Bowling Green State University

Service Recovery from Hot Head Burritos That Exceeded My Expectations

J___ M_______

MKT 4050

Dr. Dwayne Gremler

7 December 18

Note: Class concepts will only be bolded once even though many are repeated.

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Introduction:

A Brief Description

One afternoon in October, I decided that I wanted to stop at Hot Head Burritos for lunch.
When I got to the restaurant, they were completely out of steak and I was informed that the
chicken was cooking and would take fifteen minutes. I decided to wait. During my wait, I was
not offered anything, the employees ignored me, and once I finally got my chicken burrito, the
chicken was cut into huge, unmanageable chunks, and a few pieces of my chicken were raw. I
was disappointed with the service I received during my visit and even more angered when I got
home and realized my food was undercooked. This negative service encounter made me
question the company’s reliability and ability to perform their service.

Resolution Being Sought

When I wrote my complaint letter I wanted the firm to apologize and take responsibility
for their actions. I hoped the firm would express empathy, and give me the attention I deserved.
I am a loyal customer to the restaurant so I have a high lifetime value. I had high expectations
for a service recovery after the service failure that I received. Secondly, I wanted the company
to offer me a coupon or some type of incentive to persuade me to come back. After being treated
so poorly by the staff at the restaurant, I also wanted the company to make an effort in retraining
the staff or at least discipline them in some way.

What I Expected the Firm to do and How Quickly I Expected a Response

I expected Hot Head Burritos to fulfill all of my requests, and to treat me with respect. As
stated earlier, I am a regular customer to Hot Head Burritos. Therefore, I believe that I deserved
to be treated with the highest quality and understanding. I wanted to be delighted by the
company. I contacted the owner of the Perrysburg location directly so I expected a response by
the end of the month. Additionally, since I contacted the owner, I wanted to hear back from the
owner, and not a third party.

Firm’s Response:

Description of Response
I sent my letter of complaint on October 6 . A few days later I got an email response on
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October 15 . The response I received was amazing. The response was four long paragraphs,
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apologizing, and explaining why I might have received poor service that day. I was unaware that
the owner I contacted was no longer the current owner. Just recently a gentleman named Ross
Wiley and his wife purchased the store and were still working on getting things perfected. After
reading this, I was immediately understanding.

The owner apologized to me several times in the letter. He stated, “You should never be
treated the way you were treated in a restaurant and I am incredibly sorry about the situation.”
He went on to say that the staff was shorthanded that day and that more help did not arrive until
later that afternoon. Also, one of the girl’s who was working the cash register has difficulty with
interactions due to a disability, but he was going to personally speak with her and they were

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going to work on her customer service skills. He noted that they try their best to help her and
train her to the best of their ability.

Lastly, he apologized that my chicken was undercooked. He was very shocked to read
that it was undercooked. He stated that “cooking chicken is our highest priority”. He was
shocked by this so I am certain that this was a rare incident. He ensured me that he reiterated
cooking standards again to the entire staff. The Hot Head Burrito standard is to “cook less more
often” so they can ensure that they have fresh and hot food for customers. He apologized that
they were out of chicken, and he said he counseled the staff about this as well. I admire the fact
that they want to serve fresh food to their customers, but the staff definitely needed to be
reminded about cooking standards. Additionally, outcome fairness was present because the
owner offered me coupons in an attempt to pay for the company’s mistake.

Adequacy of Response
In my opinion as a consumer, the firm’s response was adequate. The company’s response
was friendly and well executed. I believe the owner executed all of the strategies for service
recovery. I received a quick response, he provided appropriate communication, he took
accountability and supplied adequate explanations. He only took nine days to respond. His
response was very well thought out and covered every concern I pointed out, he apologized and
apologized for how I was treated by his staff, he also stated that he would talk to the employees
who were working that day, and on top of this he offered me coupons so that I would come back
to the restaurant. His response is the reason that I decided to go back to Hot Head Burritos and
give the restaurant another try. However, I did not experience a service paradox. Although I was
very delighted by the firm’s response, I would have been more delighted if the service failure
never happened. Serving a customer undercooked meat is a serious violation, and I would rather
have not experienced that at all.

