Only two nights ago I visited a restaurant close to where I am living, here there was no English spoken.

The restaurant was nearly empty but it looked good. The menu was inviting and I ordered my main course; an attractive piece of meat including back sliced potatoes and mushrooms.

The dish arrived at the table without the potatoes and mushrooms and I assumed they would be served on a separate plate. As the meat was getting cold I queried the waiter on the whereabouts of the vegetables.

After a very long discussion in pigeon English and sign language I eventually discovered there were no back sliced potatoes or mushrooms. This was despite the fact of being on the menu.

I am still not certain for the reason, whether they ran out of stock or there had not been delivery that day still remains a mystery.

The bad news is I will not return to that particular restaurant despite the close proximity to home.

The fact it was empty may have been a signal of a problem in the first place and I was taken in by the nice décor, table cloths and an attractive menu.

There is absolutely nothing new about this story as it happens to us all the time, however if you are making major sales or in fact are involved in any form of selling including the restaurant trade take heed.

A good restaurant is making a major sale, they need repeat business to survive and word of mouth is their best form of advertising. A restaurateur is normally not a trained salesperson but they surely must be the very best they can be.