What if saying sorry actually makes guests less likely to come back?
In this episode of The Return, Anthony Valletta sits down with Mason Jenkins, PhD, a marketing professor at UNC Charlotte, to challenge one of hospitality's most widely accepted practices: apologizing when something goes wrong.
Mason shares research showing that proactively apologizing for a problem customers haven't even noticed can reduce repeat visits. Anthony pushes back on what that means inside a restaurant, where waiting for a complaint could mean missing the opportunity to make things right.
They debate the difference between transparency and drawing unnecessary attention to mistakes, why an apology can undermine trust even when it's well-intentioned, and how operators can take ownership without making the guest experience worse.
Plus, The Lie: that more communication and transparency always build greater trust.
The question: When something goes wrong and the guest hasn't noticed, is it better to apologize or simply make it right?
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About the guest: Mason Jenkins, PhD
Mason Jenkins is a Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing at UNC Charlotte's Belk College of Business, specializing in consumer behavior, services marketing, and judgment and decision-making. His research explores how customers interpret service experiences, develop trust, and build loyalty. His work has received funding from the Marketing Science Institute and has appeared in publications including the Journal of Business Research. He earned his PhD from Northeastern University.
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