Reasons for Response

I believe that Hot Head Burritos responded in this manner for three reasons. Firstly, Ross
Wiley recently took ownership of the restaurant. He is new to his job and wants to start building a
positive name for himself, and have success with the restaurant. It is certainly a lot of pressure for
one individual. I think he responded so kindly and quickly because since I stated that I was a loyal
customer, he does not want to lose my business. An average meal at Hot Head Burritos cost $7.50.
I have been going to the Perrysburg location for about six years now. If I’ve eaten there twice a
month for six years then my lifetime value would be $1,080. This number is not a huge amount,
but it is certainly higher than other customer’s lifetime value who only eat the food once every
other month. Also, this Hot Head Burrito location is very close to Chipotle, which is Hot Head
Burritos’ main competitor. If there was no service recovery, then I could easily go elsewhere for
the same type of food.

Secondly, Ross Wiley seems like a nice guy. The fact that he hired someone who has
disabilities speaks volumes. When he read my letter, I think he genuinely felt bad about my
incident. He wanted to do everything he could to make the situation right again. He made sure that
he addressed each concern I brought up and he treated me like I was a valuable customer. He deals
with many customers a week but took the time to send me a detailed email and apologize.

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 Lastly, I believe Ross Wiley responded in the way he did because he does not want to
tarnish Hot Head Burritos reputation. I am more forgiving since I am a loyal customer, but if I was
a new customer I would be unwilling to try the restaurant again without a reasonable explanation.
Ross Wiley wanted to make sure that he gave me an explanation for every concern that I brought
up. The website Stella Service published an article titled “6 Reasons Why Customer Service is The
Most Powerful Word-of-Mouth Marketing Weapon” Author Ross Cranwell stated that “A
dissatisfied customer will tell between 9-15 people about their experience” and “Happy customers
who get their issue resolved tell about 4-6 people about their experience” (Cranwell). Ross, the
restaurant owner definitely knows how important service recovery can be. Word-of-mouth is such
a powerful tool. If the service recovery was poor, then I would be inclined to tell my family and
friends of the incident and warn them to stay away from the restaurant.

What Hot Head Burritos Could Have Done Better to Delight Me

I would have been more delighted if the company sent me coupons right away, instead of
asking me if I would want any. This is a small detail, but if I was sent a coupon or some type of
discount along with the apology letter then I would have been more willing to forgive the restaurant
and try the food again. I am a broke college student so being offered cheap or free food is
something I would get excited about. The owner certainly wants me to give the restaurant a second
chance so sending me a coupon right away would have eliminated a step for me. Secondly, the
company could have called me after sending the response to further check on me and apologize
for my experience. This act would have made me feel even more special, and it would have been
nice to talk directly to the owner.

Discussion:

Social Media Influence

Hot Head Burritos responded to my complaint letter after nine days. During that time, I did
not post on social media so the company was not influenced by any social media. When I did get
a response it was warm and sincere. I decided to create a post on Yelp explaining my pleasure with
the company. A picture of my Yelp review is located in the appendix. In my review, I praised the
company for its remarkable service recovery efforts and I stated that I would be willing to try the
restaurant again due to the company’s response. In the future, I think that this company will make
it a routine to always respond to customer complaints. I was dissatisfied, but after the service
recovery I was so happy and I ended up writing a nice review for the company. Hot Head Burritos
can create a lot of positive word-of-mouth if they continue to focus on their customer service and
delight future customers who experienced a service failure.

My Feelings Toward Hot Head Burritos

I have a new-found respect for the restaurant. The company made the best out of a negative
situation. The owner could have easily ignored my letter or sent me a generic apology saying
“sorry for your experience, we hope you dine with us in the future”, but that was not the case. I
received a personalized apology and that truly made all the difference. The owner, personally
assured me that he would make strides to improve the restaurant and discipline his staff. I have
not gone back to the restaurant yet, but I plan on going in the near future. I am excited to give the
restaurant another chance and see if any improvements have been made. I was sent several coupons
for a free burrito or bowl so I am equally as excited to get a free meal.

