Life is Funny

Ok, once in awhile, we all like to go out to eat. Sit in a semi-fancy restaurant, eat about $8 worth of wholesale food, and pay $17 for the opportunity to have someone else cook, someone else serve us, and someone else do the clean up.

So.. For the extra bucks, what are we all expecting?

First of all, we expect that our dinner will be cooked to perfection. Someone trained and qualified to cook our food the way it should be, without burning it. Someone who knows how to season the food correctly, and for the ingredients to be fresh.

Secondly, when our beverages start to run dry, whether it is coffee, tea, soda pop, or even just plain water. Never should we spend almost $20 a person to go “out” and eat, and sit there stupidly parched during our meal.

When you go out and dine, which most of us only do only once or twice a week… You want it to be a favorable experience. After all, you are expected to pay triple the amount of what it would have cost you to prepare the meal yourself. Plus you have taxes added… not only that, but you are expected to tip your server.

What can ruin the whole night, is to have a lazy waiter or waitress, who lets your water glass run dry. Who serves you your meal and then doesn’t come back 5 minutes later, to ask you if there is anything else you need, or if everything is OK.

Today that happened. Four of us went out to a golf & country club, for an “elite” breakfast brunch buffet. Each plate cost $25. The food was great. The atmosphere was great. The service “sucked” which basically ruined the whole meal.

There is nothing worse than enjoying a cup of fresh coffee with your meal, and then finding yourself looking all over the place for your waitress — trying to make some eye contact which basically says “hey! I’d like a refill of coffee please.. is there any chance you can pay attention to the customers in your section?”

So now we get to the concept of the ultimate gratuity or tip that the staff is expecting.

But if my coffee cup has to go empty, and I have to search around like a scavenger for a coffee refill.. What does that say about how well the waiters & waitresses performed?

Keeping your dining customers happy is quite simple. Insure that their beverages are filled. Insure that their food is digestable and is fine.. and best of all..

Wear a smile and be attentive, whether or not it is in your job description.

When people are dining out and spending hard earned cash to enjoy a meal at an expensive restaurant… They don’t want much. They just want to be noticed and treated as if they “matter”.

Out of 10 times I’ve dined out, I can safely say, its is only about 50% of the time, do I have a good experience, whether it is food quality, freshness, and taste — or simply service by the wait staff. That is a very bad ratio.

If the food service industry did its job, 90% of the time, people would be totally content with dining out, and only 10% of the time would anyone ever have any complaints.

Let me know about your dining out experiences..