 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. Yesterday, we learned if the restaurant is already out of the snapper special during the first seating and the waiter wants to know your family tree, chances are Sean Elder, editor in chief of the digital food magazine Real Eats, isn't going to be returning to said eating establishment anytime soon. More than 400 of you weighed in to agree, disagree and agree to disagree on Elder's restaurant red flags - and now he's back, counterpoint style, to identify the clues that your meal ahead is in capable hands. Five Signs You Are In A Good Restaurant: Sean Elder 2. “Tell me what you like in a white/red and I’ll pair it with what you’re having.” 3. “The bread is crusty and delicious, it’s warm when it’s brought to the table, and the butter is not rock hard.” 4. “Don’t drown me with water.” 5. “They’ll cook your meat/fish/fowl the way you want it.” Nothing worse than being lectured by some earnest waiter - or worse yet, chef - about how they can’t, in good conscience, serve you a bloody burger. Unless there’s a law against it (which there may be in Canada), give me my meat the way I want it, and let me die with my boots on." Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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I like to spend my free time by scaning various internet recourses. Today I came across your site and I found it is as one of the best free resources available! Well done! Keep on this quality!
Sign #6: the food tastes good
We went to dinner, we where 2 and half hours late and had reservations for 7pm they where sure happy to see us since they had their best table open all night waiting for us. Since my wife had all ready had dinner. we ended up just having a cup of coffee but left the waiter 100% or $10 yeah they really made our night but we really screwed theirs. I am sure they will be happy to see the next late reservation. Since as you wrote this is what makes a great restaurant. Like you are happy to see your guest arrive three hours late after you spent all day getting ready yah right get a clue.
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Dallas, TX. I have traveled all over the world, and this is my favorite restaurant by far, Their steaks, lobster, desserts, wine, ambience, and general attitude has always remained tops. I have been going there for the past thirteen years, and still see some of the same wait staff, and other employees.
The presence of Splenda or Equal sweetner seems to indicate a decent/excellent restaurant. Those pink packets just don't do it!
My best restaurant experience was at this place called George in Toronto. I was suppose to spend the night with my girlfriend, but instead she got called to a flight. To salvage the night, I offered to take her cousin who was in town instead. To make things worse, it started snowing quite heavily. We arrived to the restaurant 30 minutes late (but I called), at 9 pm...to a packed restaurant.
They had kept my reserved table ready, even though there was a lineup. Even though it was 9pm, the chef agreed to make us a 7 course tasting. By the time we had our 6th course, the restaurant was empty. After our dessert, our body language definitely said we were ready to leave as we had been alone in the restaurant for close to an hour now. But the hostess came, insisted we stay a little longer, and poured us 2 comped glasses of champagne. I left a very nice tip, but the best surprise was somehow, they knew which car was mine, and were it was parked. They had shoveled a path to my car, and cleaned all the snow off it.
I called the next day to thank the owner and hostess for a wonderful night. This was my first experience at George, and after this it became a restaurant I frequented.
do u really expect us to believe that you liar.
I think the article is lousy and aside from a few good comments and interesting memorable stories, most of the comments are as well. A good restraunt is one that has a small but well rounded menu (not as many choices as a larger menu but everything done to perfection), the wait staff is friendly and professional (attention to detail, service, neat and clean), food is consistant (whenever you go to that same restraunt you will get the exact same thing and it will be excellent), seating is comfortable anf finally, the price is not over-inflated or an obvious ripoff. These are the five signs of a good restruant and if they are all met...... You will return. Youa re not going out to dine, for alcohol. You can get that anywhere.
jillybean, may your next beautiful restaurant dinner be filled with child puke. Then talk.
I'm actually playjojo, not the jo below, I don't want her catching any flack. I also posted about Tom Cruise. Jo came up instead. Just thought I clarify.
the rest rooms should be CLEAN!!!!
Then stop peeing on the floor!
no poop in the soup is also a good sign
I like bread however I can eat a lot of bread at home and I buy good bread. When I am out, I like to eat food I normally wouldn't prepare due to cost or lack of experience. Some places bring you enough bread for a week, no thanks.
Please stay out of my restaurant you ignorant moron. But then again come on in and let me serve you a nice raw burger so that you will croak and I won't have to worry about you calling your lawyer.
Hey "Jim"... why don't you do us all a favor and actually name "your restaurant"...
Not a bad read, but regarding number 5 the customer rarely knows what's best for them. Depending on the quality of the burger patty, eating it medium-rare might make you incredibly sick. Only a restaurant with high quality meat should serve a burger on the rare side. Anyone stupid enough to ask for a rare burger from an unknown source probably stole the money they plan to pay for it with.
As a patron of eating establishments (at many levels) in a number of countries, I really enjoy cultural differences and local customs in food. A juicy hot dog from Hotdog Tommy's is as much of a joy as fois gras on the Left Bank, if each is prepared with quality ingredients and care. Nevertheless, why do servers in chain or similar level restaurants often refrain from mentioning the prices of specials they are reciting? I'm not talking haute cuisine places here. Likewise, why do menus in popular chains et al list prices of all menu items EXCEPT drinks, especially cocktails, which are mentioned by name and described therein at great length? Even worse, when questioned about this, the server invariably " has to check with the bartender". Are these prices secret? Changeable by the hour? If very high end restaurants can include expensive prices on their wine lists, why can't an ordinary chain or its ilk reveal prices of drinks in print? By the way, we are almost always very pleasant diners and good tippers, so could anyone solve this mystery???
This article does not apply to me, all I eat in are diners, drive-ins and dives.
First red flag is butter...if you have to unwrap your butter, bad sign. Warm bread and soft butter is a must.
It's also much better when they cook pot into the butter.
You people are all ridiculous and selfish. I can tell you that while these things may make in what you enjoy in a restaurant, a good restaurant is measured in many ways that it is obvious none of you have ever heard of. Sanitation, food quality, guest service, knowledge, community outreach, management and staff happiness, profitability, timeliness, trustworthiness, b2b relationships, etc. The things that make a good restaurant are many. And please stop with the effing butter....have you even been to a restaurant that doesn't bombard you with bread and butter before you even get a chance to look at the offerings that you can't make at home by your lonesome for a buck...try it. Maybe the lack of distractions will help you focus on what really make a restaurant great. Also, don't complain when your water is "overfilled" since you would be the first to complain when it lowered slightly below half full. Why don't you just go ahead and wave off the pouring of the wine by your server to know it all. I'm sure what you are talking about it so top secret that a lowly server is unfit to hear. Keep eating out. Try better places. We love you all!
Asian B-rated restaurants always taste better!
Yes, their cat is much better than a C restaurant.
Clean (and I mean clean) non smelly restrooms!!!
The food may be awesome…….the service perfect………etc…………..IF THE RESTROOMS ARE NOT IMPECCABLE…………………..RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN !!!!!!!
The ones I go to have a little hole in the wall of the restroom. What is that for?
The sign(s) of a good restaurant:
1. a salad that is prepared after you ordered it, not pulled out of a fridge where it's been sitting for hours
2. at least one house salad dressing that is freshly prepared and not out of a bottle (which the wait staff can recommend)
3. fresh baked bread and soft butter
4. clean, spot free eating utensils and (if your sitting by a window) dust and fly free sills and blinds
I hate to be rushed when I eat. It causes indigestion & lessens enjoyment of truly good food & good company with your friends. Turnover be da%#ed. If I wanted drive thru I would go to a fast food place. I wouldn't buy McDonald's food for my dog. Any number of small independent restaurants only cost a couple dollars more than a fast food palace anyway. It is only laziness not to seek one out. ANY signs of uncleanliness & I do an about face & leave. I HATE greasy or salty food. Unless the service is bad I am never stingy about tipping. If you can afford to eat out you can afford a decent tip.
Gary Danko in SF is the real deal. Great food and excellent service. I enjoyed my entire experience and left feeling like they considered me a rock star.
Look around at the staff, If they all seem happy and content with their job, it's probably a good restaurant.
Waiters who are not trained and managers who have not a clue about proper restaurant etiquette. Serve from the left, please, and remove plates from the right. Do not reach across the diners. Do not address the diners as "Hi guys, I'm Brandi, your server tonite."
Get over yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i agree, you're not special. i actually don't like that either and always address guests in the utmost fashion no matter what clientele or establishment i am working for. but the day you walk in i'll probably say, "party for 2, douchebag?"
Are you too snooty to be addressed that way? Maybe you should go to a more expensive(and snooty) restaurant that more befits your position and social stature.
Well, here goes. Have read all the postings and I am positive that the attack will be there however, I will venture on.
MY TOP TEN SURVEY FOR A RESTAURANT!!!! (remember mine)
Any typo's that occur I am sorry in advance.
1. Anyone in the business should familiarize themselves with other operations then just being a server. Ask how something is made, how a certain drink is served. Have an opinion, ask to taste the specials, or anything else on the menu you are not sure about to take that second to pick up something that has fallen and not just walk around it (food, paper-towels, utensils, etc.).
2. I have worked in Diner's, Hole in the wall, 2 star restaurants, steakhouses, golf courses, been a server, bartender, sous chef, etc (you get the jest of it) for about 30 years in addition to being an accountant. Point is you need to take pride in your work, NO matter where you work, whether full time, part time, extra cash job etc...
3. The customer is NOT always correct. However, they are the PAYING customer and would like their order a certain way and you need to go out of your way to handle the situation to the best of your ability. If not possible, then there are floor managers. This is how you earn your living. Yes, there is a bunch of a$$ wipes out there, take your tips, think it's funny not to tip or even funnier to walk out without paying (which most of the time the server is responsible for) but you take it and move on to the next table without bringing the problem with you. Save it for the end of your shift and take it out at home with a good bottle of wine or a 6 pack of beer.
4. A lot of you are just plain SNOB'S. The make and model of the cars in the parking lot make for sure a nice restaurant, come on. I have seen Bentley's at a fast food establishment. This is not a requirement for good food or service. Some of you need to lighten up. If your not happy go home. I am sure you will get the attention you require there.
5. Children should behave accordingly however, they are also customers. They do not run around at the dinner table at home should not be allowed to at restaurants (IE. servers carrying HOT food and/or beverages). PLEASE, pick up after your children (I have 2 girls). I have picked up many of things dropped on the floor (from my children) pick up after yours.
6. Concerning restrooms, YES, they always needs to be clean and supplies on hand BUT, pick up and dispose of properly the hand towels or other articles that you (the customer) have used to ensure that they (the restrooms) stays clean and tidy. My words of wisdom, "if you have time to lean, you have the time to clean.
7. By the postings displayed can not PLEASE everyone (some our like anyone). One wants total head to toe service, the other is LEAVE ME ALONE. Unless a frequent customer, we are not mind readers. One customer wants to hear the specials, the other does not. One wants your opinion for the wine list, the other does not etc...
8. Appearance, attitude and being pleasant and prepared is first and for most very important in being in the restaurant service business. If you are sick, STAY HOME, if you use the restroom, wash your hands. Come on be honest, some of you would not and have not washed after using. ASK your customer if they would like, steak sauce or ketchup, dressing on the side, an extra plate etc. ASK them now (before you walk away) as you have other customers to think of and to have to split yourself between. Where one table or another does not always understand that you are not at their beck and call.
9. Remember the one customer that comes in might only have the resources to go out once a month (and they deserved to be fairly) and yes, it might not be the 25% tip you want but I have always looked at it as either 5 cents or 5 dollars they are still customers. I know it stinks and people say if you can not afford to tip correctly "stay home" or go to a fast food place but again, they deserve the same respect as the next customer.
And now number 10. Everyone for ONE day should be either, a busboy, a server or a bartender (even a CSR). Just one day and believe me you would appreciate it more when you receive good service. I have heard you (the customer) rip a server apart for no reason other then just plain being nasty. The absolute BEST customer is a server or a bartender. Anyone in the restaurant world or customer service understand the pressure that the other is under.
So, Thank-You for your time in reading this (my) story (LOL). And always remember, to tip your Server/Bartender accordingly. Even a little something to your busboy if you would like too....
If there is an overpowering and agressive garlic odor to welcome you at the door, run away as fast as you can.
For sure, the busboys dressed as chefs don't have a clue of what gastronomy is all about.
If the waiter/waitress doesn't do the barefooted Moonwalk on a bed of hot coals on the way to my table...this is not a good place to eat.
You are talking a bunch of trash, ain't ya?
I don't really think that 2 comments qualifies as "a bunch", but whatever makes you happy, I suppose.
Boy, you're incapable of understanding sarcasm, aren't you?
6. There are 0 to 1 booster seats and/or high chairs in the entire place.
If it's a nice restaurant, I would hope they don't allow children there. I have children of my own and when I go out for a date night, the last thing I want to see and hear are children at an expensive/nice restaurant. Just saying..........