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“The Customer Who Complains is the Firm’s Friend”
The quote “the customer who complains is the firm’s friend”, in my opinion, is a great
statement. If no one complains to a company, then the company will never be able to improve. The
customer is the person who experiences the product or service and if they are unhappy then they
need to inform the company. Informing the company about a service failure is the only way the
company can fix what was wrong. By improving, the company will be able to receive more positive
word-of-mouth and bring in more customers. If one customer complains about an issue, then the
odds are other customers are experiencing the same issue. Therefore, if customers complain then
firms are able to help not only just them but a handful of other customers.

What Have I Learned from this Experience


From this project, I have learned about the importance of service recovery, the different
types of complainers, and the core service provision. Typically, I would consider myself a passive
complainer. “They often doubt the effectiveness of complaining, thinking that the consequences
will not merit the time and effort they will expend” (Zeithaml, Bitner, and Gremler 2013).
This group hardly ever takes action and complains. However, after writing a complaint letter and
receiving a great response, I plan on taking action more. I now would consider myself a voicer.
“These customers actively complain to the service provider, but they are less likely to spread
negative word of mouth, switch patronage, or go to third parties with their complaints” (Zeithaml,
Bitner, and Gremler 2013). This best fits me now because the next time I experience a service
failure, I plan on complaining and taking action before I switch providers or spread negative word
of mouth.

I learned that service recovery is vital to any company because if Ross Wiley did not reach
out to me to apologize then the restaurant would have lost my business, and I would have warned
my friends and family about the poor service I received. Since the owner responded quickly, was
apologetic, offered explanations and communicated with me, I am now still a loyal customer of
the restaurant and I will spread positive comments about the store to others. Additionally, I learned
the importance of the core service provision. The core service being offered by Hot Head Burritos
was a meal, however since the protein in my meal was undercooked, I was not able to enjoy it. As
a result, I was not satisfied with the core service. The restaurant did not meet my expectations and
because of that, I perceived little to no value in the service. I was fully prepared to switch
providers. There were no switching costs, Chipotle was a five-minute drive from Hot Head
Burrito’s so I did not have customer inertia, and the only relationship bond I was experiencing
was a financial bond because I would get monthly coupons in the mail for the restaurant.

Applying to the Real World

I will apply what I have learned in the future by understanding the importance of
complaining. If I ever own a store or a restaurant or operate some type of business I will encourage
my customers to actively complain. I would want future customers of mine to make me aware of
issues in my service provision immediately. I would rather have someone be unhappy and confront
me then to be unhappy and leave. If I want to be a strong competitor with my service, then I need
to really listen to the people who are using my service on a daily basis and seek out ways I can
improve. Overall, this project taught me a lot. It was interesting to take learning outside of the
classroom and include actual services. Writing a complaint letter and sending it to a real-life
employer taught me so much more than I could have ever learned in a textbook.

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Appendices:

Original Complaint Letter

J___ L. M_____
138 ____ ____ Rd
Perrysburg, Ohio
43551
Cell: (419) xxx-xxxx
October 11, 2018

Chuck Salmon, Owner

Hot Head Burritos
104 E South Boundary St.
Perrysburg, Ohio 43551

Dear Mr. Salmon,

I am writing this letter to express my displeasure with your service on Saturday, October 6 . I am
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a frequent customer to your Hot Head’s Perrysburg location, and I am always very pleased by
the service provided to me, but this was not the case on Saturday. I went to Hot Head Burritos
around 1:30pm on Saturday, October 6 after I finished taking an online exam for one of my
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college courses. I was craving a bowl and I knew stopping at Hot Head would be a great idea for
lunch.

When I got there on Saturday, I saw a sign that stated: “sorry we are out of steak.” Luckily, I
usually get chicken with my meal so this did not bother me. When I got to the front of the line, I
was greeted, and an employee started preparing my meal. However, when I asked for chicken, I
was told that the chicken was cooking and would not be ready for another twenty to twenty-five
minutes. The only other protein I would get with my bowl would be steak, which they were out
of so I decided I would wait for the chicken to be done.
I ended up sitting at a table near the cash register so I would know right away when the chicken
was done. While I was waiting, another customer joined me. During our wait, we were ignored
by the staff. It seemed like we were an inconvenience to them. I thought we would have been
offered a free drink or cookie to enjoy during our wait, but I was wrong.

