Honestly, I cannot remember how many times I was asked that question during my almost 20 years in the restaurant field.
What lost the customer was not my delivery, it was the laundry list of ingredients that the special had turned into so much so that it made it sound like 2 or 3 of them instead of one.
This kind of episode was brought back to mind by Nicholas Lander' s column The not so dumb waiter (FT, September 12).
Let me quote the first part of the article which says it all:
"My heart began to sink as I listened to the waitress at Spruce in
San Francisco go through a two-minute, slice-by-slice description of
the charcuterie plate she had just set before me. My wife and I were
there to catch up with an American friend we hadn’t seen for several
years. Why, I wondered, couldn’t she just deliver the food and let us
get on with our conversation?
The rest of the meal was punctuated
by similar intrusions, to such an extent that, as we walked out on to
the windy pavement after the meal, our guest felt he had to apologize."
Out of curiosity, I checked the Dinner Menu at Spruce which actually sticks to the basics.
Repetition is another cardinal sin when the same ingredient pops up in many dishes either on the menu or the daily specials.
Can restaurants add to the guest confusion by presenting too many menus at the same time rather than making clear to them what is available and what is not?
I would compare this to walking into a movie theater and seeing the sign Now Playing and what is.
A good read for many 'front of the house' people are the observations from Gavin Rankin of Bellamy's, a French Brasserie in Mayfair (London) quoted by Mr. Lander:
never say ‘Bon appétit,’ or ‘Enjoy.’ And they should never ask if
everything is alright, as we are going to find out soon enough anyway
if it isn’t.”
I often peppered my talk with some French words so I might not pass the test in Gavin Rankin' s book.
The US is a distance from France compared to the UK so many customers enjoyed my shtick.
Ultimately the food, wines and cocktails have to do the talking.
I would not mind sitting at Bellamy' s Oyster Bar (my illustration, from their site) to try the Irish Rocks which I never tasted.
I assume that the Oyster Bar Menu is only available at the oyster bar, prove me wrong if I am.
Merci Nicholas
P.S: Could You Talk Too Much be the Perfect Soundtrack?
I don’t think most people even actually hear what the waiter is saying when he/she tell of the specials.
Hello,
I just came across your blog and enjoyed it very much. I’m a banquet manager & hope you will enjoy mine. Please visit and let me know what you think.
So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager
I don’t think most people even actually hear what the waiter is saying when he/she tell of the specials.
Hello,
I just came across your blog and enjoyed it very much. I’m a banquet manager & hope you will enjoy mine. Please visit and let me know what you think.
So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager
Thanks ‘Banquet Manager’
You might be right that some customers do not pay attention to what is said.
Could it be blamed on their being distracted by their Blackberry or I Phone?
Thanks ‘Banquet Manager’
You might be right that some customers do not pay attention to what is said.
Could it be blamed on their being distracted by their Blackberry or I Phone?