Oh Angela, thank you. I feel that way too. Since we don't have children, I'm not allowed to voice that opinion for fear of offending people brave enough to have children. We once shelled out some bucks at a foo foo la la restaurant, only to be seated by a couple with a tiny toddler who shrieked out high pitched dolphin-like noises for an hour. Her parents just thought it was so adorable, and smiled and cooed at her the whole time. The grand finale was when she proceeded to barf up her dinner two feet from our table. It wasn't the best anniversary dinner we ever had, probably the most memorable because it was the worst.
Wow...Anti-children much..
My husband said we would not take our daughter to an "adult" restaurant until she drank coffee and ate the entire meal with utensils. People should have to courtesy and common sense to leave small children at home. I really do not think their antics and bad behavior are cute.
Lol, sorry, miss tang! That's a horrid night, the hurling I can do without in my own house, in a restaurant, that's a free meal. That reminded though, someone wrote a few days ago that they were in a restaurant, and Tom Cruise was there. His daughter Suri was running around the place singing, yelling, generally bothering everyone, and he sat, and then would follow her with a stupid grin on his face like, "Isn't she the cutest thing ever!"
Honestly, I think that is a good sign that it's not kid friendly. Duh. Come by my place we love the lil ones.
if there are zero booster seats or high chairs I would highly recommend it to all my friends and co-workers. Sorry, but there are restaurants for children and then there are the others. It is not a God-given right to be able to take your child everyone and intrude on everyone. If I want to eat with children I'll go to Denny's.
Exactly.. when people go out to eat, they want to be pampered.. they saved the money to go out to eat and especially in theis day and age, they should be treated like gold just for spending it at those establishments..
A good restaurant will cook the food the way you want it and serve it with a smile. Their service will be spot on so you don't have to look for them to get your glass filled they will be on top of it. The food will be in a good portion size so you leave full but not over stuffed like a turkey. As far as the food it should be memorable enough that you want to go back because it was so delicious. It does not matter if your dining at a fancy hotel or a fast food restaurant. I had this kind of service and meal at a hamburger restaurant and my bill was 35.00. The best 35.00 I ever spent.
If the server's thumb is under your plate when he/she sets it down in front of you, then it's a good restaurant. If the server has their thumb on top of your plate as he/she sets it down, it is not a good restaurant.
Geez,I never thought of that,but you're right!
I'm envisioning myself back in high school in the lunch line. Yeah, you're dead on with that one. Not a good spot to eat.
i want to see you keep up carrying plates at any restaurant you know of and stick to this ridic rule. i like the concept, but its not realistic unless you are paying 40+ a plate.
I was in Florida for a funeral several years ago. Afterward several of us (friends from college) went to a causal chain restaurant. I ordered a glass of Merlot. The server brought me an ice cold glass of Merlot. I sent it back and said that red wine is not to be served ice cold and to bring me another red wine that was not ice cold.
She came back about 90 seconds later with a glass of red wine. There was steam coming off the glass.
Yes, she had put the glass of Merlot in the microwave to heat it up.
In light of the fact that we had just come back from burying a fraternity brother, it did give as a good laugh. We still talk about it to this day ("Microwaveable Merlot!")
When I was young, (long time ago) I was invited to the Four Season in New York and my host ordered a
Laffitte-Rothschild. It was served cool, out of the cellar... My host complained and the waiter's answer was :
I can take it back and warm it up in hot water.....Tell me now that the Four Seasons was NOT New York's
best restaurant in the glorious sixties !
3. “The bread is crusty and delicious, it’s warm when it’s brought to the table, and the butter is not rock hard.”
It's the simple things that stand out for my wife and me when we go out, and this is one of the biggies. Not surprisingly, both Outback Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse have this one nailed. Outback brings the bread almost immediately, and at Texas Roadhouse they pick up the bread as they lead you to your table.
I would add yet another bullet point...the over-zealous server or manager who stops at your table every couple of minutes to check and make sure everything is okay. If they feel there's a need to keep checking on that, there's probably a good reason...they no doubt have had numerous complaints previously and now are trying to make sure everyone is happy all the time.
I have a problem with restaurants that just don't understand that customers have choices. They process food orders without regard for the food quality. I am talking about the new cuban restaurant that boasts about homemade Sangria which is made with canned fruit cocktail. Or the italian joint that has bruchetta as an appetizer which turns out to be diced tomatoes sprinkled with dried basil...or a greek salad with croutons...I guess they figure that they have them, so use them or maybe just a lot of stale bread..or the risotto that is actually just rice in some kind of sauce which when commented to in response to the proverbial question "is everything alright?" You get a reply of "well, to make real risotto it takes a long time", ok, I understand, but you are calling it risotto. I really don't think that many restauranteurs eat their own food! If they did, they wouldn't go there either.
Caption 4: "Don't drown me with water".
If you do not want to experience the feeling "the morning after", it is recommended to drink water after you drink wine. In other words, if you take a sip of wine, then take a sip of water. I prefer to have the waiter make sure that the glass always has water.
There is a big difference between having water in your glass and having a waiter fill your glass a 1/4 inch every few seconds. I once had a waiter who filled my glass, and then topped it up with a droplet of water about one minute later before I had even taken a drink! Very annoying.
Seriously? Having a glass of wine with dinner will not result in a hangover the next morning, unless the glass is large enough to hold 2 bottles all by itself, or the drinker has absolutely no tolerance for wine, beer, etc.
There is a good reason why many restaurants don't want to serve a bloody burger. It's because they don't want to get sued if you get sick from it. Uncooked ground beef is a breeding ground for bacteria.
Maybe if it's already contaminated.Or if you have a lousy immune system and/or digestive system. A rare steak or burger should not kill you.
Unless the first sear or UV irradiate the outside of a chunk of meat, and then grind it fresh on site, chances are basically 100% that it's contaminated with some bacterium. Most bacteria will not hurt you, but some (notably certain strains of E. coli) lead to a miserable death, while others just have you vomiting for a day or two or three or four. That's why it's illegal in some states to serve a burger not cooked to a certain minimum temperature.
Yes, I'll order a rare burger in a place that takes pride in serving them, and does so regularly, because they presumably have figured out their sourcing (and grinding, and prep) in a reliable way. But you'd have to be pretty slow to insist on a rare burger at a place where the chef and the server do not trust the meat.
It is against the law in many places to serve an undercooked hamburger, unless the restaurant informs you on the menu that consuming undercooked meat and other animal foods may put you at risk for foodborne illness. It IS the policy of many restaurants NOT to serve the undercooked hamburger because they do not want to be responsible for making the customer ill.
Unfortunately more foodborne illnesses are now attributed to produce items and cross-contamination between raw meats and ready-to-eat food by uneducated or uncaring food service workers.
If you watch the bartender and the wait staff and they are not washing their hands after handling dirty dishes or glasses or they scoop ice with the glass and not an ice scoop, then this is NOT a "good" restaurant.
When we go out to eat, I will usually have 3 or 4 beers. One during dinner, then chill out/relax and have a few more. It pisses me off to be rushed by giving me the check after dinner. Who said we were done? I take a lot off the tip when that happens. You can give me my check when I freaking tell you I want it. I know the the wait staff makes more money thru turnover but, that's THEIR problem, not mine. I didn't force them into their profession.
"I didn't force them into their profession"
You sir, are an a$$hole. In the same right, they did not force YOU to enter their establishment. I am sure that you are the guy at Olive Garden that orders the "neverending everything", then camps out for 2.5 hours, only to leave a 10% or less tip. So here is a tip for you, stick do the McDonald's dollar menu, buy a six pack from the gas station, because it soulds like you need that money far more than that server does.
APPLAUSE! Yes, I am glad he wasn't my regular either. I spent many years in my 20's as a server. Many of the establishments I have worked for in the past had specific guidelines as to when to place the check and in front of whom. These were not chain restaurants, but fine dining establishments which have had waitstaff meetings on said topic. Sir Regular....it is my belief that you just relish the overall power rush of snapping your fingers for the check. Manners, please.
Reply to No Longer a Regular> You like to have a six pack at dinner do you? Well, courtesy would dictate that you save your last three for home and not punish the waiter for your lack of common sense. Drinking 6 beers at dinner probably makes you into someone who other diners would like to see go home anyway. You sound very selfish and probably look for any excuse to give a poor tip. Get real you cheapskate!
I hope they don't let you handle money if "three or four" equals six in your universe.
Just tell servers that you’re a dick when you arrive so they can give you less than adequate service to match your cheap tip. Sounds like you're confusing the word waiter with slave. You're also confusing efficient service with rushing. Just because you are given your check is not an invitation to leave. You can add to it and pay it when you want to. It sure beats sitting there waiting for it. Better yet, move to the bar. Most people are ready to leave after having drinks and a meal, but we understand you want to hang out and loiter for a while. It is most restaurants’ policy that the check is presented in a timely manner and the waiter is just doing his job. It’s not just the waiter who stands to make money on turnovers, it’s the restaurant also. It’s not fair to blame the server for following instructions from his supervisor. You should stay home.
Spot on Blake, spot on!
Exactly. I've also noticed that it depends on the part of the country that you're in at the time. In NYC, the check does not come until you ask for it, because people prefer to ask. In other areas, it comes at the end without being asked for, because people prefer not to HAVE to ask. It's a cultural difference - and anyone who says "well, if the check is handled differently from my normal, preferred approach, then I'm going to treat that cultural difference like bad service and stiff the waiter" is, yep, a total jerk who shouldn't be allowed to eat out in any place nicer than his back yard.
And the third option is never wrong in any geographical location–"may I get you anything? Desert, another beer, the check?"
NO class!! Restaurants are for a drink before or with meals. If you want to drink after having a bite close your restaurant check and go to the BAR!!
This guys a a rela Awipe. He's the typw that throws a few pennies in a full water glass for a tip and leaves laughing.
Wow man. I think you are eating at the wrong places then.
First of all, I hope you begin your visit by deciding on a designated driver. Secondly, when are you going to pull the stick out of...well, you know"
When you camp at a table you are cutting into the server's livelihood and the restaurant's profit margin. It is pretty clear that you don't care much about the wait staff, but the restaurant's menu prices reflect the table turn-over.
In my state, and most of the south, servers make less than minimum wage, here <$3.00 an hour. Tips are truly their livelihood. I tip quite well, always 15 – 20% of the total tab. If I "camp" at a table, I try to prorate the tip beyond my regular percentage, based on the turn-over at other tables. Still, I increase my tip. If the restaurant is very crowded, my thought is not for the business, but for other good folk who are waiting for a table. The only reason I tip short, is if the server is clearly sloppy, doesn't care, or is openly rude and hostile to me. I am a very nice guy; and get back what I give. I can't remember the last time I "stiffed" anyone.
Your serious social myopia aside, perhaps you and your party could adjourn to the bar, where extended stays are expected...and whose menus choices seem to be in line with your preferences.
I know the the wait staff makes more money thru turnover but, that's THEIR problem, not mine. I didn't force them into their profession...
So, you understand that you are causing someone to lose money and consider this selfish act justified? Where do you work, perhaps I should go to your job, waste your time and ensure that you lose money. That WOULD be your problem, not mine.
In addition, the reason the check is dropped is for your benefit, so you don't have to wait when you are ready. It does not prohibit you from ordering another beer. It's obvious you're just looking for an excuse for being a poor tipper.
When I go out to eat I'm paying for the time at the table so I have the right to stay as long as I want. If I want to drink a six pack with my meal than I'm going to do it. All of you who think we should go to the bar or leave after we finish the meal get a grip! No one forced my waiter into his job so if he doesn't like my staying to enjoy the atomsphere, he's in the wrong profession.
I bet other diners cheer when they finally carry your obnoxious, drunken azzz out of the restaurant. Jerk.
I agree...Miss Tang get over yourself. Some of us make it an experience and sounds like your dinners are boring.
My husband and I feel the same way about having the bill slapped on the table while we are still eating. When we are good and ready to leave, we will be happy to call for our bill otherwise we feel rushed and it interrupts unnecessarily.
It is too bad that many U.S. restaurants employ waiters/waitresses who are not trained well.
E. Duffy
Maybe you should consider moving to the country where you get that good service – we are not stopping you.
I would much rather get the dinner check promptly after dinner and linger a bit on my own time, than sit and wait for the server to find time to give it to me. Sometimes they are so busy you would think they need roller skates – but then I'm a freak, i view waiters and waitresses as human beings.
I look for a Health Inspectors rating and usually make a trip to the men's room upon arrival. If there are no soap or towels and the restroom is dirty then I assume the employees have the same conditions and leave. If it doesn't look sanitary for the patrons, what about the cooks hands???
As a retired Chef after 40 years. You are absolutly correct. I visit the rest rooms when I first arrive.