I was relieved when the chicken was finally done. An employee cut the chicken and served it to
me fresh. I paid using cash and took my meal to go. When I got home, I started eating my meal.
The first thing I noticed was that the chicken was cut into huge chunks. When I go to Hot Head,
they dice their chicken into small manageable pieces, but these pieces were the size of a half
dollar. This was not the most bothersome part. When I started biting into my chicken I realized
that there were many pieces that were pink and undercooked. I was very upset by this.

The service I experienced was disappointing. I was so frustrated that I did not want to go back to
the store. A value Hot Head holds is providing great tasting food with fresh, quality ingredients
and bold flavors from mild to wild. I no longer believe in that value. I am a regular customer at

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Hot Head, but if this is how the service will continue to be then I will start going elsewhere for
bowls and burritos.

A recommendation I have would be to retrain your employees on food safety and how to please
customers in a difficult situation. I understand that Hot Head strives to provide amazing
customer service to everyone so I would like to hear what you have to say in response to this
situation.

J___ L. M______
[email protected]

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Appendices:

Company’s Response

Hello J___,

My name is Ross; I am one of the owners of Rapid Fired Pizza Perrysburg. I am writing to you
to formally apologize about your experience on October 6th. You should never be treated the
way you were treated in a restaurant and I am incredibly sorry about the situation. I spoke to all
of the crew that worked that day and have taken corrective action. The General Manager who
was on shift (Ben) is an incredible manager and I was very shocked to read about your
experience. He is now very clear on standards and customer service. We also had a young
woman on staff that day that has difficulty with interactions with others due to a disability and
from what it sounds like, she is the one that has helped you. I also spoke with her and we are
going to work on her customer service as sometimes it can seem as though she is being
disrespectful. We try our best to help her and train her to the best of our ability.

When it comes to the quality of your food, again, I am incredibly sorry. After speaking with the
crew, I found that they were short-handed and had to call in the General Manager who
apparently didn’t get there until early afternoon. They admitted that they ran out of chicken and
I counseled them on that also as Hot Head standard is “cook less more often” in order to have a
fresh product on the line at all times. Lastly, I am astonished to hear that your chicken was
pink. I can assure you that cooking chicken is our highest priority. We hold strict standards on
cook time and interior temperature. We cook our chicken longer and require the temperature to
be significantly higher than safety standards to ensure we are serving a great product. I reiterated
standards on cook time and temperature to the entire crew and sincerely apologize for any
substandard food you received that day.

My wife and I recently purchased this store and have worked hard on remodeling, training, and
hiring. Occasionally we still have a problem with the crew and customer service due to our
hiring pool being mostly students that have restricted availability. I can assure you that nothing
in this email is meant to come off as an excuse, merely an attempt to sincerely apologize for your
inconvenience. Thank you for taking the time to reach out. We rely heavily on customer
experience.

After your experience, I would not blame you if you did not return and I can see that if we were
to offer you anything complimentary than it may come off insulting, so I will not try. If you are
interested in coming back, please let Chiquita know in this email, and she can send something to
you ASAP as a formal apology from us.

Sincerely,
Ross W
[email protected]
HOTHEADBURRITOS.COM

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Appendices:

My Social Media Follow Up

Coupon Received

I received a free regular size burrito or bowl coupon (valid 1). I ended up giving the

coupon to my sister to use so I do not have an actual picture of the coupon.

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 References

Cranwell, Ross. “6 Reasons Why Customer Service Is the Most Powerful Word-of-Mouth

Marketing Weapon.” StellaService, 18 Feb. 2018, stellaservice.com/2017/02/28/6-

reasons-customer-service-powerful-word-mouth-marketing-weapon/.

Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. D. (2013). Services marketing: Integrating

customer focus across the firm. New York: McGraw‐Hill Irwin.

https://www.localflavor.com/hot-head-burritos-urbana - Photo

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