Service with a Smile

I have been noticeably absent for a couple of weeks. To those who follow me, I apologize, I was dealt a blow by the head-cold fairies this past week. But upon returning to my writing duties, I thought perhaps we would change gears for a moment and talk about service. Specifically, restaurant service. There is no doubt from my articles that I enjoy going out to eat. And, I enjoy writing about those excursions. I find that as I approach my culinary outings from a critical perspective, I have given more attention to service than I might if I were just going to eat with friends without thinking about how to express that outing to a reading audience. I have also found it interesting that my idea of good service is sometimes very different than that of my dinner companions. As such, we do have to consider in the big picture, that there are some individuals out there who are easy to please, and some who are very difficult to please. I'd like to think of myself as somewhere in the middle. So, I guess it is only fair to define what I consider good service.

But before we can truly do that, we have to consider the different kinds of service you get when you decide to go out for dinner. First and foremost is the Server, formerly known as the waiter or waitress. Their job is the most important, in my opinion. They represent the restaurant on the most basic level. They are your liaison to the kitchen. They are the one primarily responsible for your dining enjoyment. From seating you, to taking your order, to delivering the food and meeting your basic restaurant needs, they are the heart and soul of the restaurant business. All too often, restaurant owners and managers forget this simple fact. I tip my hat to anyone who works in the food industry as a server. I tried it twice, and failed miserably when I was much younger. It is a tough job. As I stated above, you get all kinds of customers with varying degrees of neediness. And most of these workers do it with a smile. I suppose that is why I am a little more lenient about certain things than some people I know. As many of you already know from my articles, the one thing that will make me instantly happy is if my glass stays full of tea. I like a server who can at the very least fake happiness. A great smile and a word of care goes a long way. I like a server who can spot a mistake before I do, fix it, and make it like it never happened. I like a server who checks on me at appropriate intervals to make sure there is nothing else I need like an extra pat of butter, or an extra cup of sour cream, etc. I like a server who respects me as a paying customer who has come to enjoy a fine meal, rather than a body than needs to be swiftly cycled through the system. In short, I like a server who is attentive, efficient, genuinely caring, and personable.

For the most part, I could care less whether my server is male or female, although you would be surprised to how many people I know it matters. However, at the risk of sounding sexist, I have a tip to any host or hostesses or restaurant owners or managers who might be reading this. If three buddies come walking into your establishment on their "Guys Night Out" to drop a few dollars on drinks and dinner, it would benefit your bottom line to have a female server helping them out. I know it sounds crazy, but I am more apt to order both an appetizer AND a dessert. I am more likely to order a drink. AND I am more likely to tip more, if for no other reason than to out-tip my buddies. Why? Because I am a man. Plain and simple, whether it's right or wrong, when three or more buddies get together for Guy's Night Out, the testosterone will make an appearance. And I would be willing to bet real money the same could be said for "Girl's Night Out" as well. It's not just a guy thing. Like I said before, customers require attention when dining out. Okay. So, having said my piece about that.....

Let's talk about tipping. There are a lot of theories about tipping. I'll give you mine, because I think my theory is pretty simple. If I get "good" service- as I described above- then I look at my little tip cheat card in my wallet and I tip the even dollar amount between 15% and 20%. If I get great service, where a server goes beyond the call of duty to make sure all of my culinary needs are fulfilled, then I tip at least 20%, sometimes a little more. To be honest, there has only been one place where I have done this every time I have been there, and that is Mitchell's Fish Market. Which is one of the reasons it is at the top of my list. Other restaurants could learn a LOT about how to train their servers from Mitchell's. It is only on very, very rare occasion that I have tipped less than 15%. If I get a server who is particularly lazy, un-attentive, or just plain rude, they only get 10%. I do understand that everybody has their bad days. But, every once in a blue moon you find someone that just shouldn't be in the business of serving any more.

The second type of service you get in a restaurant, is the food preparation itself. It is extremely important that the people actually cooking and preparing the meal do so correctly and with some skill. Nothing ruins a dining experience quicker than a steak that is tough, or not cooked to your specification or something soggy that should be crisp. When I write about food, I love it when I can use words like "succulent", "creamy", or even "fresh." When I take the first bite of my my meal I want to have an immediate vocal response, even if it is just a simple "mmmmmm". When you get that, that's great food service.

The last kind of service we get in a restaurant, is hidden. We don't often think about it at the time, if it is done right. The words you will hear to describe this kind of service are words like "ambience", "environment", and "decor." It's all about the presentation and environment of the dining experience. It sets the mood for the experience, and thus sets expectations. And when that kind of service isn't there- usually provided by the owner and maintenance staff- then it doesn't matter how great the food or server is, chances are, if won't be at the top of your list for a return visit.

Well, that about wraps it up. My little talk about service. As you reflect on the articles I have written previously, and read the reviews I do in the future, this information will give you some perspective as to how I judge service in the restaurants I visit. My original purpose for writing reviews was to get back in the habit of writing on a regular basis, about something I love. As the Lupine Epicurean has evolved over the past couple of months I have realized that with each new review, I am being much more pointed about how I review and what I review in an effort to provide my readers with solid information about these restaurants so that you can make an informed decision about visiting those places. And I hope to continue to do that in the future. As always I welcome any comments or suggestions from my readers about this or any of my articles. AND, if you have any requests of restaurants you would like to see a review about, feel free to send me an email or comment here on the site. I am sure I can talk my buddies in to joining me for a new culinary experience.

Thank you all.