Course Title:

Date: 23rd April 2013

Time: 10.00a.m. - 11.00 a.m. (60 minutes)
Number of Students: 20
Target Learners: Restaurant Waiter/Waitress
Lesson Topic: Handling Customer Complaints
Language Skill Focus: Speaking Skill
Integrated Skills: Writing Skill
Background Knowledge:
1) Learners have been exposed to basic English lexical items related to restaurant services.
2) Learners have been exposed to the application of roleplaying action related to restaurant
services.
3) Learners have been exposed to basic knowledge of presenting orally to the whole class on
restaurant services.

Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, learners should be able to:
1. List down at least 4 positive responses on a piece of paper in groups of
three.
2. Extract at least three information from a worksheet to a mah-jong
paper in groups of three.
3. Present a role-play by incorporating words of apologies to the whole
class in groups of three.

Resource Materials: LCD, video, mah-jong paper, marker pens, worksheet, cue cards

STAGE/
DURATION
Stage 1
(+/-5 minutes)

SKILL/
CONTENT
Skill:
- Speaking Skill
- Thinking Skill

TEACHERS/LEARNERS
1.

Content:
- Indirectly
exposed learners
to the topic

2.

few questions with

and answer

regard to the video to

3.

Questions:
- What is the video
-

ACTIVITIES
AVA
Teacher starts the lesson Rationale:
- To create
by showing a short
interesting learning
video clip on handling
environment by
complaints in a
showing a video on
restaurant.
Teacher, then, poses a
handling

through question

session.

about?
Can you name

the learners.
Learners respond to
teachers questions

4.

RATIONALE/

complaints.

AVA
- Video 1
(Appendix 1)

voluntarily.
Teacher also randomly
calls a few learners to

me few customer
share their experiences
complaints that
on dealing with angry
-

you know?
Do you have any
5.

customers.
A few learners share

experience
their experiences on
dealing with
handling customers
angry customers?
complaints to the whole
Stage 2

Skills:

class.
1. Teacher shows a video

(+/-10

Speaking Skill

on comparison between

minutes)

Writing Skill

a bad waiter and a good

Rationale:
-

To enhance
learners thinking

Thinking Skill

waiter when handling

complaints to the

Content:

skill.
-

learners.

To introduce
learners with new

Teaching process

2. After that, teacher starts

Brainstorming

to teach the learners a

stimulates

activity.

few English

discussion.

conversational skills on

knowledge that

To engage all

Topics to be

how to handle

learners in a

discussed

customers complaints.

cooperative

3. Teacher also pastes

learning activity.

model dialogues on the

whiteboard for the

AVA:

learners to refer to.

Video 2

How to Handle

4. Teacher divides students

into three groups.

Customer

5. Teacher provides each

Complaints

group with a situation

Model dialogues

pertaining to restaurant

Paper

complaints to check

Pencil

their understanding.
6. Next, teacher instructs
them to write an
appropriate response to
solve the problem

(Appendix 2)

within 20 seconds.
7. Teacher then provides
each group with a paper
and a pencil to write
their response.
8. Each group member
shares only a pencil to
write their response in
order to involve
everyone in the activity.
9. After that, all group
representatives write
their responses on the
whiteboard.
10. Teacher gives feedback
to all responses.
Stage 3
(+/-20
minutes)

Skill:
-

1. Teacher gives
Speaking
Skill

Content:
1. Speaking
Activity

instructions to learners

Rationale:
-

on the next activity.

2. All learners divide

cooperative
learning

themselves into groups

among

of three.
3. Teacher distributes
worksheet 1 to the

To promote

learners.
To enhance
their thinking

learners.
4. Learners discuss in

skill on the

groups to solve the

lesson.
To enhance

problems on handling

learners

complaints based on the

conversational

situation in the

skills.

worksheet.
5. Learners write their

AVA:

ideas on the mahjong

Worksheet 1
Mahjong

paper
Marker pens
(Appendix 3 )

paper provided by the

teacher.
6. Teacher asks each
group to present their
ideas to the whole class.
7. Teacher and other
learners give feedback
on the presentation.
Stage 4

Skill:

(+/-25

- Speaking Skill

minutes)

Content:
- Conducting role
plays.

