What makes a restaurant good?
Eating out can be expensive, so you want to know that if you go into a restaurant, you can be assured of a good time. Sorry to say this doesn't always happen.
When you go to a good restaurant you almost don't notice sometimes. Everything is so nice that you spend your time there without giving it a thought. That's how it should be.
For my part I like a restaurant where you can spend as long as you want talking and eating. Eating out is a social experience, even if you are alone. Sometimes I like to just sit in a restaurant by myself and watch the world go by and this should be as pleasant an experience to me as eating with friends.
Ambiance
First of all the appearance of the restaurant is important. Is it clean? Are the tables far enough apart for those quiet moments? Is the restaurant attractive? Is it in a nice safe area? Does it have the ambiance? Does it have style?
For eating purposes, I do not like a restaurant that is too noisy or busy. Background music should be set so that you can sit at a table and talk without having to shout at each other and there is nothing more ugly in a restaurant than a TV or video and what a horrible way to ruin a conversation. If you want to watch TV then stay at home.
Services and Staff
The staff should be friendly and polite. I know this is difficult sometimes as some of the customers can be a real pain, but that's part of life. They should also be conversant in the menu and know what is being sold. I hate it when they real of the "specials" so fast like a machine that you can't hear what they are saying and they normally lack enthusiasm anyway.
I can't stand it when the waiters hover around your table all the time. Every time you touch something, they are there to put it back into its correct place, 1 mm away from where I put it. Let me eat and talk to my friends without disturbing me all the time!
Service is the key to a good restaurant. You should be seated promptly and politely and a glass of water and bread should be standard. However please don't try and be my best friend as you are not and it is sickly to think it will help sell food. Balance is in order and the staff should be aware of what's going on.
Another thing that gets me going is when the waiters look everywhere except where any other customers are seated. Aren't they there to serve? Then occasionally look at us and check we are ok.
How meals are served
Timing is everything. I love it when you order something as a group and the kitchen staff has been trained how to time the cooking of food so that it all comes together. It is so horrible when one meal is served in front of one guest while al his friends watch him eat it or he lets it go cold being polite waiting for the rest to come.
Get it right. Bring all the food together! We want to eat together!
Allow time between courses. Just because I have finished my main course doesn't mean I want desert within a minute. Let it go down first and then when we have finished remember to offer coffee within the correct amount of time.
Bills and Tips
Getting the bill can be so annoying. Waiting for 15 to 20 minutes for a bill is not acceptable and please does not put service charge on it. Service charge is a reward for good service and not compulsory. I do not want to be embarrassed for taking it off because your service was shoddy nor should I be expected to pay for it. Good service will be rewarded and if the staffs are not getting service tips, then they surely need to improve their service.
Prices
I also realize that we are all in business to make a profit, but I really begrudge paying 300 pesos for bread or some other ridiculous price for an item.
Creativity
Creativity is another must. It is a bit pointless five restaurants next door to each other all offering chicken adobe and rice. I am sure that you can think of something better than that.
Cleanliness
My last point is the toilets or CR. These should be clean. They should have running water, cold and hot and they should have toilet paper. Please have seat lids and also have someone clean then every so often. Check towels, soaps etc.
Good restaurants are very hard to find, but when they are they should be cherished and rewarded with great patrons. I will willingly go to a restaurant that takes time to look after me, remember my name, give me a good time and great food and respect my distance when eating.
Eating is one of man's greatest pleasures and should be enjoyed to the full.
Tim Bennett
Millionaire Anonymous Inc.
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