Hands up if you have ever waitressed or managed a restaurant before? I
could also ask you if you have ever been to Hell, tapped Satan on the
shoulder and asked him how he likes his eggs?
Waiting tables is
not for the faint-hearted; neither is managing a restaurant, and owning
one is for the downright brave.
People go out to eat
with high expectations. And so they should. You are spending quality
time and money with friends and family and to have that experience
annihilated by a bored waitress or bad food is unacceptable. And waiting 45 minutes for a drink is nose-bleed inducing stuff.
But sometimes you need to take certain factors into consideration when you post a review online.
For
example the breakfast shift. The leading cause of nervous breakdowns in
waiters. How many different ways are there to order a coffee? And they take longer to make than pouring a glass of wine. How many
ways can you have your eggs? “I’d like my yolk soft and the white firm…
oh and could I please have one slice of toast now with my eggs and one
later with some jam. And soya milk with my skinny decaf mocha-chino.
Please”.
Breakfast is also statistically the top meal for ordering off
the menu (I just made that up, but I swear it’s true). “I’d like your
All Day Breakfast please, poached egg, but only one, no bacon with avo
instead. No mushrooms, grated cheese rather. And instead of toast I’d
like one of those pancake thingies you do with syrup. Shot”
These
are not unmanageable requests, and restaurants should be able to
accommodate them, but consider that they are laborious and
time-consuming. And when the place is heaving these types of requests definitely slow service down.
Should we just name and shame?
Also
should we consider newly-opened restaurants, public holidays and other
days when the whole world decides to descend on one place? Perhaps we
need to think about what’s fair before we go and post a ranting review online and harm their reputation? Was it busy enough to warrant a wait for service or were the staff merely incompetent?
When
it comes to quality of food there really is no excuse, but if the
restaurant is over-flowing and plates are literally flying out the
kitchen – then perhaps come back another day and give them a second
chance?
So, we’re asking you, is it fair to always judge a
restaurant on one visit? Are there sometimes things we should take into
consideration, or should we just go ahead and name and shame and damn
them to Hell?
Email us on editor@food24.com or post a comment below and the person with the most interesting opinion on how and when you should lambaste a restaurant will win themselves a R500 Kalahari.com voucher – yes we’re giving away a big one this week because we think there is plenty to share!