Seeing problems as opportunities—and preventing issues in crisis communications work—is wise business advice.
California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) recently applied this wisdom in a novel way when it faced a customer satisfaction problem.
The CPK incident, which surfaced following a TikTok post in mid-July 2024, involved a macaroni and cheese misstep. The video shared by a TikTok user named Riley (@fumptruck) explained that the restaurant messed up an order for macaroni and cheese, sending her cheese and no mac. The confusion over Riley’s order quickly escalated into a potential crisis for CPK when Riley’s video went viral, attracting more than three million views and 4,000 comments within a week.
Those who commented on Riley’s post wanted justice. “I feel like someone needs to be fired, or I won’t sleep well,” one said. Another addressed CPK directly, stating, “UM HELLO???? Get this girl FREE MAC N CHEESE!!!”
CPK noticed the activity surrounding Riley’s post and responded on TikTok by saying, “We’re on it!”
Ultimately, the company made up for its mistake by sending Riley an apology letter, a big box of macaroni noodles, and two gift certificates—one for a year’s supply of the restaurant’s mac ‘n’ cheese and another for a year’s supply of pizza.
But CPK didn’t stop there. It also put out a response video on TikTok featuring its senior director of culinary development, Paul Pszybylski, demonstrating in a tongue-in-cheek way the correct way to prepare macaroni and cheese.
To close the video, Pszybylski announced that all of the restaurant’s customers could get its macaroni and cheese at half price for the rest of July, a special he said they were offering because they gave one of their guests “half a mac and cheese.”
Their response to the incident offers several lessons in crisis communications that can guide companies reeling from a product problem that goes viral.
Swift Accountability Is Key
The speed of social media has changed the game regarding crisis communications, making rapid acknowledgment of mistakes paramount. Organizations that don’t move quickly to engage with issues surfacing in public forums, especially those with a more prominent presence on social media, should expect to lose control of their brand narrative.
While brands that take ownership build trust and demonstrate their willingness to take responsibility, brands that don’t lead consumers to believe future problems will also likely be ignored.
CPK moved quickly when Riley’s video—and the frustration it triggered—came to its attention. It dropped a quick comment on her post that signaled their engagement and, in less than a week, had a response video and a nationwide “apology” to its customers in the form of a half-off deal.
Show Respect
The CPK incident also shows that brands should strive to do more than respond to crises with a news release on their website’s media page. Although doing so may address the issue, it won’t provide the type of engagement to turn a problem into an opportunity.
In the case of CPK, its response strategically turned a developing crisis into a positive interaction.
The communication started with the brief “We’re on it!” response on TikTok, which allowed CPK to show its customers that it was listening, appreciative of their feedback, and committed to acting on it. At the same time, the post didn’t commit CPK to anything but instead provided the company with some extra time to analyze the situation and develop a winning response.
The TikTok video featuring a CPK executive that appeared three days later, took a tone that showed Riley was right to be upset. Rather than trying to justify it, CPK acknowledged that it messed up a simple order and then punctuated its commitment to satisfying its customers by allowing everyone to benefit.
In essence, CPK said that it had let down all of its customers by letting down one customer. Consequently, it made amends to everyone.
It is also instructive to note that CPK engaged with the issue in the same forum where it came to light. Because the company learned about Riley’s problem on TikTok and responded on TikTok, it could show its TikTok followers that it appreciates them.
Customers Appreciate a Human-Centric Response
A business-centric response seeks to divert a crisis by justifying the mistake or refusing to acknowledge it. It prioritizes the company and focuses on protecting the brand’s reputation.
On the other hand, a human-centric response takes a different approach. It admits the mistake and declares the company’s commitment to doing better in the future. It prioritizes the person rather than the company and focuses on building the brand by showing how much it values its customers.
The response from CPK acknowledged the mistake and honored the person affected by it. The company claimed responsibility by posting its TikTok video and showed its commitment to improving. Delivering gifts to Riley prioritized the person affected by the mistake.
The way CPK engaged with Riley provides another example of a human-centric response because Riley—not CPK—shared that she had received an apology letter and gifts. Additionally, her follow-up TikTok video announced the response and revealed the details.
Rather than making its response a media event, CPK let it be between the company and the customer it had wronged. It respected Riley by letting her decide if she wanted that element of the incident to go public.
Crisis Communications Turned Media Opportunity
California Pizza Kitchen transformed a potential crisis into a media opportunity by leveraging a swift response, strategic communication, and a human-centric approach.
Its TikTok response video has been viewed 12.2 million times, an impressive statistic for a brand with only 47,000 followers. None of its other videos for 2024 have topped a million views.
Moreover, the bulk of the more than 10,000 comments on the video are unquestionably positive, describing the response as “awesome,” “phenomenal,” and a “10/10.”
Many were from people who said they were inspired to try CPK for the first time. Many others noted that other restaurant brands need to take notes from CPK on responding when customers don’t get the service they deserve.
One simply said, “The PR major in me is so so so pleased to see this.”