The restroom is probably a good indicator of a decent restaurant, but I believe the reason for this has more to do with the clientele than the employees. A good restaurant caters to a more sophisticated crowd, the type of people who don't throw towels on the floor, scratch their names in the wood or urinate on the seats.
Another good sign is that Chuck Norris eats there
Chuck Norris trained me .... he can eat anywhere.
Chuck Norris doesn't eat breakfast, he forces it into submission.
Chuck kicked my hiney,and it hurt.
What, Chuck's a restaurant critic as well as a laundry expert and exercise guru? Where does he find the time?
Chuck Norris is everywhere.
Chuck Norris is not hung like a horse. Horses are hung like Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris was born in a log cabin that he built himself.
Chuck Norris lost his virginity before his dad did.
Chuck Norris gave Mona Lisa that smile.
I loathe Chuck Norris ... and John Wayne too. You Chuck Norris food critics eat at Burger King, right?
Chuck Norris puts the laughter in manslaughter.
NEXT .... !
lol. My favorite hibachi restaurant actually has a photo of Chuck Norris behind the bar from when he visited the restaurant. They also named a cocktail after him. I think you might be on to something.
Chuck Norris slams the revolving door at my favorite restaurant!!!
!WIN!
Subttlety. In a good restaurant, everything is slightly restrained. You are made to feel welcome, but not effusively. The server is accommodating without trying to be your friend. Your water glass is filled and topped up without you even noticing. No dish is suggested with the "hard sell.". Your food is served fresh from the kitchen, with no skin from being under warming lights. You are not offered dessert immediately after your entree dishes are taken away, but after you have finished sipping your wine and had a little rest. In other words...good service makes a good restaurant, and good service means observant and considerate attention.
I work in a "scratch restaurant" where everything is well, made from scratch. Your insight into what service should be is spot on. I will take your comments and pass them on to my servers. Try Audens Kitchen in San Antonio, Texas. we have great servie and delicious thought out never processed food.
Also, no roaches in your soup is a pretty good sign.
One of you mentioned that a good restaurant is one where the diners are over 30, good-looking, and well-dressed. That's simply a mark of who can afford to dine there, not necessarily the quality of the food nor the restaurant. I'm a 24 year-old with a fantastic job which requires me to dress in well. A self-professed foodie, I eat at cheap, hole-in-the-wall places that turn out to be the best food I've ever had and at the 5-star champagne, lobster, steak restaurants. I've become friends with the waitstaff at several restaurants and no longer need to look at a menu because they know my tastes and can order accordingly. They'll bring out my favorites and some new appetizers that I may like. The meal is never, ever rushed. These are marks of a stellar restaurant. Service and quality.
In my school bus driver years, I discovered a nice little cafe in a local strip mall. The food, particularly the breakfasts, were better than average, but my favorite waitress, ever, was the reason I kept coming back. She was most charming and had a delightful sense of humor on whatever planet waitresses come from. I used to invite other bus drivers to meet me there (one day twelve of us), and took all my friends and my mother there for breakfast. I hope she is reading this.
I had to quit going because under the new ownership, she was broken. The new pinched-faced owner hovered about and criticized her constantly, once even reducing her to tears, on my last visit.
For me the best part of any good meal is upbeat staff, who know that human contact is part of the job. I also get a lift when I see that they work together as a team. I once saw a manager dump a public rant on a waitress...my empathy couldn't take it...never went back.
Agree with a twist on the water. I hate waiters that try to jack the bill up. I eat with customers a lot and some waiters are like corporate lawyers swooping in to crack open 8 bottles of $10 water if somebody looks at their glass. Same on wine – somehow they always sniff out the "connaisseur customer" who just loves that $120 bottle.
Sorry, but like it or not. Thats their job. Its called upselling and every restaurant in the world tells their waiters to do it. You can always say no
The aroma when you walk in.
If it smells greasy then that means they don't wash the kitchen on a regular basis. A nice spicy, enticing aroma means you're in for a good meal.
You can tell a lot about a restaurant by their salads
THE no. 1 sign of a good establishment... the quality of the restroom.
I completely agree!
Olive Garden is NOT a restaurant. It is fast food Italian. Italians wouldn't eat there any more than Mexicans would eat at Taco Bell, or Chinese would order standard chinese takeout. Sheesh...
I see Mexicans swarming the Taco Bell all the time.
I am not sure that I understand all the slams on Olive Garden. know Italian-Americans who eat at Olive Garden. It may not be Italian haut cuisine (how do you say that in Italian?) but it can be good food at a reasonable price. With kids, what more do you want?
Because some people
(a) have no sense of humor
(b) wouldn't see the cloud's silver lining if it fell on them or
(c) are just uptight pee-pee heads
I like to imagine what the phony pretentious a holes of the world would do if they survived an apocalypse, and all there was left to eat was ka ka, and bugs.....
If my water glass goes dry, the tip dries up also.
At an extremely expensive restuarant ($80/plate) they told me they could cook a steak to any temperature, so I asked for it at 135 degrees which is what I cook it back home, and the waitress came back and said the chef needed to know if that was medium or well or what because he didn't know.
One correlation I have noticed is that the menu prices end in even numbers rather than cents the food tastes better.
Cute waitresses somehow makes the meal taste better, sorry all you others but it's true.
Appetizers make/break many restuarants.
Totally agree. Also, if they let my tea & water glass go empty... they get a note..and a very very small tip.
If " my tea & water glass go empty... they get a note..and a very very small tip." Have you ever said that out loud and realized how ridiculous you sound?
I hope someday I become as important as you people. If I ever get there, I will certainly log onto CNN.com to let everyone know that I've reached the point where I'm so far above everyone else, I will no longer have time to ask for a refill.
Unless your server was blatantly rude to you, tip well. It's a humbling experience to serve people for minimum wage, hoping you make enough in tips at the end of the night to make it worth while. Most of them have other jobs during the day and are at the end of a 15 hour work day by the time you grace them with your presence. If your "tea and water glass go empty" ask politely for more tea or water. There are people around the globe who wait weeks for their "water glass" to be filled and are dying of dehydration.
Welcome to the real world.
Amen to that! The petty crap these people fuss about is ridiculous.
I just filled your glass,Lady.
Wow. Self-involved much? I understanding wanting refills, but a simple "please" and "thank you" go a very long way.
You sound like a mean spirited, small minded person. A small tip from someone like you isn't surprising, teabag lady.
Some restaurants jack up the prices because they assume high price = quality. I'm astounded by the number of high price places that don't have a skilled chef in the kitchen, and can't adapt to customer requests.
everyone in the restaurant depends on your tip to live. they make less than three dollars an hour and the servers split that tip with numerous other positions in the restaurant. so your self consumed bs just cost that person a healthy meal and forced them into a bowl of ramen you effing cheapskate. if you can't afford a twenty percent tip than you cant afford to eat out. if the service was absolutely horrible fifteen percent will do and if it was enjoyable put down twenty five. i know that sounds like alot to you ridic people on here but its not the forties anymore and this isn't burger king. either drive thru or cook at home cuz if you can't tip correctly don't come here!
So you're a T&A tipper, I am sure your the first and only. How proud you are of your ridiculous arbitrary standards. Prikk.
My pet peeve is getting rushed through the dinner. I would like to have my salad or appetizer eaten before I get my entree. There is nothing worse than trying to rearrange the table because there is no room for all of the plates. So many times I am not even half way through my salad and the entree shows up. UGH. I understand they need to make money and cycle through the patrons but REALLY???? UGH
try giving the server your order after you've received your app...but be sure to ask the server to ring in the app right away so they don't wait til after you've ordered your entree. Your dining experience will be slightly longer, but as long as the company is good than it's a win win. However that being said, throw in a couple extra dollars of "rent" for camping at the table an extra 15 minutes.
It's not MY job as a patron to time my communication with the waitstaff. It's THEIR job to check on me and provide my order to the kitchen so that it's timed correctly.
Kelly: How exactly are they going to time it "correctly?" How would a waiter who has never met you know whether you tend to eat your salad quickly and to expect your entree immediatley upon completion, or whether you tend to eat your salad quickly and like a few minutes to let things settle before getting your entree, or whether you tend to eat slowly? It's not like there's an international timing standard keyed to your behavior.
I went to a restaurant earlier this year to meet some people and my boss for an end-of-the-school year gathering. I didn't order anything (I don't like their food), but the others ordered either appetizers or a small meal. We'd been there about 45 minutes when the manager came up and told us to "Get out". She said she had real paying customers (read people who order alcohol) and she needed the table. They have since gone out of business. Color me shocked.
Wow. I would have blasted every review site online with a bad review for that place.
Same here Jeff. I like my courses spaced out. I have had to tell a few servers that I'm not ready to order my entree while I'm still waiting for my appetizers. My family and I had one really bad waitress who was rushing us to pay. She actually stood over by the table staring. We spoke to the manager to let him know we didn't appreciate being treated as if we were going to walk out on the bill. Needless to say, the restaurant went out of business less than a year later.
Agree. Also laying the bill after they serve the entree is a bit rude. Any time that happens, I make it a point to tell the manager I would have ordered something else, but obviously they didn't want my business.. and never went back.
Oh jeeze, stfu and just stuff your big fat pie hole, already!
I, on the other hand, hate having to wait around for the check and appreciate having it brought earlier rather than later. See how tough their job is?
On a related note concerning rearranging the plates. If the restaurant chooses to have small tables, please don't crap them up with space taking centerpieces and whatnot that forces the wait staff to play gig-saw puzzle.
I am sure the wait staff hates it and, speaking as a customer, I hate it.
Either get bigger tables or get rid of the space wasting stuff on the small tables.
It aint elegant when the food has to be squeezed on the table.
I agree with these except the first. If you're going to be late for your reservation, you should call and let the restaurant know. They should be graciously accommodating and THEN be thrilled to see you when you arrive. No one is happy when you're 20 minutes late-whether it's a friend or restaurant hostess- it's rude.
Yes it is rude to show up late for your restaurant reservation.Just like the people who show up late for everything else:late for school, late for WORK!, late for a doctors appointment, late to the beauty salon, late on your taxes, late at your own funeral..you're going to get penalized...go figure
I completely agree about the rock hard butter! Nothing is worse than trying to spread ice cold and hard butter on bread. It shreds the bread to pieces and you end up with a large mouthful of butter!
I LOVE it when the waitstaff see that I'm wearing black slacks & offer me a black napkin instead of a white one, to avoid lint. It is so classy & a small touch that isn't a lot, but means so much.
Andi – It's not your black slacks they are offering you the black napkin to protect – it's really the red lipstick they don't want visible on the white napkin. Otherwise they would always use black napkins since the majority of men are wearing dark colored pants.
no, kelly, it's the lint thing.
NO KELLY, IT'S THE LIPSTICK THING.
Most men I know like a little lipstick on their pants ..... oh ... wrong subject .... never mind.
I have always considered wine pairing as complete BS. There is one core truth with wine. One only. If you like a wine, drink it. If you don't, don't. All the rest is windbags trying to show how smart they are.
Speak to any waiter. All but the most experienced of specialist wine waiters are told to spew a bit of BS at the table like "it has the aroma of peach" or "it has a touch of blackcurrent" and direct the customer to the wine they are trying to push.
Colin, on the whole I agree with you. Drink the wine you like no matter what you're having. But have you ever attended a wine tasting that included sampling each wine with a variety of foods? A friend of mine hosted one and we would sample say, a Chardonnay first by itself. Then again with a bit of beef, then with fish, then with cheese. The same wine tasted amazingly different on some of the pairings. Since then I've really tried to open my choices to find what wines go best with my meal.
While in a way I agree with you, I think that if you're eating out and someone who knows their wine is serving you, you should take advantage of their knowledge and try something outside of what you might normally drink. I had one dinner where I was brought a sample of the wine I liked as well as one that was suggested, and even though I normally don't like the type of wine that was suggested on its own, with the dish I was having, it made the dinner taste a lot better than the one I normally liked.
There are a LOT of wines out there, and unless you have a huge amount of experience with them, it wouldn't hurt to shrug off what you normally drink and try something new.
Colin –you're absolutely right. The wine connoisseur that trained at my (former) restaurant adamantly stated that people's palates are different, a pairing that taste good to one person will not to another.
There is a lot to be said for pairing the perfect wine with a dish, and I do appreciate restaurant suggestions (although I'd rather make my own choice). However, I've found that picking the right beer for a meal is much more difficult than picking the right wine, and restaurants rarely provide a beer drinker's guide. There's a lot of difference between pairing a steak with an IPA vs a stout.
