Staff Mistakes - Learning Opportunity or Drain on the Business?
Reflections of a Reluctant Pub Landlady
Introduction
Following on from last week’s blog regarding staff mistakes, I thought it was worth another look into the topic. Looking back on my years running pubs, I can say without a doubt that mistakes often happen, sometimes in abundance – some hilarious, others downright frustrating. But no matter how much training or guidance you give, something will always go wrong. Some of these blunders still make me laugh, while others cost my business dearly and could have been avoided.
So, here are the just ten staff mistakes that stand out in my memory—moments that were funny or painful at the time but are now part of my “war stories” from the front-lines of hospitality.
The Case of the Dry Teabag
Once a customer asked our cleaner, who was passing through the bar, if she could have some more tea in the tea pot. The cleaner, who didn’t drink tea, proudly delivered a pot to her —with the teabag sitting dry in the teapot. The customer just stared at it, bewildered, while the cleaner wondered what went wrong. We both had a good laugh afterward, and luckily the customer saw the funny side too.
The Great Pie Mix-Up
One day, my chef accidentally served ten steak pies to ten vegetarians. Why? Because a member of staff decided to shuffle pies around in the freezer without labelling them. Imagine the uproar when that was discovered! It was a culinary catastrophe that taught the kitchen staff a thing or two about organisation. Unfortunately, the vegetarians were not happy despite our best attempts to pull it back.
Peas, Please!
There’s nothing quite like the British staple of Fish & Chips, but one evening, I noticed the chef was serving fish and chips with green beans because he had forgotten to order peas. I popped to the local garage to pick up a few bags which the chef was sheepishly grateful for. Not exactly traditional, but let’s just say it wasn’t a hit with the regulars.
The Red Wine Disaster
This one still makes me wince. A server tripped and poured an entire glass of red wine over a customer in a white dress. Of course, it was a full-bodied red, and the customer was understandably mortified. Let’s just say we comped a lot of drinks that night.
Lights Out, Customers Gone
There was one evening where the place was unusually quiet—almost no foot traffic. It wasn’t until halfway through the night that the manager realised the outdoor lights hadn’t been turned on and we looked shut. No wonder it was quiet. The sad thing is that this happened several times, despite reminders and a poster behind the bar, until we managed to get the old light system put on a timer. This was a particularly expensive mistake!!!
Orders in the Apron Pocket
One night, a table waited nearly an hour for their meals, and the kitchen was confused because they’d never received the order. Turns out, the server had left the order in their apron pocket instead of ringing it through the till. The customer was less than pleased, and we were had no choice but to discount heavily.
The Clock Change Confusion
Ah, daylight savings. One particularly confused staff member forgot to set their clock back and arrived for their shift an hour early. They prepared breakfast, opened up and then wondered why no guests were coming down for breakfast and the chef hadn’t turned up to cook. I’ll admit, I wasn’t too sympathetic when I got there but at least they weren’t an hour late.
Sixty Fish & Chips That Never Came
There’s nothing worse than an unnecessary scramble in the kitchen. One afternoon, the chef prepped and cooked 60 starters, fish and chips and desserts for a coach group that had booked in. The trouble was, the coach had cancelled, but the manager had forgot to tell the kitchen or take it out of the diary. To say the chef, was less than pleased was an understatement. The same could be said for the waiting staff who had laid up the table. An additional cost to the waste was the extra staff we had rostered on.
Forgetting to Proof Read
The manager of one of my pubs used to write neatly, which is a great skill for a pub with chalkboards. However, one day she forgot to proof read the main board in the restaurant, and it was a few days before anyone realised she was promoting ‘Farters Day’.
No Hot Water for Two Days
And finally, forgetting to order oil for the heating system. The result? No hot water or heating for two days, which meant the whole system had to be drained down at great expense. It was a disaster that could have been avoided with a simple stock check. Needless to say, we didn’t forget that again.
Mistakes Happen—But They’re Also Opportunities
Reflecting on these moments, I can laugh at some of them now, but they weren’t so funny at the time! Mistakes happen in hospitality, sometimes on a daily basis. Whether it’s a forgotten order or an epic mishap, each one is a learning opportunity.
The key is to approach these situations with a clear head and a bit of humour. Create an environment where staff feel comfortable admitting their mistakes without fear of blame—but make sure they’re learning from them too. For the most part, it’s all part of the fun—and the chaos—that makes running a pub so memorable.
When Mistakes Cease to Amuse
However, mistakes that happen too frequently, or serious errors, might need to be addressed through more formal channels like disciplinary actions or the capability procedure. Let’s face it, mistakes can be costly and when you are struggling to make a profit they are not so funny. In these cases, Pub Doctors® is on hand to guide you through the process should you need us. Following processes like these can be very costly and is not the time to be making mistakes. The last thing any business needs are expensive tribunal claims.
If you have a struggling member of staff, or someone who has made a massive mistake, get in touch for help and support.
