Tasmania TalksTasmania Talks with Mike O. Laughlin weekday mornings from nine. I've got Jane from Alveston on the line that I wanted to have a chat to you. Jane, good morning, Good morning, Mike.
How are you.
I'm well, thank you, and I'm just so glad that I have this opportunity to have a chat to you, and congratulations on what you're doing. You've got You're the owner of Pedro's Pedros Takeaway and you have you know, and wonderfully you employ young people, give them a crack to earn a quid, which is nice, but you had some you had a teenager, I believe, really verbally abused on the phone over the cost of a takeaway.
We did, we did so. It was actually a phone order earlier this week and when the customer came into the store, wasn't happy with the total price of what was ordered and went on a bit of an abusive tirade to one of our juniors until a senior stepped in and we've made a bit of a decision to sort of strategize and resolve these issues in a bit of a different way.
That different way, by the way, I congratulate you on it's wonderful. I know that a lot of people Facebook, etc. Like the Prime Minister calls that the coward's castle have a crack. But you've decided to put, you know, announce You've announced on Facebook that you're going to share any abusive confrontations with IT staff to the social media page, and those people would be banned from the shop and it's other company sites.
Absolutely, our plan is like tucking a bit of a tool behind the counter. I think it's an excellent deterrent, but we hope that we never have to use it. I guess we've noticed that traditional methods don't work. Police can't charge someone if they don't do physical damage. Mental damages, you know, can sometimes be worse than physical.
Gosh. Yes, and the young people don't need it. They don't deserve it, they don't need it.
They're not prepared for that from adults at that age. I think that in the industry the abuse for tech is very real. Managers and team leaders and our staff get abused over relatively petty things. Those petty things become bigger things and it creates a pressure tank full of stress and a bit of anxiety on all the staff, and it sort of creates a culture where you have to be perfect and no one is perfect. These are unrealistic expectations, I think.
To place, and you've said it. I was reading. Maybe by making them more accountable, we can make them question when they want to actually rand and rave.
Absolutely, Unfortunately. I think it's how the industry has been formed and cemented over the years that the customer is always right, which we still primarily believe in. But the concept that you need to just take the abuse on the chin and smile, and if you buy it back at the customer or defend yourself that you're being unprofessional, you could potentially lose your job is rather outdated. And we'd like to sort of stand with those Mike, who stand all day. Hospitality is a tough gig, absolutely, and we're saying that if you can't treat us with courtesy and respect that every human being deserves, then we will warn the community about that behavior.
And it's like anything, if you question the price before you order it, and you go ask too much, thank you very much for your time, I go somewhere else.
Fine, correct, Fine, correct, It's a fairly simple and logical process. You know, I do want to reiterate that we're not saying that people shouldn't make complaints or give their opinion, but a heymatee you've forgot m chips or something like that goes a lot further than an abusive tirade that people think they have the right to throw on service workers. Pedro's will always give more than it takes in resolving disappointed expectations. But we won't and we certainly don't expect our staff to tolerate abuse.
And I'd like it on your Facebook page. I noticed you've had already three hundred and forty eight shares, which is fabulous, But you've got that massive and they've done this amazing government advertising campaign no excuse for abuse, and you've got that sign there yet. How the heck are they still doing it for these young kids?
I don't.
If it's an adut to adult, well, okay, you can fire back, but not kids. Kids you know, they get it, can get nervous, scared. What do I do? I'm just all aimas handing over chips and some fish. It's just nuts, correct, correct.
We're sort of trying to build and develop their skills, you know, so that they can learn work ethic and get into an industry or discover things that they want to do as they get older, and exposing them to this sort of behavior, you know, may affect a decision that's sort of in the future. No, thank you, I'm not going to do hospitality. We're trying to back them and support them, and internally at Pedro's will be giving them some tools and some disengagement techniques because they have the right if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe in a certain situation, to step back.
I just love it. It's as you're a fish and chip shop and you've coppt this and you're coming out with Pedros to Pedros takeaway and doing all of this, which I think is stunningly good. I'm so proud of you.
We are very passionate about the industry and what we do, and Pedro's has a thirty year history in the community. It's iconic establishment in our local area and the legacy that's been handed to us by the original owners on what they've built and the foundations that they've developed, we take really seriously and we hope that our customers can understand and that consumers understand the pressures that our staff and workers in this industry go through on a daily basis, and most of them, all of them are turning up, you know, with the expectation to do the very best that they can for you so that you have a wonderful experience. And I think that we need to recognize that.
I also like the fact on your Facebook page it's time to make a stand and protect our staff. You don't like it, don't come in or maybe just done abuse staff. I mean, it's just so simple, and I'm so sorry that the young guy or young girl copped all of this abuse because you know, the prawn might have been missing from his chips or something. It's ridiculous. I mean, you just look.
It's a real shame.
Yeah, he look, tell us what's on special?
We have our normal specials on today. I think there's a ten dollar gummy and chips special that everything we've got down there is fresh and local and everyone. I think today because we've done a number of toolboxes and a bit of motivational stuff this week about hey guys, we're a team and we'll conquer this issue together. We'll be bouncing around down through the kitchen and on the counter and smiling away. So we'll approach this with a positive attitude for what we've said, we will and hopefully it is the deterrent that it's designed today.
Oh dear, I'm so proud of you. Wonderful Jane. It's so good to talk to you. No longer spinning chips. You're out there. You've got some great chips, gratefish, you've got all those specials. Everyone goes to Pedros today, Pedros and Alvison whereabouts in Alvison.
Down on the wharf's actually number three Wall Road, but it's down on the waterfront near Pier one and hopefully if the sun comes out, you'll be able to sit at one of our tables and enjoy you enjoy your good quality food.
Jane, good to talk to you. It's so nice. Congratulations, well done. I hope you get so much support from this, and please keep it up on Facebook. Go for it. I really do like.
What you do. We'll do. The support's been fantastic and it's been interesting to see the comments on Facebook for other people's experiences and how that they support the idea of this. So it's been wonderful. But I think positive change is a great way to deal with most things.
Yeah, get rid of the grum, you know, grumbling mongrels and anyway. I mean, I'm used to it. I covered here, but some way let on. Some we don't because of the abuse, but you just you just have to brush it off. But you know that's what I do. I don't think it's necessary for young people at all, not at all. That's right.
It's not something that they're going up to expect and we're going to give them an environment where it's not acceptable.
Jane, lovely to speak with you in all the very best with Pedros some beautiful fish and chips and go and get that ten dollars special.
Wonderful. Thank you so much, Mike.
Pleasure, good to talk to you. Well done on what you're doing. Jane, co owner of Pedro's Takeaway, has many a talks with mic O Loughlin weekday mornings from nine