I agree that the wine choice is totally yours to make, however, in a finer restaurant the staff should offer a pairing SUGGESTION for you. The server knows that a chocolate mint milkshake and a tuna sandwich may not be the best pairing, so they may offer a suggestion that can enhance your meal. I've often been informed that a guest would like a light, dry red wine and then opt for a Shiraz, and are than dissatisfied with their choice. In the end, it's ONLY a suggestion.
I get my first impression of how good a restaurant is by driving by at dinnertime to see how many cars are in the parking lot. A full parking lot is a good indicator where an nearly empty lot at dinnertime is enough to make me not go in.
Agree! That's my top most criteria, or just take a peek inside to see the number of tables full...
You must not live in a big city because the only places around me that have parking are chain restaurants. Most of the good places are downtown and they don't supply parking.
I think I have to agree with Turtle. In many cases the number of cars in a lot or number of tables full actually tells me more about the people in that area than the quality of the food.
i'd say a parking lot is a sign of a bad restaurant.
Or maybe the restaurant has valet service? I was a valet at Sunset and Gower, and we parked cars all over the neighborhood. The restaurant didn't have a parking lot.
By that logic, Appleby's is the best restaurant in my city. Most busy restaurants are usually cheap and/or have a good kids menu.
Olive Garden is soooo overrated! Worst attempt at Italian food I've ever seen and the service was horrible! But kudos to the manager for handling it well.
True story:
Several weeks ago, me and a girlfriend of mine went to eat at OG. It was a Sat., about 4:00pm. They were quite busy but it was in a mall area so it's always like that. Anyway, we're seated and appetizers orders are taken and arrive in a timely fashion but things went downhill after that.
We waited over an hour for entrees to arrive and when the waiter finally returns, he's like there was a mix-up in the kitchen but they should arrive shortly. When they do, (still 20 mins later) they are WRONG. By this point we are livid and demand a manager. He comes over, apologizes for everything, says our correct entrees will be out. He comps our entrees and wine, but we still pay for the apps. I went home with two free entrees and a bag of fresh breadsticks.
Still, the food was mediocre and despite the manager's class in handling the situation, I won't be back!
"Me and a girlfriend?" Learn English!
Actually, Mable; that would be a grammar problem. Not an English problem.
Really Mabel? You read the comment and your only response was to critique a poorly written (yet unfortunately common) phrase? The world of the Internet thanks you for policing such comments and making sure Jenn was reprimanded accordingly. It's clear to everyone that she doesn't know English well enough to function.
At least she spelled everything write.
HA! Reallllly...? Benny Hill@Mabel Schwartz
I wouldn't even consider Olive Garden as a restaurant. Yes, highly over rated. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that most of its patrons don't have a clue how to cook pasta (boil water).
I don't understand why any of you are making this into an Olive Garden review? Olive Garden is a casual dining, economic, chain restraunt. This article is describing a higher class or restraunt & fine dining restraunts. You can't compare restraunts of different classes & expect them to measure up. For instance you would not compare the steak at Denny's to a steak at a 5* restraunt. To some extent you pay for what you get. Olive Garden is no Caraba's but then their price is much more affordable ...
Ally,
You should have used a comma not a semi-colon.
So, do you like people nit-picking your posts over inconsequential grammar mistakes?
Yep Thomas. It was completely inconsequential. That's why I poked a little fun at the poster who seemed so angry at a grammatical mistake. :)
I'm sorry you think Olive Garden is worth mentioning. When I think of "good restaurants" it's the last thing on my mind.
I used to love eating at Olive Garden. Then I graduated college, got a good job and was able to eat at real Italian restaurants.
I think it is heartbreaking that people visit NYC and go to the Olive Garden in Times Square when there are a cornucopia of fantastic Italian restaurants in Little Italy.
The number one sign that I am in a good restaurant is that Michelle Obozo is nowhere to be found, telling me what I can/cannot eat...
Here's a wet one for you... *poot*
You're right-it's so much better when sarah wing-nut palin suggests the fried butter.
Which would be any restaurant in the country. Advocating healthy eating is not the same as telling you what you can and cannot eat. Not a difficult concept for people of normal intelligence.
I hate the restaurants that can't pace the courses correctly. If I'm still eating my appetizer, I don't want the waitperson moving my app plate to make room for the entree. And worse, when I tell them to take it back to the kitchen because I'm not ready, it comes back lukewarm. Good restaurants teach the waitstaff to monitor the diners' progress and to tell the kitchen when to fire the next course, instead of being on a rigid "10 minutes after they get the salad, we send out the entree" schedule.
I also can't stand loud music. It's fine to have some background music to add atmosphere, but I shouldn't have to shout to hear my dining companions. My husband and I went to a very good $$$ NYC restaurant recently and were among the first seated. The music was blasting and we asked for it to be turned down. The waiter did so grudgingly – "well, we'll do it now but it'll have to go back up later". C'mon – the waitstaff had it cranked while they were setting up, but no reasonable customer wants it that loud. We come to eat, not to listen to the chef's iPod playlists. When was the last time you went to a restaurant and thought, "gee, great music but it's not loud enough, wonder why they don't turn it up?"
That music wasn't loud by accident. Turning up the volume is a restaurant trick to help get you in and out quicker. There was an article recently that mentioned that among others.
Well it works. I would leave immediately.
Part of the "dining experience" is the socialization with your dining party. Having to shout to be understood takes away from that enjoyment.
Unless it is a Chucky Cheese type place catering to kids and teens.
And would it kill the waiter to get a hair cut?
And get off my lawn you meddling kids!!! :)
Agreed! The last thing I want is my dinner while I am still eating my appetizer.
one of our favorite late night restaurants is a local Denny's. The waitresses sit us in a corner booth away from the loud music, then turn OFF the music in the booth's area. Then pander to us the rest of the meal.
Gawd, deliver me from music so loud I can't hear my dinner companions' conversation.
I think the thing to look for is if the people eating the food are enjoying it. We have a lovely whole in the wall resturant that we take everyone to when the visits us. This place is inexpensive and the food is wonderful, the staff is attentive and they always top off your drink or bread basket (which is to die for by the way). I don't generally eat in "high end" resturants just because they are to snooty to treat my children (now adults) with respect. If I eat somewhere that can't take care of our table because we have kids I don't want to eat there. I have had some place seat us in no mans land because they saw my children. First, both my children are well behaved and have always been so. Second when they want to order for them selves, don't look at me like you don't trust them, we will have discussed this before you go there. Third, don't igonre one person at the table, you never know who is paying the bill and your tip, I have had the wait staff refill my husbands glass over and over and totally ignore mine, even when I have asked for a refill. And lastly if you see that the people at the table are having a conversation and you want to leave the bill, do so, don't interupt, it is rude, we will leave when we are ready and yes we will respect that you have people waiting on our table.
It must suck that the wait staff is not intimately knowledgeable about your kids and how they act.
Have you considered sending video evidence in advance to the restaurant so that the wait staff knows that YOUR kids are different from those OTHER kids? I mean clearly the wait staff should already know that your children are different from the other riff raff that comes in.
Any wait staff that does not understand my whole family history including the behaviour patters of my children certainly won't get my business. My family is way too important to put up with that.
Years ago I worked in a high-end restaurant. The butter came "pre-balled," in cartons, which were kept in the freezer until we reached in, grabbed a handful and put it on a plate to take to the table, still frozen. We were supposed to wear gloves for fishing them out (utensils would damage the score marks on the butter balls) but you can imagine how many people (especially the guys) found that to be too much trouble. The only thing worse than frozen butter balls is being served "butter blend" in little plastic tubs with foil tops. It's astonishing that people have been making butter for centuries and still can't get it right!
One of my favorite things and generally a sign of a good restaurant is if you get up to use the restroom and you return to discover your napkin re-folded for you. It's like magic!
It means the waiter has been hanging around your table flirting with your girlfriend while you were gone!
Now that's funny !!! Was the napkin folded into any type of erotic shape?
Worst restaurant experience ever for me: Several years ago, we went to a restaurant, a middle of the road Olive Garden chain-type (not an Olive Garden, don't want to disparage them) and after a reasonable wait got seated (entire family – me, husband, 3 kids & my visiting parents). Someone came over & filled our glasses, then said our server would be there shortly. Server came over, gave us menus, then disappeared. After about 15 minutes, we were all sitting there waiting to place our orders. After 20 more minutes, still no server – I got up & asked for a manager, got a hostess (not the manager) who said she would see what happened (no apology). After ANOTHER 10 minutes, I was really angry and pretty well demanded to speak to the manager, not a hostess. Finally got the manager. Turned out that the server was at the end of his shift when we came in, and he just LEFT without telling anyone that there was a table waiting to have orders taken! Unbelievable – no one came by to ask if we have been helped, no other server was assigned to the table, nothing. NO APOLOGY from the manager either, just an "Oh, well, the server should have told someone"! Needless to say, we all left and took our business elsewhere (so that restaurant lost about $150 of business) – still hungry, 45 minutes after we came in, and after I had informed the manager that we would never be coming there again and that I would tell everyone I knew about the horrible treatment we had gotten. Even if we had been the world's worst customers (which we weren't – kids were well-behaved and we all have good manners) – there was NO excuse for this. So – best restaurant for me? Treats its customers as if they're valuable assets; has good food at reasonable prices for what you're getting (don't expect filet mignon at a burger price); is willing to accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions, and will try to correct or compensate for them.
Only good thing about this experience? The restaurant I mentioned is no longer in business.
Seven top with no reservations at a chain restaraunt? people like you crack me up. Did ya get unlimited breadsticks and salad? LOL
@Jay – Doesn't matter how big the party. There's no excuse for this kind of service.
A lot of times the chains won't accept reservations. They'll offer call ahead seating, but not reservations.
No, we didn't have reservations, because they didn't take reservations for less than a group of 10. And we didn't get "unlimited" anything, because we never got served! (Thank you so much, by the way, for assuming my family and I are gluttons. Personally, I never take advantage of "unlimited" anything, because I know I'll be taking half my dinner home anyhow.) Seriously – reservation or not, if a group of 7 people walked into your restaurant, would you ignore them and the revenue they're bringing in? If it had been a place that took reservations, and we walked in without one, I would've expected a wait for a table. BUT - once seated, I expect to be served, not ignored for 45 minutes.
1. Don't eat in chains. You are better off going to Taco Bell. The food is manufactured and portion controlled
2. Look for a chef owned restaurant that serves sustainable food. I always look for this when I travel. It is near impossible here in the desert.
3. Crowded does not mean good. It just means people are sheep.
4. Sheep sounds good actually. I think I will go get some.
5. Support local businesses
Mmmmmmm....lamb chops!
Ask someone who lives in town, where to get the best meal and the best service. If you are visiting the area, ask your cab driver, your hotel clerk, the maid, the clerk at the mall, anyone about the best place to get the sort of meal you are looking for.
We love a good breakfast and got sent to a restaurant that had good food but doesn't serve breakfast. We had lunch and asked the waitress, who cheerfully told us of a place not far away that serves great morning food.
BTW, if you love breakfast...Cowboy Surfer Grill, Ontario Ave and Main, Corona, CA.
haha! Was it Bennigan's???? Totally had something almost identical happen at a Bennigan's once.
On our son's 21st birthday dinner, on a busy friday evening, we took a party of ten, including a toddler and a developmentally disabled teenager, to Dave and Buster's in Ontario Mills Mall. We were told there would be the expected long wait. there were entertainments available, but because there was an open bar, the teen and the toddler and their wranglers were excluded. After a 2 hour wait, we were told that our table would be ready in a few minutes. We watched them set up a table for a large party and went to round up the rest of our group.
We were all together in a couple of minutes, to find that a party that had just arrived had our table. Our son-in-law, Russ, had seen a the other group arrive and observed that, after a friendly BFF chat, they were given our table. He confronted the hostess and spoke to the manager.
It was after ten, 4 hour wait, when we were seated, with a very fussy 18 month old and an anxious teen. We were seated at two booths, designed for privacy, back to back, for ten people celebrating a birthday. They offered free appetizers to placate us, and gave us ONE play card for their arcade. We never saw appetizers at our table. One plate went to the table that Russ occupied.
The service was lousy, and the food mediocre, perhaps because it was getting close to closing time. It was the absolute worst dining experience in my entire life, and I never go to Dave and Buster's anywhere. Every conversation, even with complete strangers, about dining out, usually includes a retelling of this story.
I've been running restaurants for 24 years. While these aren't terrible points, the overall article is quite lame and DUH! Tell us something we don't already know.
A good restaurant is one that's FULL! If you walk by and it is slammed with full tables when the place across the street is empty, it's a good bet the full place will be much better! It doesn't matter if your definition of "good" includes a price point – at $100 a plate or $4 for a basket – I know that a full restaurant is a better gamble to be good restaurant!
I used to be a server. One of my pet peeves is asking me if I want steak sauce. If the line cooks can cook a good steak, then you don't need steak sauce.
