Business brewing at a Panipuri stall — Here today to share a refreshing customer service at an unexpected place!

I visited a panipuri outlet last week to seek a guilty pleasure after a rough week, being conscious of the usual hygiene and food quality. I have finally got the answer for ‘Why can’t small businesses provide basic hygiene and service value?’

Preface to the setting: When I was waiting for my order(Oh yes, they had a sitting area, which seemed to attract more customers), I read these posters on the wall that read

“Please come again and we would like to serve you better every time”

And, another -

“Kindly don’t ask for Sukha”.

After reading those, my attention moved towards my least favorite spot in puri shops, the panipuri pot. Then I realized he was wearing gloves as well as maintaining hygiene around the restaurant. They had drinking water and washing water separately! After receiving my first order (Dahi puri; which was nominally tasty), I wanted to taste other dishes. When I tried panipuri, I couldn’t help but request him to stop serving it since it wasn’t to my taste. I told him, “I am sorry but I cannot have more” and was about to leave to pay the bill. The owner asked the serving boy how much the bill summed up to and when I suggested the panipuri bill for the entire plate, the service boy interrupted saying it doesn’t count(I didn’t expect that).

Next, the owner asked me what was not right; suggested that my change was not appropriate as a recipe(health-wise); added his idea of a recipe(with gloves); offered me one, and took feedback. My poor cooking/tasting skills couldn’t pinpoint what was missing so I couldn’t make him feel successful in his recipe. Afterward, he said, “This is the recipe, if you can help us serve better, please let us know”. I paid the bill for Dahi puri and left the place.

This seems to be a very boring story about a very common stumble on daily life events yet I felt it was different. The twist arrived when it was served at the same price that is of any other common puri stall. It kept me wondering, how I missed good service from every other place I have been to, where I submitted myself to unhygienic practices and this improved how it is possible to do better service at the same price and facility. Why should someone charge more if they are offering the right service as the customer deserves? Just because some other service does it poorly at the same price for their benefit? Is basic public hygiene too much to ask?

The details of decoration or allotment of water services and their placement show how involved they are in their work and how respectful they are keen about their workplace. While serving, sharing glances often with a smile as an acknowledgment of my waiting time really made my guilty pleasure just a pleasure. The wall posters speak their clear and curt service policies while also sounding customer-oriented. I liked their clear idea of their values. It is not to please customers but to actually do best at what they do. Topping all this, the respect they have shown to customer feedback and how immediately he acted upon it to earn my trust and improve his service despite other customers around, seemed like it couldn’t get better.

Whatever type of business it is, whoever is the customer, an attempt to show how to do it better in the direction of how it is supposed to be done, can never go unnoticed. Even if this is all just glorifying in my head, isn’t this how a new company with a usual old business idea succeeds?

Can you tell me something about my story that you can help me learn? Leave a comment!