For restaurant owners · Quotes and money
Answer a gift card or refund question
A clear, kind reply to a guest asking about a gift card that will not scan, a lost card or a charge they question, written around the decision you made.
The prompt
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in each part in [BRACKETS]. Restaurant owners and managers.
I run a restaurant. A guest has written about a gift card or a charge, and I have decided what to do. I want a clear, kind reply that says what happens next and promises nothing beyond what I decided. What I have: - The guest's message, word for word: [GUEST MESSAGE] - What I decided, in my own words, such as refund, replace, honor or no: [MY DECISION] - My gift card and refund policy, if I have one written: [MY POLICY] - How I sound with guests: [MY TONE] What I want: 1. Restate the guest's question in one line so I can check you read it right. 2. Write a reply in my tone that thanks them, gives my decision plainly, and says what happens next and when, only from what I wrote. 3. If my decision is no, explain it in one kind sentence from my policy, without arguing. 4. If my decision does not cover something they asked, list it for me. Rules: - Write a draft for me to read. Do not send anything. - Use only what I gave you. If something is missing, ask me instead of guessing. - Do not offer anything I did not decide: no refund, credit, free meal or gift card. - Do not say whether a charge was right or wrong unless my decision says so. - Leave out guests' card details and anything about their health. Give me back: - The reply, ready for me to edit - The guest's question in one line - Anything my decision does not cover
When to use it
A guest writes about a gift card with no balance, a lost card or a charge on their bill, and you have looked into it and decided what to do.
When not to
Do not use it to decide whether to refund, replace or comp anything. Decide first, then use the prompt to write it. A guest who says they got sick goes to you by phone, not to a draft.
What to paste in
- [GUEST MESSAGE]: The message as the guest sent it, without their last name, phone number or any card or gift card numbers.
- [MY DECISION]: What you decided after looking into it, and what happens next, in a sentence or two.
- [MY POLICY]: Your written gift card and refund rules, or a line saying you have none.
- [MY TONE]: Three or four words for how you sound, or a reply you have sent before that you liked.
Never paste
- Card numbers, gift card numbers or receipts with card details
- The guest's last name, phone number or email address
- Anything a guest told you about getting sick or their health
A filled-in example
Sample. Fictional business, fictional client.
GUEST MESSAGE: Hi, I got one of your gift cards for Christmas, and when I tried to use it Friday the server said it had no balance. My sister says she paid for it at your counter. Can you look into it? MY DECISION: I looked it up. The card was sold but never activated, our mistake. I will activate it for the full amount she paid and it will work from tomorrow. No receipt needed. MY POLICY: Gift cards never expire. Lost cards can be replaced with the receipt. No cash back. MY TONE: Plain and warm, and sorry when the slip was ours.
What you should get back
- A short reply that gives your decision plainly and says what happens next
- Nothing offered beyond what you decided
- The guest's question in one line, so you can check the reading
- A list of anything your decision does not cover
What stays with you
The prompt writes a draft. You decide what happens to it, and nothing should reach a guest until you have read it. Decisions about money stay with a person every time, and so do health questions and complaints. When KeenHand builds a routine like this, every message carries the same four decisions: Automate, Approve, Revise, Reject.
Related
- Reply to this week's reviews, good and bad. Replies to this week's reviews: a specific thank-you for the kind ones and a calm answer for the hard ones, with nothing posted until you read it.
- Sort the messages that came in during service. One callback list from the voicemails, messages and host notes that piled up during service, most urgent first, with replies drafted for the routine ones.
- Follow up on a private dining quote gone quiet. A short, friendly follow-up for a private dining or event quote that got no answer, pointing back to the quote you sent without changing a number.
More: every prompt for restaurants, quotes and money, and AI for restaurants.
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