Attitudes: Pappy’s Smokehouse Serves Up Delicious Customer Service Tips

Customer service tips are a dime a dozen. Books on the subject fill library shelves. E-mails on best practices cram mailboxes. High-priced consultants swear they can provide the key. Those are all well and good, but many times examples of great customer service are right in front of you. Never be afraid to make them your own.

I came across a memorable one a few weeks back when I was playing in the U.S. Bocce Federation’s National Championship in St. Louis, Mo. After spending the day getting our tails seriously whipped, my team and I decided to ease the pain with some of the town’s famous barbeque ribs. The locals suggested Pappy’s Smokehouse. The restaurant was also the first listing on Google and is backed by a well-designed website.

With that one-two punch—great local word of mouth and a confident Web presence—we figured we were onto something. We were right. And I’m sure the 25 people ahead of us and, eventually, behind us in line agreed. I take fierce pride in my own slow-cooked ribs and carefully prepared sides, but Pappy’s had me beat by miles on all fronts. But the food was only half of what made the experience so memorable.