A restaurant chain in China is very meticulous about the food it serves to diners to the extent of giving refunds to unsatisfied customers.

When the management of the Very Long Ago Lamb Skewers realized that its new grilling equipment failed to control temperatures properly, resulting in undercooked mutton kebab in February, the restaurant started contacting customers last month.

Thousands of customers who ate at 24 of the restaurant chain’s 142 directly managed outlets were offered refunds equivalent to half of their bill for the mutton kebab they ate, despite receiving no complaints about it, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, citing the Bandao Morning Post.

The refunds totalled 1.1-million yuan, according to SCMP.

The Very Long Ago Lamb Skewers’ refund policy, which helps maintain the restaurant’s good reputation, also covers complaints about orders that take too long or that were not delicious.

Meanwhile, barbecue restaurants in the central Chinese city of Yueyang in Hunan province have a new way of ensuring customer satisfaction and good business.

The more than 3,000 barbecue eateries in the city that compete against each other try to hire skilled master grillers who will ensure high-quality roast food is served to their customers.

On 20 May, eight new master grillers with trustworthy credentials were added to the existing roster. They were the first graduates of the city’s Yueyang Barbecue Academy (YBA).

The YBA was established in March with some 4,000 people applying for 30 training slots, the China Global Television Network (CGTN) reports.

The month-long training course teaches hands-on grilling skills, including how to control the heat for different ingredients, when to turn the skewers and how long each item should stay on the grill, according to CGTN.

Those who pass are awarded nationally recognized vocational skill certificates.