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New Restaurant Industry Study Examines Effect of Management Response to Complaints
KANSAS CITY, MO (BUSINESS WIRE), April 28, 2008 - If a restaurant's food or service is not right, you might expect guests to complain immediately to the server or to a manager. That's not always the way it goes, however, according to a new report from Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research.

The restaurant research report, "Complaint Communication: How Complaint Severity and Service Recovery Influence Restaurant Guests' Actions and Attitudes," confirms that most guests do, in fact, talk directly to a manager when something goes seriously wrong - but not necessarily face-to-face.

The author of the newly released restaurant industry report, Alex Susskind, an associate professor at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, says the difficulties arise when guests don't follow the expected "script" for complaints.

"When I asked over 800 restaurant guests what method they used to complain when they had a serious complaint, I expected them all to say that they talked directly with a manager," he explained. "That was true of many serious complaints, but there was also a large number who left the restaurant without speaking to anyone and then wrote a complaint letter to the manager."

Susskind's restaurant management report found that those written complaints were just as serious as the ones that were raised face-to-face. "Managers need to address those written complaints as if they were made in person, even though it's more difficult to make an adjustment," he noted.

"One hopeful finding of this study is that the bulk of guests who have made a complaint do not hold a grudge when their complaint is satisfied, and most are willing to return to the restaurant."

When it comes to serious complaints, Susskind found that food problems led the way, especially when service mistakes compounded the issue. Despite that finding, the study showed that complaints unrelated to food and service - such as noise or atmosphere - were more likely to prevent repeat patronage, even though respondents classified those "other" problems as less important.

AT&T and Starbucks Begin Nationwide Wi-Fi Rollout
KANSAS CITY, MO (kansascityfrontpage.com), April 23, 2008 - AT&T Inc. and Starbucks has announced the beginning of the rollout of AT&T Wi-FiSM service at company-operated Starbucks stores, kicking off a nationwide effort that will continue through 2008.

At the 2008 AT&T Inc. Annual Meeting of Stockholders in San Antonio, chairman and chief executive officer Randall Stephenson announced that the companies have already started the deployment of AT&T Wi-Fi service at Starbucks locations in San Antonio, making it the first market to deliver the complete AT&T Wi-Fi experience in the U.S.

Also, as of May 1, qualifying AT&T high speed Internet and Wi-Fi customers will have complimentary Wi-Fi access at more than 7,000 Starbucks locations nationwide. For millions of AT&T customers, that means more speed in more places - and for free - is on its way.

"With the power of our Wi-Fi network, and through our partnership with Starbucks, we're strengthening our ability to meet the needs of today's mobile consumer virtually anywhere and everywhere," Stephenson said. "Expanding our reach across company-operated Starbucks locations nationwide helps us bridge the gap between our wired and wireless offerings and affirms AT&T's commitment to connect people with their worlds, everywhere they live and work."

"We continue to build on the experience we know our customers expect from us," said Chris Bruzzo, chief technology officer, Starbucks. "By partnering with AT&T as our U.S. Wi-Fi provider we aim to deliver a better value, greater convenience and seamless connectivity in a mobility centric world to our customers."

As of May 1, qualifying AT&T customers can connect to the Internet from Wi-Fi enabled company-operated Starbucks locations nationwide by simply selecting "ATTWiFi" after powering up their computers. Free AT&T Wi-Fi service is currently offered with AT&T's three higher-speed residential broadband packages, all small business broadband packages and with all AT&T U-verseSM offerings with high speed Internet service.

For other customers, AT&T Wi-Fi service will reach company-operated Starbucks locations on a market-by-market basis throughout the year. The experience will include a mix of free and paid connection options for both frequent and occasional Wi-Fi users and qualifying Starbucks customers. Once AT&T Wi-Fi service is available, customers will be able to shop and surf both Starbucks' and AT&T's respective home pages for products and services.

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