Grand Prize

The Boston Globe’s investigative unit recently published a story several months in the making titled On the Menu but not on your Plate The article discussed how area restaurants (and chefs) swap out or mislabel fish (they took samples of the fish ordered at various restaurants and had their DNA lab-tested). Unsuspecting customers had no idea that they weren’t getting what they ordered.  Fish promoted on menus as Atlantic cod, red snapper or butterfish were actually less expensive varieties like hake, escolar and sablefish.

Of particular interest from a public relations perspective, was the way in which these restaurant executives and chefs handled being told that they were deceiving their customers.  Some were cavalier and gave embarrassing quotes that said nothing of substance, while others acknowledged that they did in fact, swap species when fresh fish isn’t available or supplies are low.

One restaurant, however, turned this negative industry story into a positive PR piece.  On the second page of the investigative story, there was a sidebar titled Bertucci’s tries to right a wrong.  When the restaurant’s executive chef Jeff Tenner was told his Baked Merluzzo (Italian for cod) was actually hake, he immediately went to his supplier and began his own investigation.  He then opened his kitchen to Globe reporters (there’s a multi-photo spread on Boston.com outlining the process) where he purchased various cod samples and made the dish over and over to find the right taste at an affordable price for the company.  The end result was that in a sea of other restaurants, Bertucci’s and its executive chef Jeff Tenner surfaced as the clear winner giving consumers an apology and assurance that it would not happen again.

In today’s world of instant communication and transparency, consumers demand answers.  No one gets it right all the time, but what you do when presented with damaging news makes a big difference to your company’s reputation – just ask Jeff Tanner and Bertucci’s.  I’m guessing that they now have even more customers in their restaurants because as the Globe states in the headline – they did right a wrong.  Yes, it’s embarrassing to admit that you messed up but it’s even worse to do nothing about it.