Even if the steak is heavenly, some people will still want to have steak sauce on it. I imagine the server is either told to ask, or he/she has been asked for sauce enough that it's an automatic question.
This is a case where the customer is always right. If their taste is to use A1 on a $300 steak, it's none of your business. Bring the damn bottle.
MMM...nothing sets off a good steak like some ketchup.
... or apparently sets off some other people.
Heck! I put ketchup on Mac&Cheese, cottage cheese, lots of different things...it makes many things that are perfect better. I also learned, entirely accidentally, that ketchup does not go well with peanut butter between two slices of bread, particularly if you are expecting strawberry jam.
I only ask for steak sauce if I know I'm not getting top quaility meat...like steak and eggs at Dennys or somewhere like that. But if I'm paying good money for the steak, I expect not to need the sauce. Craft Steak in Vegas...prime example...awesome meat! Like buttah!
Whether someone wants steak sauce is none of the server's (whose name I couldn't care less about) business.
Situation 1:
customer: "Could I have some steak sauce"
server: "Sir what you want on your steak is none of my business"
Situation 2:
server: "Would you like some steak sauce with that?"
customer: "Maybe I do, maybe I dont, either way its no business of yours!"
No argument! I've been asked if I want A-1. My reply is that if I need A-1, the steak is going back to the kitchen. Servers laugh with this, and agree, but there are still people out there who want their A-1, just like there are people who add salt to over-salted food. grrrr.
I work in a high end restaurant and one night a patron asked for A-1 Steak sauce. Now, we don't carry bottled steak sauces, however we do make several varieties of our own. I brought out a Port wine reduction and jokingly told the guest that it was A-2, only available in the finest restaurants. They loved it, and wanted to know if it was available in stores, I told him it was not. Always wondered if he called Kraft to get some.
Carrie,
You are really upset because a wait staff asked you a simple question?
That is your peeve?
Let's just say she'd rather fake it than be honest. Works for me!
Really? I've found that a simple, "no thank you" is sufficient. If that's a pet peeve, I'd hate to find out what really gets you steamed.
I was told by a restaurant owner that the sign of a good restaurant is the salad dressing! Some make it fresh and some used bottled. Paying attention to a small detail like that is fairly indicative of how much attention will be taken to serve
you a good meal the rest of your dining experience. I certainly do not believe that the prices have anything to do with
the overall quality!
"Good restaurant" is subjective. Some of the best food I've eaten has been from hole-in-the-wall restaurants.
Exactly. I routinely travel in rural areas of America and some of the best food and service can be found at these off road hole in the walls.
You got that right, abbyful!
absolutely. A friend took us to a local restaurant in his town. Off, off road. Wonderful food. And a chocolate cake that could conquer the world (and feed it)!
Agreed. And some of the worst food and service has been at $100+ per person restaurants.
My reasons: 1) Everyone is good looking and well dressed; 2) Everone seated is over 30 years old; 3) No table is a "bad" table to be seated at; 4) Fine silverware and glassware on each table; 5) No intrusiveness by the staff needing to know how everything is all the time.
People under 30 can't appreciate good food or eat at a high-end restaurant?
On top of that, someone who's subjectively considered by the poster to be unattractive can't/shouldn't/doesn't eat at nice restaurants?
Exactly! I'm under 30, but am part of a high-income couple, and have had servers at several high-end restaurants treat me like I'm an idiot because of my age (bad table, poor attention, etc.). Those servers do not get the benefit of my typical 25-30% tip (and I include cocktails/wine in my calculation!). I also proceed to specifically request that I not be seated in their section the next time I go to the restaurant.
Everyone is over 30, eh? I'm 31 now, but I knew what I liked when I was in my 20's. I was an Army officer, and I would occasionally dine out. Now, if you said, "No screaming children or obnoxious teenagers, I'd agree with you. However, younger folks can and do go out to fine restaurants, both on their family's dime and their own.
Bet you don't eat out much.... Talk about a snob.
R,
I can tell you are not very experienced posting on the Internets Tubes. Did you really expect a post like yours not to be attacked?
That's the Internets Tubes for you. :)
I agree with the article. I hate when I have a full glass of water or maybe a 1/4 of an inch gone from the top and the waitstaff thinks I need a refill. Wait until it is half empty before filling and then ask. I also hate cold butter. Even with warm bread it still doesn't spread.
One test that my husband and I have is to ask the bartender what his or her favorite drink is to make. To pass the test, the bartender must be able to come up with something that is not on the menu. Some may think this is rude, but at several restaurants, we have had bartenders create a drink after asking a few questions about what we like and are able to charge us accordingly. They are not required to go by a corporate set drink list with measured out pours of alcohol. We tend to go back to those places.
Our favorite restaurant often times brings us a single serving appetizer – something the chef created. Noting my earlier comment, the last time we were there we each received a single scallop (somthing not on the menu so it isn't something they are just trying to get rid of) and I don't know what the chef did to it, but it was the most amazing scallop I had ever eaten and I don't normally care for scallops.
steph, what do you do for work? i'm sure people would love to come "test" you to see how creative you are at your job. how ridiculous you are!
Amen sis
"Some may think this is rude..."
Yup
What a complete b it ch.
Also not on this list.
They don't have paper placemats and crayons.
I like a place where you're not rushed. I don't like the server to practically INSIST that you order your meal at the same time as the appetizer. Then keep asking every few minutes if you're ready to order yet.
Worse than being ready to order but your server has disappeared?
Agreed. The disappearing server is the worst.
What's worse: the server who disappears or the server who disappears, then shows up stinking of cigarette smoke? I'd rather they disappear and come back smelling like a grease fire. Then I know they were gone for a GOOD reason.
"the server who disappears, then shows up stinking of cigarette smoke?" You won that one. Very nasty.
As a restaurnt owner, I tend to be more aware than the average customer. That being said, everyone's version of a "good" restaurant is different. Being expensive doesnt make it good. Some of the best food I have every eaten has been under $5. But when I go drop a hundred or more on a meal I better leave at least 75% impressed. As for the servers......they always vary and a "good" restaurant should be having before service meetings and regular trainings with the front of house staff to ensure consistency in a customers experience.
I encourage everyone to have a restaurant job at one point in their life to really understand what it's like to be a server or busperson, prep cook, etc. The restaurant business is not for the weak at heart. The pay is generally terrible(but varies with where you are) and the hours are long and hard. So remember just because you are being served....they are not servants and should be treated with respect and you will likely get the same in return. If not.....then you probably arent at what I would consider a "good" restaurant.
Agreed. I have spent a good deal of money on a meal only to have the whole experience turn out merely "Meh". I've bussed in a chain Italian restaurant and worked for several years during college as a delivery driver and shift leader at a sandwich shop (Erbert & Gerbert's, a chain based mostly in MN and WI), and I mostly enjoyed the experience. The best was at the sandwich shop, where we did have routine meetings, management paid attention to food prep, quality, and consistency, adherence to sanitation and health code was constantly stressed; and so on. It was hard work (particularly during bar rushes on weekends), but I and the other managers always tried to make it fun work, too. Respect the employees and they'll respect you and the job and the customers, and the customers will come back. Simple as that!
Spot on! Training makes a huge difference. I once worked at Panera and they had "Bread Bashes" for the employees to try out all the new seasonal items (drinks, salads, pastries, everything) so that we could tell customers about the items. And I wish more restuarants would make a point of reminding employees about health codes and allergies.
Everyone should work in a restaurant at some point, even if it's just a summer between semesters. You'll learn a lot about what goes on behind the scenes.
great comment! you hit the nail on the head!
Regarding the bloody burger comment (#5), there are actually laws against it. The FDA food code specifies 155 degrees for ground meats, due to the risk of E-Coli. Most states adopt the FDA's guidelines into their state health statutes, making it an enforceable law. If the restaurant agrees to serve you the burger under medium well, and they do not have a health department approved variance for a proceedure to ensure safety with the lower cooking temperature, they can be fined, and would also have a civil liability for the illness caused, and associated expenses. To expect a business to place itself at financial risk for your preferences is unfair. Keep in mind, the local health department does not have to grant a variance, so even if the restaruant wanted to pursue it, the local health department may prevent them from doing so. If you ask for your burger to be cooked less than medium well, ask if they have an approved variance to ensure it will still be safe. If not, THAT is a sign that they do not respec the health code, and you should dine elsewhere.
So I won't order a "bloody" burger. However, if the menu has beef tartare or carpaccio (sp.) on it, why the questions of "Really; are you sure" when I ask from my ribeye to be extra rare. If you can serve me raw beef as an appetizer, I should be able to order my steak "bloody" without the lecture about e-coli. If your meat is tainted, don't serve it!
You're talking about two different things, Ms. Grammar. A burger is ground beef, and must be cooked properly. A steak is not ground beef and has different requirements.
Ms Grammar, if a state has a "rare meat" law, it is most likely applied to burgers, not steaks.
For what it's worth, disrespect for government intrusion is a sign of a good establisment .
AGREE!
Amen!
Just out of curiosity, when you show up at the ER with stuff coming out both ends, I hope you're insured, as I bet you don't want the "government" to pay for your treatment, either.
On the other end of the spectrum, if someone wants something well done – even if it resembles shoe leather – they should get it that way. My mom ordered a tuna fillet once and the server asked how she would like it cooked. She said "well done" and the server that he was sorry but the chef couldn't do that. And don't argue with me if I tell you my steak is not done enough. I always order it medium and once it came out still mooing. I told her it needed to be cooked more and she said that was medium. Don't argue with me, just give it to me the way I want it!
I agree on all counts but I always begin judging by how many and what kind of cars are in the lot!
The kinds of cars in the lot only tells you how much you have to pay for a meal. Often it says little about the quality of the food or the service. I have been to too many over priced establishments with terrible food and even worse service.
... and if you're going to a downtown restaurant, where there is no lot ?
Not always. In my town, the fat-arses will flock to the cheap chain restaurants such as Crackle Barrel and leave the authentic local restaurants alone.
Just stuff what they give you in your pie hole and be happy.
"HA, HA!" – Nelson Muntz
I like the comment about the rock hard butter. Good bread is crucial, it is one of my favorite parts of the experience. Especially if it is artinal and made at the restraunt. The rock hard butter is a fine detail so many places mess up on.
What Would Ronald Reagan Do?
He would raise taxes.
At a very nice resturant several years ago, I mentioned to the the waiter the butter was rock hard and I couldn't spread it. He suggested I hold it over the candle to heat it up. I only WISH I was joking. True story.
If I were to eat in a restaurant that gives service like a "personalized 'Truman Show'", I will NEVER go there again. It's too creepy unless you a regular patron and the staff have gotten to know you. When I go out to eat, I'm there for the food, maybe the ambiance, and the company I am with. I don't want waitstaff up my arse pretending they know me well and assuming they will know what I want. If I want that, I'l go home to Mom and let her take care of me.
I hope Yo MAMA takes good care of you. Grins & Giggles.
the thing i despise are waiters who act like they are pro and take their orders without writing things down, then come back 15 minutes later and ask "you wanted that medium or well, and you wanted red sauce or white sauce?"
Had you wrote it down, you would have remembered. Then there's the ones that come up to you just when you put a fork of food in your mouth and ask "is everything fine?" either they don't want a reply, or they are just have really bad timing.
My better half used to wait tables, and he says they do that on purpose- if your mouth is full, you can't complain!
I'd *like* to say the proper answer is to spit out what you're chewing on your plate, answer them, then continue.
My husband and I went to a nice restaurant in Phoenix. The waiter didn't write down our orders. Normally, this doesn't bother me. When my husband's soup was delivered by another member of the staff, my appetizer was missing. I decided to just let it go as long as it didn't appear on the check (which it didn't). By not writing down my order he reduced the restaurant's intake and his tip. His loss.
Honestly, I've seen most of these characteristics in fast food sit down establishments. Not much to shoot for, warm bread, soft butter, inattentive bushelp, a server that knows red with red meat and white with pasta and poultry, and a slow enough dinning room that they can still seat you even though you blew off the reservation... That just described your local Olive Garden... okay food, definately not a quality dining experience.
Can't agree with the shot at Olive Garden. I've had some damn good customer service there. A few weeks ago, they burned my dish in the kitchen and they did everything except wash my car to make up for it. After delivering a properly cooked dish, the entire meal was free (not just my dish) and I received a gift card for 30 bucks. Most places you'd be lucky got to get an apology let alone all the rest.
I completely agree, last thing you want is a waiter who is being paid a lot less than i am telling me how i want my meal.
They should not talk unless it is requested.
They may explain but not too much, should only explain what is asked and if he or she can not explain, someone better help him real quick. Waiting until gettin an answer is definitely not acceptable unless the restaurant is run by a Jew since Jews will start calculating there take depending on the answer.