1. Teacher divides the class

into three groups.

Rationale:
-

2. Then, teacher asks each of

learners

the representatives from

communication

each group to pick a

situation card which
consists of common
restaurant complaints from
the box.

To enhance

skill.
-

To assess
learners
creativity on the
given task.

3. Teacher explains the rules

of the activity to the groups

AVA:

in order for them to

complete the task.

4. Each group discuss among
one another in order to
come up with a dialogue
within 8 minutes.
5. Teacher asks them to take
turn to perform their role
play.
6. Teacher also gives
feedback for every
presentation.

Cue cards
(Appendix 4)

APPENDICES
Appendix 1 A short video clip entitled Dirty Fork

Teachers Questions

What is the video about?

Can you name me few common restaurant complaints that you know?

Appendix 2 A short video clip on the comparison between bad waiter and good waiter

Appendix 2 How to Handle Customer Complaints

Believe

Believe the customer and appreciate their dissatisfactions.

Make sure that you take the guest seriously and appreciate the fact they have brought
their grievance to your attention.

Listen

Stop and listen to your customers complaint.

If your guests complain take a second, relax, and listen. Make sure that even in the case
that your customer is rude or angry, make sure to stay calm.

Apologize
Always apologize, even if you didnt do anything wrong yourself.
Elaborate a simple Im sorry or I apologize for the inconvenience.
Satisfy
Solve the problem. Find out what steps you need to take to satisfy the guests frustrations.
Make sure that you let the customers feel important and know that their grievance is
important to you and you deeply care about their business.
Thank
Always make sure you thank the guest for their complaints.
Thank them for giving your restaurant a second chance to make things right.

Appendix 2 Expression Used in Handling Customer Complaints

FOOD QUALITY
Complaint: This soup is not warm enough
Response: I apologize for that maam. Ill have the chef warm it up immediately.

Complaint: I requested the eggs over hard, these are over easy.
Response: Sorry about that sir, let me make you some more right away.

FOOD QUANTITY
Complaint: There are not enough chicken wings on my plate.
Response: Im sorry miss. Ill get more chicken wings for you right away.

Complaint: This tea is sweetened, and I specifically wanted unsweetened tea.

Response: Im sorry maam. Ill bring an unsweetened tea immediately. Please excuse the
mistake.

RESTAURANT SERVICE
Complaint: Why is our order taking so long?
Response: I apologize for that sir, you ordered the steak very well done and it takes a little
longer.

Complaint: Dont be rude to me! How dare you! You are just a waiter.
Response: Im sorry maam. I promise never to do the same mistake again.

RESTAURANT ENVIRONMENT
Complaint: Your restaurant smells like smoke.
Response: Im sorry about that miss. We will spray some air freshener in just a moment.

Appendix 2 Paper and pencil

Appendix 3

1. Worksheet
Teachers Instruction:

Listen to my instruction carefully. First of all, please divide yourselves into groups of
three. Then, each group will be given a worksheet, mahjong paper and a marker pen. In
each worksheet, there are pictures that show different situations. Each group has to state
the problem or conflict in the worksheet and suggest the way to solve it by filling the
table with suitable answer. Next, write your ideas on the mahjong paper given. You are
given only 10 minutes to do so. After that, each group has to present their ideas in front of
the classroom.

Situation 1:

Problem(s):
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Apologies

Situation 2:

Offers to improve the situation

Customer: Excuse me. This cake is too

sweet and I don't like it.
Problem(s):

______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Apologies

Offers to improve the situation

Situation 3:

Problem(s):
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Apologies

Offers to improve the situation

Situation 4:
Customer: Excuse me. I think
the bill is not right.

Problem(s):

______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________

Apologies

Offers to improve the situation

Appendix 3
2. Mah-jong paper and marker pens

Appendix 4 Cue cards on the situation pertaining to restaurant complaints

A couple orders mushroom soup for lunch. As you bring the soup to their table, one
of them feels upset that the soup was too cold.

Your customers are enjoying their meal. One of them suddenly screams as she
discovers a cockroach in her fried rice.

One of your customers complains about the temperature of the restaurant that is too
cold and the music that is too loud.

You just bring food to an old lady and her grandson. They suddenly complain to you
as the foods are not as they have requested.