—they're your business radar, detecting problems before they become crises. The most successful cafés don't just serve good coffee; they listen to the stories their customers are telling them

Kind regards,

George

Customer Experience Consultant

P.S - These letters, stats and stories aren't some magic one-size-fits-all solution. But they will definitely help your thoughts to understand your customer from different perspectives.

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