Did you know Jews are doing the same thing Nazis did to them when it comes to the Palestinians.
Not many people actually realizes this except for the Jews who will be mum about it.
You do realize that's a completely insane, hateful and incorrect thing to say, right? Just making sure.
Wow...MANY congrats on being able to load up one post with a year's supply of ignorance, stereotypes and outright inanity. I actually feel bad for the electrons and such that were burdened with your post.
Please take a seat in the STFU cafe until such time as we call you. NOT before.
I'm going to give you the benefit of a doubt and assume you are being funny?
What a horse's ass.
What does this have to do with Jews you schmuck? Palestinians train their kids to blow themselves up, but that has nothing to do with food you silly troll.
Pheh. This troll posted the same blather in another comment section. Just ignore it.
Actually I would bet that the waiter is paid a lot more than you are. Nobody really wants for stupid to be their employee.
Bite me mother***ker
I agree with the article however he left out one point, how they treat the children in the party. When my son was 8 years old and knew what he wanted and how he wanted cooked (filet mingon medium rare). When we went in they groaned at the sight of 4 children between 10 and 4 and placed us so far away from the other diners it wasn't funny. They were eating crow before the night was over as my children were perfect ladies and gentlemen. At another fine restaurant my children were complimented on how well they behaved, infanitlly better than a table of rich adults near by. If they expect patrons to act well they need to recipricate.
I bet a lot of the customers groaned too. I hate when I go to a nice restaurant and people bring young children. When I want to have an adult meal I go to a nice place. When I don't mind dealing with the possibility of screaming kids I go to a chain. Sorry, but bringing your kids was not a nice move, and even if the kids were well-behaved, the staff were not eating crow – they were merely relieved.
Nicole, if his kids were well-behaved then it wasn't a bad move to bring them to a fine restaurant. My nieces are extremelly well behaved. They are 7, 3 and 2. I have gone out to fine places with them and the wait staff commented to my brother every time how well they were behaving. If you have kids who MAY act up then I agree, don't bring them. But if they can act like adults they deserve to enjoy high-end food too.
Ally–The waitstaff had no idea the kids would be well-behaved, so as a pre-emptive measure on behalf of their other diners they seated the family away from the main part of the dining area.
I had no problem with the waitstaff seating them away from other diners. The percentage of loud kids makes that a safe bet. I was just objecting that it was a "bad move" for Sue to bring her kids to the restaurant. She knew her kids would be fine. But I wouldn't expect to get a fabulous table at a fine restaurant with small kids in tow. :)
I'm glad your kids were so well behaved, truly, but I think your kids might be the exception. I know I might be opening a can of worms, but in my experinece working in family-style restaurants, most kids (not all) are not very-well supervised. Parents usually have a lot going on and get distracted (hey, it's their night off, too). And when it's time to order food, waitstaff may listen to the child, but turn to the parent for confirmation. Some parents may be too distracted to realize their kid just ordered the 16oz steak.
Also, to open another can of worms, the worst thing about working in a family style restaurant is the huge mess left over when families with small kids leave. Perhaps it was just my experience, but the family-style restaurant I worked in did not have a regular busboy, so servers often bussed their own tables, cleaned the floor from all the thrown food, cleaned the high-chair, wiped down the booth, and set the table for the next family, all while waiting on all the other tables they had. So, not only were you run ragged (hot water for the baby's bottle, more drinks because junior knocked his over again, remake the spaghetti plate because princess dumped the salt all over her food, etc.). Once the cleaning was done, oftentimes there was no tip or only a $1. Add that to the $2.13 hourly wage and we made a whopping $3.13 for that hour and probably got less in tips from other customers who were seated nearby, as a result of them being uncomfortable.
I'm not bashing families with kids that eat out, not at all. My point is that families with small kids tend to be a lot more work than people may realize. Again, I'm glad you're kids are well-behaved and I have no doubt they are better mannered than some adults.
Nobody thinks your kids are cute except for you. And if your 8 year old is ordering filet mignon he/she's a spoiled brat to boot.
No one said anything about "cute". Your posting was uncalled for. Perhaps you could learn something about proper behavior yourself.
Why is it so cool for waiters to have to recite all of the specials. Many times they can't even get it right. And then you have to try to remember them. And if there are several or many, how the hell can you remember them all. I know it's supposed to be cool to do that, and I know they'll repeat anything you question, but why in the hell at 4 in the afternoon can't someone take a copy of the specials to Kinkos and run off 30 copies! Just like I like to study a menu, I'd also like to study the specials. This isn't a problem when they only have one or maybe two, but when you're in a nice place that has several, why can't you see them? Bonefish Grill can do it. Why can't everyone else? Use a blackboard if you have to. Let me real and study the specials....for God's sake!!!!!
oh bill smith. are you crazy? reciting specials is something servers are expected to do by their management and owners. it's not the "cool" thing to do, it is part of their job. just as i'm sure checking in to cnn.com is part of your job & making ridiculous comments to articles as if you're an expert. for all the comments & reasons people are listing as reasons they dislike dining out, it's all part of the steps of service restaurant staff is expected to go through. specials run out quickly because the product is not a regular order to the restaurant. sometimes it is a unique item that the chef may have a difficult time getting. so, if bonefish grill doesn't run out of things, go eat there. not many people do, that's why they are not running out of items.
I never understood why the specials could not be printed up on a card and handed to the customer along with the menu.
Especially when the place has 4-5 "specials". I came to eat, not undergo a memory test. :)
The place has to write down the specials for the wait staff, how about hitting print a few more times and make it easier on the wait staff and the customers?
Customers are not going to be impressed when they have to ask the staff to repeat all 5 specials and I am sure the staff would rather not have to do it.
So why, exactly is management insisting on this?
Even McDonalds does it. I ignore ads. If I ask what your specials are, then I want to hear it. Otherwise, I realize you're required to recite it, but don't expect me to pay attention. I'll order as though you haven't said anything.
Specials are a great way to get rid of aging ingredients that they want to remove from the shelves. Don't fall for the hype.
At a good restaurant specials are also a way for chefs to showcase their skills on items they don't normally get, like fresh seafood that is flown in that day.
I so agree about the rock hard butter; only unprofessional restaurants serve it that way. Also, salad dressings must be house-made; nothing worse than a "bottled" ranch dressing. Unfortunately, most of our chain restaurants, i.e., Chili's, Applebee's, On The Border, etc., are really just fast, pre-prepared processed food dressed up a bit with decor.
Only if you consider McDonald's formal dining will you get a labeled dressing :(
“They’ll cook your meat/fish/fowl the way you want it.”
A good restaurant will graciously do so, but if you're truly in a good restaurant, you should trust the chef. Completely. You are, after all, paying for their expertise at least as much as you are for them obey your commands.
I like a good Angus burger, Ketchup and pickles only. Should I trust the chef in a class steakhouse that it will taste better with onions and the "secret" sauce?? No way! Give me what I want, or I won't be back.
There are indeed a few who would go to a 5 star restaurant to have a hamburger, although I should think most of us would rather wish to experience something more exquisite than a hamburger with ketchup and mustard. If indeed a hamburger is on the menu, I agree that the chef should accommodate and serve the meat the way the patron requests, if at all humanly possible. Personally, the thought of having a calzone in a top tier Northern Italian restaurant would not cross my mind, for example.
I have been in many excellent restaurants. They always ask how you prefer your meal cooked, and do it in that way. They may make recommendations, but you can always, always ask for it the way you prefer it.
You can't tell if you're in such a restaurant until it's too late.
If the locals eat there in big crowds, odds are it’s a good place to eat. If it’s not full at the local meal time, forgetaboutit.
There is only one sign I look for–A Current Health Inspection Report,posted in the Front window,before I enter the restaurant. It shows that the Owner/Chef is concerned enough about the food he will present to his customers.
McDonald's has those.
Its all about what it cost in comparison to the meal and service you received.
My wife and I are well into our eighties and simply cannot eat the typical size serving. So we split. And the signs of a fine restaurant is 1) the waiter accepting the order cheerfully, and 2) the meal is split in the kitchen, producing two much smaller but still attractively presented plates. A restaurant from which I am tempted to walk out will bring the meal with a spare plate. The only thing worse is for the waiter to say, between courses, keep your fork and knife. Those are the places where I grind my teeth when the waiters comes back and asks, "How's everything?"
Bless you Sir,
I agree with you completely!!
Or they ask if everything is OK before you even have a chance to try anything.
I am a dining customer, not a hungry dog. I don't lunge at my plate and wolf down the food in seconds. :)
Lmao. I completely agree.
My husband and I split because we want to have room for dessert, but we prefer that it not be done in the kitchen because we're not 50/50 splitters. I'd prefer servers to ask how we'd like it handled.
what a ridiculous article! obviously sean elder has never worked in a restaurant. if you have an issue with water service, alert the employee. many times it is one of their points of service to meet. also, many of these comments are ridiulous. work one day with the general public ordering food & drinks, guarantee your negative few of restaurant staff / employees will be different. imagine, you are late for a doctor's appointment, you think the nurse is going to be thrilled to see you? get real. for pete's sake!
Yo Sofi,
I guess the "nurse" has never been late for an appointment...right?
In all honesty, I think Americans give too much time & focus to restaurants. Having a hissy over the difference between medium & medium rare... I don't know. It just sounds like the rantings of a spoiled child. For me, the best part of going out to eat is time with friends & family. That– and not having to do the cleanup. Our whole culture seems fixated on our guts.
So I could serve you a bloody steak that I dropped on the floor, and mix red/white wine in your glass and you would be ok with that.... because you are enjoying the time with friends/family? I'm sorry us Americans are so terrible lol
With the cost of eating out, when I order my steak medium rare, it better darn well not come out medium.
I agree! No other country critics and is more critical of its restaurants than America. Imagine bloggers and columnists writing so much about the local hardware store, Dr.'s office, cab driver or the way one mother's. Like they are experts or something. To me it's just a way for some folks to bully another and feel superior.
When I go out I turn myself over to the experience. From the decor, to the cleanliness (or lack of), the wait staff and the expertise of the chef or cook. Enjoy it for what it is and stop being such a grump.
Unlike, say, France? Or Italy? Right.
Says someone who probably goes to Applebee's for a fancy meal....No wonder you can't understand the importance of a perfectly cooked steak, or side dishes that are so good they make your toes curl. Best steak I've ever had was at Texas Cattle Company.
And while the "theme" was a little cheesy, the service and food was excellent.
"Were excellent" *sigh*
Pardon Me, KIm (Kim, SIGH!), but two things:
1. Please stop correcting grammar, unless you're an English teacher and have suitable credentials in that area. No one gives a rat's ***.
2. If you ARE an English teacher, great for you, and thanks for doing the hard work. But seriously, keep your grammatical lessons to the classroom. No one gives a rat's ***. (As an example, do you correct your dinner guests' grammar at the table? If you do, you need therapy.)
Too many people ripping of medium-value chains (Applebee's, Olive Garden, etc.). You can get good meals at either place, the atmosphere is enjoyable, and they know what they are. The truly bad restaurants are the ones that serve Applebee's quality food (or below) at double the price.
A person must also take into account the part of the country they are in. I live in Iowa and know of many small establishments in small towns where I can get an excellent steak. In other parts of the country I might order steak in high-end restaurants, but not in other places since I do not trust that the meat will be of equal quality. By the same token, I would not trust the average Iowan to offer the finest quality Cajun cuisine, for example.
She was correcting her own mistakes. There's nothing wrong with that. Don't like it? Then by all means, have a seat in the stfu cafe' and roll your eyes to your heart's content.
My pet peeve is a server who obviously hates their job. Most people hate that job– but the customer shouldn't be able to feel that vibe from the server.
Glad that one's not just me! Bad restaurant employees = unhappy customers.
Bad/Rude customers= Unhappy employees
Bad restaurant = grumpy employees.
It is a viscous circle.
Which came first the rude customer or the disgruntled wait staff?
And more importantly, who is going to be the first to break this circle?
You got that right. I can see it in the b it chs eyes the moment she walks up to the table with that fake, stupid smile. Oozing with hate for her job, life, or whatever. Good grief.
Another proof- salads are cold, soup and meat are HOT- not lukewarm, but HOT. Don't send out something that's just hot enough, so by the time it gets to the table it's simply warm. I'd rather wait for something to cool a bit rather than wait for the staff to toss it in a microwave (yeccch)
I agree, but I also hate the other extreme where the food is so hot that you can't eat it.
I hate sitting there, hungry, waiting for my food to cool down a few half-lifes to the point I can eat it without causing injury.
My biggest pet peeve: rude or unresponsive employees. Also, not everyone is perfect & beautiful – they shouldn't have to run through a gauntlet of eye-rolling, judgmental women just to eat dinner. A staff that makes you feel welcome will get return business! The opposite will likely chase customers out the door before they even order.
