Every business has rules. It uses them to make life easier and “run smoothly.” However, just about every business has stupid rules as well. Recently, I went to a restaurant that had only a few people eating there. I asked for a booth instead of a table. The hostess told me that the booths were sectioned off because they were low on staff.

What does that mean exactly?

What does it matter whether a server walks an extra 3 feet (literally) to serve me at a booth over a table? This is a stupid rule. Was it really worth it to start me out with a bad opinion of the restaurant by being uncomfortable over a few extra feet and a stupid rule? Here’s another one: I watched as a couple requested a specific server and were denied during a slow time. They ended up walking out of the restaurant. The hostess let them go! Had she just granted their request for the server they wanted they would have stayed. Is it worth the cost of losing a sale? Companies set “rules” to make operations run better but often end up hurting themselves in the process.

Think about your policies and determine if they are stupid and could be costing you sales. Are they more likely to make a customer upset rather than satisfied? Is it really worth potentially losing a customer for some stupid rule?

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