How To Apologize The Right Way

How To Apologize To Customers And Staff The Right Way

Did you snap at a member of your food truck staff who didn’t get their work done? Or did your mistake on the line make a customer wait too long for their food? When your mistake affects someone else, here’s how to apologize and make up for it.

So what is an apology? An apology is a statement that has two key elements:

It shows your remorse over your actions.
It acknowledges the hurt that your actions have caused to someone else.

We all need to learn how to apologize in both life and business. We all make mistakes, and we all have the capability to hurt people through our behavior and action, even if it isn’t intentional.

How To Apologize To Food Truck Customers And Staff The Right Way

Admit that you were wrong. Own up to what you did — or failed to do.
Show you understand the repercussions. Don’t assume you know how the customer or staff member feels or thinks, but acknowledge that you know you’ve negatively affected them.
Tell them what you will do differently. Reassure them that you won’t behave the same way in the future. Be specific about what you will change.

How To Apologize The Wrong Way

Bad apologies, on the other hand, tend to suffer from these four shortcomings:

Justifying your words or behavior.
Blaming the victim.
Making excuses.
Minimizing the consequences. (“It was just a joke!”)

It isn’t always easy to apologize, but it’s the most effective way to restore trust in a relationship, when you’ve done something wrong.

Please Note: The laws in some countries may interpret an apology as an admission of liability or guilt.

The Bottom Line

Before you apologize on behalf of your food truck business, you may want to get further advice from a legal professional. However, don’t use this as an excuse not to apologize, unless the risk is significant.

Do you have any tips on how to apologize the right way? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. You can share your ideas in the comment section below or on social media. Facebook | Twitter

About the Author: Richard Myrick

Richard Myrick is an architect by degree (Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan) who began his career in real estate development and architectural planning. In September of 2010 he created Mobile Cuisine Magazine to fill an information void he found when he began researching how to start a mobile hotdog cart in Chicago. Richard found that there was no central repository of mobile street food information anywhere on the internet, and with that, the idea for MCM was born. Richard also wrote the "Running a Food Truck for Dummies" available in bookstores everywhere and Amazon. You can reach out to Richard by email at: [email protected].