A botched order usually does not fall in favor of the customer, but one diner at Hawksmoor Manchester definitely felt lucky when it was revealed that he had enjoyed a £4,500 ($5,760) bottle of Chateau le Pin Pomerol 2001 instead of the £260 ($333) bottle of Chateau Pichon Longueville Contesse de Lalande he actually ordered.
Though price is not everything for lovers of wine, the patron definitely enjoyed the expensive Bordeaux as he attempted to order another bottle for his table. Unfortunately, that was the only bottle the Manchester location of Hawksmoor had in stock.
"A member of staff picked up the wrong bottle, mistaking it for another Bordeaux of the same vintage. The wine went out and was served to the customer," a Hawksmoor spokesperson told The Guardian in an email.
Rather than whine about it, Hawksmoor Manchester's Twitter page made light of the mix-up and congratulated the customer for for receiving the expensive libation. Furthermore, the Manchester restaurant showed compassion towards the staffer who made the mistake, telling them to "chin up" and that "one-off mistakes" are bound to happen in the service industry.
To the customer who accidentally got given a bottle of Chateau le Pin Pomerol 2001, which is £4500 on our menu, last night — hope you enjoyed your evening! To the member of staff who accidentally gave it away, chin up! One-off mistakes happen and we love you anyway 😉
— Hawksmoor Manchester (@HawksmoorMCR) May 16, 2019
"The manager who made the mistake is obviously mortified: I'm fairly sure she's not gonna do it again," Beckett told The Guardian.
After received hundreds of responses to their tweet, the steakhouse doubled down in defense of their staff by posting a picture of the two bottles side-by-side.
THEY LOOK PRETTY SIMILAR OK?! 😉 pic.twitter.com/JWFW81cbe8
— Hawksmoor Manchester (@HawksmoorMCR) May 16, 2019
While everything appeared to work itself out in the end, Twitter users were a little skeptical of the restaurant and its nonchalant response to the mix-up. Some even began asserting the whole ordeal was just a PR move.
Surely a £4500 bottle of wine should be behind a locked vault that requires two keys to open, each held by a different manager? 🤣
— Paul (@PaukW) May 16, 2019
It's marketing at its finest..
— Sam Hopperton (@SamHopperton) May 16, 2019
Many others appreciated the gesture and applauded the steakhouse for not taking action against the employee who made the mistake.
As someone who works in hospitality, bless you for being understanding and not flying off the handle at the poor lad/lass.
— Laura Kate 🇪🇺 (@cakeylaura) May 16, 2019
This is such a great way to deal with a member of staff who has made a genuine mistake — great to read about it, well done to the management team & a lot of leaders could learn a thing or two from this story. Thanks for sharing the story.
— DCC Serena Kennedy (@KennedySerena) May 16, 2019
£4500 recovered instantly by the advertising on Twitter. Good on them for being decent employers.
— Janet (@jbecole) May 16, 2019
