| Introduction | | | | in PRINTED INK on the bottom of EACH page of the |
| This is the interesting - and intriguing - story of a | | | | menu. That way, ALL readers would KNOW. By failing |
| customer in a popular Lagos restaurant, who found | | | | to do this, they INVITED many who would NOT know |
| himself being accused of trying to "steal" the | | | | to do it. |
| restaurant's menu by copying some menu items and | | | | 2. If he truly intended to "steal" the menu, why did he |
| their prices into his diary. | | | | choose to come and do so right in front of the staff? |
| The drama that ensued eventually led the customer to | | | | THAT should have make it obvious that he did not |
| write a formal complaint letter to the management of | | | | consider it out of place to do what he did? |
| the restaurant. | | | | 3. The staff had said he did not ask her for a copy. |
| What follows below is a narration of that incident - | | | | Ayo's simple answer: The thing was right in front of |
| with references to the points made in the letter. I | | | | him, and on every other table. He only needed a few |
| actually believe the customer made a number of very | | | | items from it, so why ask for the whole thing? |
| valid points in it, that ANY restaurant or bar owner will | | | | 4. In the course of his working for at least three |
| find instructive - if NOT obvious! | | | | organizations that have restaurant and bar operations, |
| Why share this? Well, you never know who else may | | | | Ayo explained that he had researched the Internet and |
| suffer the same "bad" treatment at another outfit just | | | | downloaded numerous pages from the websites of |
| because some staff feel they need to protect their | | | | international restaurant/bars/hotels on which the FULL |
| boss' "trade secret". | | | | menu of food/drinks offered were outlined. |
| Also, it could help to prevent a situation in which | | | | Ayo pointed out that clearly confirmed that there was |
| another restaurant business owner may find him | | | | nothing so "confidential" about a menu to make |
| herself having to apologise to customers for his/her | | | | someone who copies it guilty of "plagiarism" as one |
| staff's rudeness! | | | | ill-informed customer who joined in the discussion so |
| One Monday morning in January, Ayo walked into a | | | | wrongly asserted. |
| popular neighbourhood restaurant head office to relax | | | | 5. Ayo suggested based on the above that the |
| and have a drink. While sipping it, he looked through the | | | | management inform and educate their staff to avoid |
| menu placed on the table he was seated at, and | | | | needlessly embarrassing well meaning customers on |
| decided to copy out some of the menu information | | | | this issue in the future. |
| into my diary, with the restaurant address, so that he | | | | He described the entire incident as being the result of |
| could share it with an associate. | | | | "gross MIS-EDUCATION" of the staff concerned, |
| He had no pen on him, so he borrowed one from a | | | | pointing out that it makes little sense for you to restrict |
| young attendant behind the counter, then returned to | | | | access to your menu. According to him, one of the |
| his table (which happened to be the closest to the | | | | staff actually went round removing the menus from |
| counter) and continued with his drink as he copied out | | | | ALL the tables while the matter was being discussed. |
| the information he felt would be useful. Soon after, the | | | | Ayo asked "Does that help you sell or make it more |
| lady came around, looked at what he was writing and | | | | difficult?" He further asserted that so many things |
| began shouting repeatedly that Ayo could not copy | | | | these young people did showed a severe lack of |
| the menu, and that she would tear his diary. He dared | | | | proper education on the PURPOSE of having a menu, |
| her to. | | | | ending by asking the restaurant management to take |
| A sequence of events followed in which other staff of | | | | action to protect your customers from |
| the restaurant - and a customer! - joined in to insist to | | | | embarrassments like the one he had complained |
| Ayo that what he was doing was wrong. The level of | | | | about, in future. |
| mis-education this revealed would later compel Ayo to | | | | So, what do YOU think? |
| write to the management of the restaurant to point out | | | | What's your opinion? Were the restaurant staff |
| (as he had to the staff) the following FACTS: | | | | RIGHT? Is the menu a "confidential document" to be |
| 1. If the restaurant menu was NOT meant for copying | | | | kept away from the "prying eyes" of customers :-) |
| by customers or outsiders, the best way to stop it | | | | who want to pay to eat and drink the items listed |
| from happening would have been to STATE it clearly | | | | described on it? |