Catering to a Request?

I love e-mail from readers, it gives me joy. I especially love hate mail, or mail from Crazies. It entertains me to no end, and I am often apt to share them with friends. I have never produced them here on the blog because, well, I just want to have some sense of propriety and decency. I think that regardless how I feel I can let them avoid exposure on the blog and let them save face.

This e-mail however, I feel was worth sharing. It was also a post I was unsure of posting, still I am. Spelling and grammar have been left untouched. Names have been changed.

Hi, My name is ---- from X Catering Company. I was reading your reviews and was wnodering if you ever review caterers? My family is starting have problems getting our catering business going due to lots of stupid people complaining about the food not being good (you know how that is, since i read your stories all the time). Was thinking you could maybe come to a wedding we are planing to cater for and review the food. You could come in the back probably during the reception. We would be happy to only charge youy a smaller fee that what is actually the cost. Please let me know. Love your blog!

Wow... I am happy you like the blog's reviews and stories on the Crazies. Sadly, I am lumping you in with the latter. What would help your catering business most is providing good customer service, ensuring high quality food for a reasonable price, and maybe look into hiring someone to do your marketing. Word of mouth can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If people are giving bad reviews of your work on a consistent basis, it warrants attention, not a quick fix from a local website.

I also understand the "stupid" people aspect. I worked in a coffee shop for a long time, and the populous at large did a number on my sanity. However, lumping them all together and calling them that in a semi-business style e-mail is just unprofessional. Would prospective clients hire you if you only see them this way? Would I want to review you if I know you see people this way?

Reviews are usually anonymous. I would never let you know I was coming or reviewing you. Rarely do I do a review with a place having prior knowledge to my arrival (actually, only once). But also asking me to sneak into someone's wedding? I don't even know where to start.

This is not me being a bitch. This is Business & Economics 101. Take the customer feedback seriously and sit down and figure out why you are in the catering business, and if it (like anything else in life) is something you want to do then take the time to approach it in the right way.

Best of luck to you.

For Blogs By Actual Caterer's Check Out:
Just the Two of Us
The Food Whore