Guest Complaint Resolution Checklist

Categorize so the right station owns the recovery and the trend log is useful later. Allergen and foodborne-illness complaints follow a separate protocol — flag those immediately and pull the manager on duty.

In Toast, Square, or Aloha, find the check by table number; note fire time, cook time, and which line cook owned the station. Long ticket times often explain a temperature or doneness complaint.

Get the server's account of the table interaction and the expo's account of how the plate left the pass. Note any modifier or allergy flag that was on the ticket.

Check temperature, doneness, portion, and presentation against the recipe spec. For allergen complaints, do not return the plate to the line — bag it, label it, and hold it until the manager review is complete.

Match the recovery to the severity. A cold entrée gets a fire-now remake plus a comp on that item; a missed reservation gets a round of drinks; a delayed app gets a dessert on the house. Manager swipe required for any comp over the GM-set threshold.

Return to the table after the comp or remake lands. If the guest is still unhappy, the GM takes the table directly — do not let the server escalate alone.

The GM (not the floor manager) goes to the table, listens, and offers a second-tier recovery — gift card, full check void, or a return-visit invitation with a personal callback. Do not negotiate; the goal is to end the visit on a recovered note.

For any suspected allergic reaction or foodborne illness, the AllerTrain or PCFP-certified manager owns the response. Required by statute in MA, IL, MI, NY, RI and others — the certified manager must be the one interviewing the guest.

Label with date, time, table number, and ticket ID. Hold in a dedicated bag in the walk-in for at least 72 hours in case the health department or a physician requests it. Do not discard.

If the guest shows any anaphylaxis symptoms — hives, swelling, difficulty breathing — call 911 first, then locate any guest-supplied EpiPen. Do not wait for the guest to ask. Document who called and when.

Use the corporate or owner-supplied incident form. Include guest contact, items consumed, ticket ID, station, and the cook on the line. Notify the local health department within the window your jurisdiction requires (commonly 24 hours for suspected outbreaks).

Capture the table, ticket number, server, station, complaint type, recovery action, and comp dollar amount. The red book (or its 7shifts / R365 equivalent) is the source of truth for the weekly trend review.

Confirm the comp or void in Toast or Aloha matches what was offered at the table. Unmatched comps are a frequent skim vector — every comp needs a manager swipe and a reason code.

One paragraph by text or 7shifts log: what happened, what was comped, whether the guest left satisfied. The GM needs this before the next morning's line-up.

The GM (not the server) makes the contact. Reference the visit specifics, confirm the resolution stuck, and offer a return-visit gesture if appropriate. A gift card mailed without a call reads as transactional.

Check Yelp, Google Business Profile, OpenTable, and Resy for a matching review. Respond from the GM account within 24 hours of posting — acknowledge, apologize, point to the resolution offered, and move further detail offline.

Two-minute mention at lineup: what happened, what we did, what we'd do differently. Name the station and the recovery, not the individual employee — coaching happens one-on-one, not in front of the team.

If the complaint traces to a specific person, the floor or sous manager coaches separately within 72 hours. Document the conversation in the employee file — repeated patterns drive a written warning per the employee handbook.

Pull complaint counts by category from the red book or 7shifts log. Three-plus complaints in a single category in a month is a process problem — change the recipe spec, the station setup, or the training, not the individual.