Your really ugly enough to generate eye rolls just by existing? I find that unlikely.. chances are if you get that kind of reaction its your hygiene, not your looks.
You're really...
Somehow, I doubt Patrick will understand your post. :->
I hate it when they can't can't accommodate vegetarians. I've had chefs come to the table only to apologize for having nothing I can eat short of a a simple salad. Chicken stock is used in rice, potatoes, all vegetable side dishes, etc. Not even a meatless pasta sauce.
If restaurants had enough vegetarians coming into the place. I am sure you would start to see more veg friendly meals. Until then it's not worth it. Should we also go to the trouble to make everything Kosher? I know its disgusting to hear but chicken stock in food taste good. Its about the majority not the minority. Oh and forget about vegans
You sound like someone who would complain because a steakhouse is not vegetarian-friendly.
Yeah, cooking those other foods in meat stocks/rendered bacon fat or other animal products, makes them taste DELICIOUS. A chef is interested in making sure his food tastes delicious, not accommodating vegetarians. You made the lifestyle decision, so go eat falafel and don't whine about it.
Also, why should a restaurant have to accommodate your particular eating habits? You can see the menu. It is usually posted near the front door. If there are no vegetarian items on the menu, go eat somewhere else. You wouldn't expect a restaurant to just whip up any other off-menu dish of your fancy, why should a (probably busy) chef have to prepare a special meal for you–because the menu he spent time preparing wasn't good enough for you?
How about all those annoying gluten free people. It is like everyone and their mother have celiac disease all of a sudden..although it is self-diagnosed. If you truly suffer, then you know what to eat. I always see people down a restaurant on Yelp, etc. for not being gluten free and vegan. These people are so entitled. If your kid is allergic to everything on earth, then that is your problem and don't expect restaurants to cater to your kid and tie up the server's time by checking if every ingredient is not in the food....so annoying.
@Dan – an ex-boyfriend of mine is allergic to many things. We would research restaurants online to see if they gave ingredient info before going to them. But if there was no info to be had we would have to ask the server to bring out an ingredients list. If a restaurant doesn't have lists written up it's their own fault that they're wasting their server's time. I agree that if you're vegetarian or keep kosher you should try to go to restaurants who cater to that special diet, but allergies are a whole different ballgame.
@ally...and maybe you should go to restraunts that supply ingrediant lists along side a menu. If you have food issues eat at home.
Regarding food allergies, why is one out of two people deathly allergic to peanuts all of a sudden? Next thing you know it will be against the law to buy or sell peanuts, wheat, shellfish, or anything with lactose. Somehow the weakening of the human biological system is happening all around us at a rapid rate, and it can't be a good thing.
I hate it when I go to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant and I can't order a steak. (Not really, just making a point.)
:-)
love your logic!!!
I once went to this swanky French restaurant and I could not get Mexican food. I was pissed! The nerve of this French restaurant only serving French food. Sheeesh.
The best!!
Your choice to be a vegetarian, your choice of where to eat. Restaurants aren't here to cater just to you and your preferences. You are probably unhappy if you don't have something to complain about.
OR if you haven't had an awesome, mouth-watering, juicy steack in a long time!!!
For me, a good restaurant is one where there are lots of customers and tables are full. If the restaurant is empty, I'm not going there.
That's silly! Just because a restaurant is not busy doesn't mean it's not good. I've been to fairly empty restaurants and have been overly happy with my service.
Thats the stupidest thing I have ever heard....don't go to a restaurant before 7 than.
applebee's is always busy and it sucks, yet i can always get a table at the amazing sushi joint around the corner. your logic is deeply flawed.
Then you'll think very highly of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. We live in a touristy area and make every attempt to try all the traps that come to town because we are often asked by visitors for tips on good places to eat. When BGSC opened, we wanted to give it a shot, too. We waited 45 minutes for a table (so by your definition it must be good, right?). It was by far the worst food and worst service of any tourist trap we've ever visited. This will be one we strongly recommend against to anyone who asks.
Agreed. BBSC was the most over-priced and underwhelming dinner I've ever had. And god, so annoying with the little signs you had to put on your table to signal your waiter! Should have known better...
Sorry, meant "BGSC".
you can't get a bloody burger in North Carolina either.. damn it
Yes, a excellent restaurant is one where the servers are intimate with all the food so they are able to give recommendations, are at your table only when you need/want them, chefs that are capable of preparing your meal the way you want and absolutely delicious. Details like bread and butter make the difference between a good place and a great place.
Well, I don't want to wait staff to be too intimate with the food :D
i want my hot waiter to sit and be intimate with me or i am not going back. and he better be into BDSM too.
If a restaurant meets or exceeds my expectations – That's how I gauge them.....this philosophy works from Mcdonalds to the dining room at the Ritz.
That's great if your expectations are well-founded and reasonable – as I'm sure yours are. But from what I've been reading, it's about a 50/50 chance finding folks with reasonable expectations.
On #5.. in some states there IS a law against it, and my Bar & Grill we absolutely could not sell rare burgers. It is arrogant and ignorant to think 'the customer is always right' in such situations, because here in FL three infractions = ENTIRE CHAIN CAN BE SHUT DOWN. This goes double for liquor laws, too.
I don't eat at restaurants that don't make my burger the way I want. The law that says that a restaurant can't serve a rare hamburger can't be legal. As long as the customer knows the risks they should get it the way they ordered it. Besides, who is to judge whether a burger is rare or not. I wouldn't tell if you didn't. But as I said.. if it's my money I should get it the way I (the person paying) wants it.
Art: The law is for your own good. Just as is the law against smoking. Or, for that matter, the laws against suicide. Besides, when it's really well done, you won't ever notice the finger nail clipping or the mouse tail.
Use Google. You'll find the laws. They vary state to state and most of them came about after the deadly outbreak of hamburger E.Coli in the 90's.
In some states they can only serve rare (or raw) hamburger if they grind the steak in the restaurant.
In North Carolina they just changed the law about grinding the burger meat immediately before cooking and being able to make it rare. Can't do that anymore. There were only 2 restaurants in the area (RTP) that did it anyway. Outrageous law... I am convinced that these laws came about because NC is a pork and chicken state primarily and this is a political law that benefits those industries NOT a law to protect me.
The law is legal, because the risk of pathogens that cause food poisoning. It's the people who demand things be cooked a certain way, who then get ill because of the way the food was cookedl, and then sue the restaurant (and the health department for "not doing their inspections properly" who create these laws.
Health & safety laws are to protect the masses, not the individual.
Here's another one. The food for all guests is served at the same time.
true, you don't see it very often in this country, but it's a damn good sign
THIS is my biggest pet peeve. Nothing more awkward than being out with a group and being the first one served well before the others. Then it's the awkward "go ahead and eat before it gets cold" and polite refusals or chowing down regardless, which I personally find rude. Serve all entrees together. I know it can be difficult to get the timing right, but we came to eat together, not in a relay race.
You Must be a Guy!!! For women, it all about the bathroom.. :)
*its :)
it's
sandwich maker.
Please don't try to speak for all women. You look immature and ignorant because, in this case, you're wrong.
Plenty of us (women, men, people) go to restaurants and never see the inside of the restroom, doofus.
"Yesterday, we learned if the restaurant is already out of the snapper special during the first seating and the waiter wants to know your family tree, chances are Sean Elder, editor in chief of the digital food magazine Real Eats, isn't going to be returning to said eating establishment anytime soon."
Oh my god, they're all ruined.
Good rule of thumb is to never order a fish special (unless it is a seafood restaurant) especially at the beginning of the week. Great chance they are trying to sell what they didn't over the weekend;-)
Jenny, simply not true, restaurants get fish on Mondays also.. A good restaurant doesnt have to worry about getting rid of product because the chefs order and prep according to business demands.
What's up with "which there may be in Canada?" Really you Americans need to take a reality check on your ethnocentric attitudes, we're your neighbour, your largest trading partner, and oh by the way, we always have your back, even when you're wrong. And yes, in Canada, we spell neighbour with a "u," and people don't ever die here because they don't have healthcare.
Angel, not all of us are idjits. Please don't judge all of us based on a few (ok, let's be honest, the more than few) idiots on a blog. I have had great service at Canadian places and the people were pleasant.
At least Canadians are polite these days. However, for the War of 1812.... well, you didn't have our back in the *nice* sense. :->
If Canada had a military to fund the way the US does, you wouldn't have government funded healthcare either. Because we have one, you don't need one. You're welcome.
People don't die in Canada because you have healthcare? It must be getting very crowded up north...
I would like the appetizer to come out quickly. Not with the main dish, I hate waiting for the appetizer only to have it come with the main dish.
I ordered dinner with two colleagues at Red Robin in San Antonio a few months back where that happended and the manager came to our table and very apologetically comp'd the whole meal for the faux pas. I was dumbfounded because I never expected this from a "burger joint." The same thing happened at the Cheesecake Factory in Annapolis MD and there was not a peep of a true apology. Five items arriving at the table to be eaten at once or get cold is not cool. Learn somehting everyday. I'm sure the Eatocracy contributors don't patronize either of those establishments though.
Rather than quickly, I'd rather it come out correctly. If I'm going out for a nice meal, I'm not using a stopwatch.
That is my major pet peeve too.
I also want to mention to any servers out there; Don't take away my drink to go and refill it. Even, if it only has ice cubes left in it. If you are not savy enough to know to ask if I would like a refill before it gets empty at least let me chew on the ice before you return with a fresh drink or pitcher to refill the one I have.
Chewing on ice in a restaurant, classy.
You sound like a classy date....chewing on your ice.
Maybe she chews ice with her mouth closed ... maybe.
Do you dig the cubes out with a fork?
Your dentist must love you – chewing ice causes hairline cracks in teeth.
By the way. There is a porterhouse cut in steak, veal, pork, and lamb. Why are people so ignorant when it comes to food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
I waited tables and bartended and managed restaurants. will never do it again. too many disrespectful people come in thinking that they are owed the world. only 50% of the people know how to tip the waiter / bartender. maybe less. dont get me wrong it was a great learning experience and it helped me become a great salesperson but there are too many %^&#%^ out there. it doesnt matter if it was a high class restaurant or bar there will always be pricks there. and for those of you reading this message that are pricks to your server or bartender, i guarantee you that you are getting either spit on your food, contact solution on your beer, or many other bad things that people that handle your food can do. Watch the movie "Waiting" with Ryan Reynolds. 100% true.
I waited tables and no matter how bad the person was I would never endanger a customers health. It is petty, disgusting, immoral, and illegal. If caught there would be criminal and civil penalties for intentional harm to a customer.
I find that the quality of food is often inversely proportional to how nice the restaurant looks inside. Especially if the restaurant has been around for awhile. If it looks dingy, but has been there forever, you know the food has to be good. This is especially true with mexican restaurants. If I'm traveling, I often actively seek out hole in the wall mexican restaurant, because I know i'll find good food there.
I also have a law against never eating at a chinese restaurant that has french fries on the menu.
Yeah...just make sure this whole in the wall isn't serving bathtub cheese, or Ques Blanco from unknown sources. If you don't know what that is, or what I'm talking about...do a bit of research.
I live in L.A. and we have a ton of holes in the wall Mexican. Some will come close to killing you. Beware the cheese...
It's "hole in the wall", not "whole in the wall". Look it up if you don't believe me.
Especially fromunda cheese!
Every time I travel, I try to stop at a local restaurant for that "home cooked" meal. 90% of the time I'm disappointed. There is a reason franchises are successful.
That's because in many rural areas, people consider "good home-cooked meal" to be "lots of food". They consider quantity to be quality.
I grew up in a rural area, I worked at the local cafe in high school. I kid you not, about every other week on the Sunday buffet there was Hamburger Helper (usually labled "lasagna" on the menu).
If you are disapponted 90% of the time, maybe you should stop doing it.
I like that French Fry rule.
"... and the butter is not rock hard.”
Amen to that. Preach it, brother!
I just hate it when the butter seems to have come out of a deep freeze. Butter should be soft... and plenty of it.
That is my biggest complaint, even Apple bees can get the butter soft to the table.
I live in California, and if I want a good steak I drive to Arizona. Don't know what they do out here, but the meat is TERRIBLE!
Why do restaurants have to follow all these cliches. Why do you have to give bread away, aren't people coming to eat. Isn't America fat enough, and so much of it gets wasted. Shouldn't not wasting food be part of being "green". Also why do restaurants have to be treated with no respect. Why should people who are late be served before people who are on time. Why does the hospitality mean the restaurant always wrong and the guest always right. Do you how many pepole take advantage of that. If a guest is late anywhere else for any other appointment there is a consequence, but not a restaurant. Why is a restaurant pretentious if refused to let people change the food around. They ruin the meal. There is menu that a chef created, and it's best if served that way. Do you ask an artist to change the colors in his painting before you buy it, because it doesn't match you couch. Lastly, why do food writers always think they know best. Is it becasue they write and they eat. They are the equivelant of a sports fan saying what they would have done if they were on professional playing field. Neither one had the guts or talent to do it themselves. Restaurants should be run the way the owner and chef want them to be, and if they are still busy, that is what makes it a successful restaurant. It is there expression, not what the naysayers and writers think.
