Golden Customer Service at Golden View Open Bar, Florence, Italy

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on July 1, 2009 under Customer Moments | Be the First to Comment

Ellen, our guide, recommended two restaurants near the Grand Hotel where we were staying.  We selected the Golden View Open Bar located on the River Arno, near the Ponte Vecchio bridge. 

We were seated at a window table and pulled out our cameras to take pictures of each other and the view.  Sasha, our waiter, came to introduce himself – saw the cameras and decided that his first role would be that of photographer.  Selecting Mom’s brand new Sony 10.1 MP camera, he posed us – then made an adjustment to the camera and began snapping.  Mom said – oh – what did you do – you found a new feature to my camera!  Our waiter was a photo teacher as well.

Soon he brought flutes of champagne – on the house – for us all (Emily received a flute with pineapple juice) and he led our first toast.  Thus began the most enjoyable meal I’ve ever had.  Yes – the food was fantastic – but his treatment of us was what put the night over the top:

• He joined in our celebration – making us feel special, not like silly tourists
• He treated my daughter as an adult, including her in the decisions and the explanations and served her pasta with butter sauce with as much flourish as if it were the chef’s greatest creation
• He validated our choices with specific information – not just “oh that is a good choice” but rather providing new information.  Our wine choice turned out to be one of the top three Chardonnays of Italy (Cabreo - wonderful)
• He anticipated our needs, bringing moist toilettes for my Mother after serving the King Prawns and opening the packages as he knew her fingers were messy with shrimp

When the check came – trust me it wasn’t a small number – the credit card came out without hesitation.  It had been an evening worth every Euro.

FOLLOW UP:  Of course we raved about our experience to our fellow tour buddies and five families went the next night and all but one had a similar experience and none had Sasha as their waiter.  Each server had been trained to provide a memorable experience.  One family asked if Sasha would be their waiter.  They were told no, however, within minutes of being seated -  Sasha came to their table to greet them warmly and thank them for asking for him.  Although he was not able to serve them – shortly after greeting them, he sent to the table a complimentary appetiser with his best wishes for a wonderful meal.  Now that’s classy!