How to screw up without screwing up

I know that it is an absolute impossibility for a business to be perfect all the time. But as a customer what I care about is the overall experience. If you mess something up, I'll be very forgiving if you get everything else right.

A few weeks back, I had lunch in an Italian restaurant in Norwich. I was close to walking out because we had to wait so long to be seated. Then we had to wait for the menu, they took a long time to take our order, an age for the food to arrive and there was another long wait to get the bill.

Lunch probably took about two hours.

Normally, I'd be thinking about never going there again.

However, the restaurant was comfortable, the price was very reasonable, every waiter and waitress full of smiles and pleasantries, and the food was delicious. Also, I wasn't in a rush.

I actually want to go there again. Despite the flaw, I want to go back.