Restaurant owners ARE free to run their places as they please. That's one reason the restaurant business has the highest failure rate.
The customer is always right because they are paying for a service. The restaurant can either cater to them (they are in a service industry) or the customer can eat elsewhere. Its capitalism dipsht
I agree completely !! AGREED !! why is it people get on YELP and bash restaurants "usually silly uneducated lower class woman" .. everyone thinks if the restaurant isnt perfect from start to finish it is terrible.. I dont understand it, it is no wonder places close because people only give a place one chance and thats it.. they then find themselves with not one place to eat, because everyone sucks. Well maybe if they the customer got to know the servers, bartenders and owners and dined there frequently they would be treated amazing usually
L.A. has a ton of great places for Steak. You must live in the boonies...steak is the most basic food and very easy to make.
I hate when I order a meal with specific instructions on the salad dressing, and the cut of meat, and how it needs to be served, and the cook or waiter decide to change my dressing because they ran out of what I wanted, or the cut of meat is overcooked. Then when the manager asks if everything is good, and you explain what has happened, he promises he'll be right back to take care of the problem, but never returns. In one eatery, I ordered a Porterhouse steak cooked rare, and the watress served a thick, center cut Pork chop. When I pointed ithe mistake out to her, she promptly returned to the kitchen, and then to my table with the same piece of meat, explaining that the "chef' said that was a Porterhouse. Both of those eateries have never seen my face again, nor have I offered rave reviews to potential customers.
Was the chop good? Relax son relax.
They said "center cut pork chop" which is in no way a "porterhouse".
Was it a pork porterhouse? (there is such a thing) and just asking. Too many places just do not train staff properly
Signs of a good restaurant: a full parking lot or a line out the door.
Lots of chain restaurants have full parking lots and lines out the door and most chain restaurants are terrible. I would say the sign of a good restaurant is one that makes everything fresh, has lots of regulars, and very happy looking people leaving.
1. If you are late for your reservation it is poor form on your part by not respecting a business. Think if you were waiting for your reservation and everyone before you showed up late.......................????? The host should be thrilled to see you yes, however your lack of promise should not surprise your table having been given away.
2. A good server should know the wine list (responsibility of management).
3. If I am in a great restaurant bread is last on my list. Yeast, bread, and water????????????????????
4. If this is the case, direct your attendant as to your needs politely.
5. You are king. Get what you want.
It is insulting that servers get the bad rap all the time. We take care of up to sometimes fifty people a day all with different wants and needs. Think about how you are treating someone who is genuinely trying to make sure you are well taken care of. Don't poison the well and think we are all schmucks - lots of us are good and truly trained to guide and create a wonderful experience in a humble fashion.
It figures you are in the business. Relax Holmes. It's a goof man. Just a goof.
"We take care of up to sometimes fifty people a day all with different wants and needs." Isn't that your job? You aren't doing it for free, are you? You sound just a little whiny. Rule one: the customer is always right. Rule two: when in doubt, refer to Rule one.
A "little" whiny. Geez, he probably slit his wrists after posting. He needs to relax. Roast a bowl or something.
Guest is ALWAYS right. You have never done the job before I bet.
I just have it different than a lot of places. My clients include President Obama, Ms. Oprah Winfrey, Tony Blair, And many other high profile figures. We are trained in gentle and knowledgeable service. It is sad to see how we are all generalized.
So the customer who drops his OWN hair is his food is ALWAYS right? I should just give him an entire meal for free because you say he is right? No, customers are people, NOT kings. You treat a server like crap, expect your food to be messed with. You complain about ridiculous crap (seriously, fifty lemon slices is not going to make your water taste like lemonade, you cheap piece of crap; I am so sorry that management refuses to buy your meal for you because you spilled water on it due to your own carelessness: NOT ALWAYS RIGHT), you're rude and demanding, you get angry if I suggest appetizers or deserts because you don't want your kids or wife ordering anything that is not in your cheap budget, you get snippy if I introduce myself, you snap your damned fingers at me like I am a dog....no, the customer is not always right. I hope you have eaten in the restaurant I served in...hopefully I put a booger in your asparagus tips.
Customer is NOT always right! There have been many that have been banned for their scams on the restaurants in the area. I have had others in a party take my tip off the table and put it in their pocket. Yes, I chased the b*&^% down and told the person that actually paid the total tab what she did. I got my tip back but the most shocking is it was an Amish woman that stole my tip and getting a ride and meal for free. Can't trust anyone!
as a forty year veteran of all levels of hospitality, a majority of guest complaints are brought about by the action of the guests themselves – their expectations vs. what actually is taking place. (usually like what takes place when my father orders a steak. he continually tells the serve that he orders a medium rare steak and then complains when come out perfectly cooked -slightly pink in the middle – but because he wanted his steak-slightly pink in the middle (his is well done and he refuses to change. because thats how he cooks his food at home )-this is the servers fault!
too many guest s do not listen to what their server tells them about cooking procedures and tempatures because thats is not how its done at their home.i have actually had a guest complain about my service, because i told her that my job was a sales job and i had a medically restricted diet, so i could not eat the food i sold. it began normally, asking for a recommendation. after i had gone through every item on the menu, she asked what i ate when i came into that restaurant. that is when i told her the truth.
she could not grasp the concept that just because a server worked in a restaurant that they may never eat there.
Bread is NOT just "yeast, bread and water". It is a labor of love. You should try taking a class in making it, and I do NOT mean unwrapping Wonder bread and slapping it on a plate.
Grow UP.
I think your rant goes a bit too far but yes a lot of people have absolutely no clue how to treat people that are serving their food. There are lots of stereotypes in the food industry and most of them are true. Serving tables creates bigots and alcoholics.
The bread is an indication of the attention to details. If the bread is the kind that just came out of a supermarket bag then it indicates that they don't care. It goes beyond the bread itself.
But if you're late for a reservation, you should also be courteous and call the restaraunt telling them you're late. Fair?
I would also add that you do not see any elderly or children, and especially not dining together
I will never cook a well done steak for anyone for any reason.
I like rare meat as well but to each their own. Cook it how they want and quit being self centered.
Nope, they can go somewhere else. I'll never miss them. I don't ruin food, period.
Well then you are just a self centered Dick. One mans garbage is another mans treasure.
On this I would agree, another petulant self-loving cook. If I am paying the freight, I want a medium rare – not medium, not rare, medium rare; that isn't rude, it is what I wanted for dinner.
Every delivery includes a few lesser pieces of meat. Those go into the "save-for-well-done" bin.
Exactly. Along with anything that gets dropped on the floor.
That is a great idea since well done meat is the great equalizer among grades of meat.
having worked in restaurants and being married to a chef, you're absolutely right about the 'save for well done' pile! all the worst pieces go there!
Then you won't be in business very long, with that kind of attitude, "foodie".
My dad has a story he liked to tell from his college years where he worked as a caterer. One event he was manning the grill and had someone ask for a well done he cooked it to well done, but the customer sent it back complaining it wasn't done enough. My dad, offended set it on the corner of the grill and ignored it. Sometime later the server asked where the steak was and my dad plated it for him – just as his boss walked by. The steak rattled on the plate and his boss was abhorred. He was still dressing my dad down when the server came back with a $100 tip for my dad telling him it was the best steak of his life.
Lesson: One man's trash is another man's treasure.
LOL!!! yup. I've had similar stuff happen. :)
Wow... you really are a total jerk!!! Won't provide a customer with what they want but yet you expect them to pay for it??? Hello??? Smarten up and get your hear out of the oven -
"... out of the oven"?
That's not the orifice I was thinking of.
If SF has his own restaurant, he can run it however he damn well pleases. It's up to the diners if they want to eat there, after all. If they want to eat at a place where the chef respects the food he's preparing, they'll eat there. Or they can go gnaw on a rubbery piece of steak at Applebee's.
#6. When you ask them what is exceptional on the menu, they actually have an answer.
The question is whether to trust what the wait staff tells you is exceptional. It may be just what the owner/chef needs to get out the kitchen before the day of over.
I order from what is on the menu and make up my own mind. Why would I ask a stranger what is good? They don't know my taste.
The server doesn't know your taste, but in a good restaurant they should know the menu items that are done exceptionally well and are overall more popular.
In most cases, the waitstaff cannot afford to eat from the menu, and have no idea what's good and what isn't. They're simply repeating what the chef told them to say.
People also have to realize that most waitstaff are only doing what they are told too. I've had friends say how they've gotten in trouble for varying. "Get over there! There glass is empty. Stand by to remove the plates, he just put his fork down. No we can't move them if they're distracted by the noisy table next to them." A few of these were pretty nice places. Staff are just between a rock and a hard place.
I do agree with the water pouring thing. First of all, how much water does one person need for one meal? Secondly, it is disruptive to have the water guy come over and have to fill your glass every 5 minutes. And lastly, why does the glass have to be full the entire time you're eating your meal? Like we're going to die or something if the glass is only 2/3rd full?
"... how much water does one person need for one meal?" Radiation therapy destroyed my husband's saliva glands. If he doesn't have water thruout his meal, he would choke to death trying to swallow food without it. He will tell the server, briefly and concisely about his water needs. Usually the server will do one of following: 1) bring him two glasses and keep each of them full at a comfortable pace; 2) if the place is less formal and very busy they will set a pitcher on the table for him to refill at his leisure or 3) stay on top of it. All of these options are more-than-accepatable solutions.
As for the rest of your post, no one will die from having a glass 2/3 full. But when it gets down to the ice cubes, it can be a problem in cases like ours.
*facepalm*
"All of these options are more-than-accepatable solutions." should have been
"All of these options are more-than-acceptable solutions."
I agree. I am naturally a big water drinker. I tend to drink a lot of water during a meal. I have asked the wait staff to leave a pitcher on the table, but some places have rules against that.
What I don't like is when I get a glass of ice with little water in it. Too much ice kinda defeats the purpose of a glass of water and only puts more work on the wait staff.
I realize that many customers ignore their glass of water and concentrate on other beverages. I wish I could explain to the wait staff that I am a water drinker, not a water watcher. :)
Many people have different needs. If the customer is up front with their special needs, I will go outside of the corporate guidelines to make sure their needs are met. That is customer service! There are corporate guidelines, but not written in stone. I have served so many cancer patients in my years and they have been the most positive people I have ever met. They were a joy to serve and a huge inspiration to life. I'm glad your husband is a survivor! I sadly lost a few very wonderful people that made my day when they came in for lunch after their treatment.
Thank you. *humbly* I'm glad, too.
Can they also please, please stop holding my glass on the rim where my mouth makes contact! That's disgusting!
The best sign of a good restaurant: the food is good.
At the end of the day that is all that mattes.
Diner 1 – terrible service, no atmosphere, grungy, best food ever.
Diner 2 – excellent service, fantastic atmosphere, beautiful decor, terrible food.
I'll go to diner 1 all day long and never set foot in diner 2 ever again.
Preach on, brother! I was in Doha, Qatar, and the best food in town was in a hole in the wall where "workers" ate. It would have failed several health codes in the States, I have no doubt. But the food was not only cheap, it was excellent. Far better than the gourmet places the indigenous people chose. Good food trumps.
+1 It is all about the eats. :)
The steak knives are actually sharp.
If your steak can't be cut with a butterknife the restaurant is doing something wrong.
Cutting a rare steak with a butterknife? Just give me a steak knife and make it so there's no effort involved..
This is much less offensive than yesterday's 5@5 column.
I want to be welcomed, seated promptly, and have a waitstaff at my table as soon as I unwrap the flatware. There is nothing that is worse than sitting down and being ignored for any length of time.
When I'm in a nice restaurant I certainly don't expect to be unwrapping the cutlery !
Many places (inluding very high end) either fold the napkin around the flatware or add the napkin ring. I am NOT talking about the sticky piece of paper holding the paper napkin around the plastic ware. And, more to the point, whether it is linen and silver or paper and plastic, I expect prompt, friendly acknowledgement of my patronage.
Most restaurants roll the silver up in the napkin (cloth or paper), the only ones that don't are either super high end or hole in the wall kind of places.
I use my GPS and my seeing eye dog to make sure I'm in the right restaurant.
Agreed on all counts. And for the record, I HATE ice cold butter, as it tears up the bread while you are spreading it.
Or it won't spread at all.