Second-string players

A friend of mine recently returned from a Sunday restaurant dinner and asked me if most restaurants use their second-string employees on this slower night of the week. He went on to explain several missteps that took place on the night in question. First, he called the restaurant to explain that he had a flat tire and was running late on his reservation. But when someone on the other end of the phone simply answered, “Hello,” he thought he had misdialed. Is this so and so restaurant? my friend asked. “Yes,” was the reply from the person answering the phone. “I thought you were a friend of the restaurant,” was his explanation for the poor phone manners. Huh? When my friend and his wife were seated, a server approached a couple at a nearby two-top and one of them says, “We’re looking at the two chocolate desserts on the menu and was wondering which one is the best?” The server replied, “I’m not a dessert guy, so you’re on your own.” What?

Unfortunately for my friend, that careless server would also be waiting on him. As he was ordering, his wife had a question about the caramelized Brussels sprouts on the menu. She is a vegetarian and wanted to make sure that bacon fat was not used to caramelize the sprouts. But before she could explain her concerns, the server flippantly said, “Caramelization means the Brussels sprouts are sautéed.” Really?

The server, who thought he was in the presence of rubes, then tried to take their full order, from appetizers to desserts. Because the restaurant was not busy and my friend was in no hurry, he explained that he would prefer to order as he goes through each step of the meal. The annoyed server then said, “You can tell me everything you want now and you don’t have to worry that everything will come out all at once.” My friend and his wife then felt pressured to place their entire order, despite having only focused on the appetizer portion of the menu. They resisted, however,  and told the server only their appetizer order. He walked away miffed.

“After this experience,” my friend explained to me, “I have no desire to return to this restaurant.” The restaurant in question, by the way, is one of the top-rated places in town. Hence my friend’s question: Do many restaurants use their weakest players on slower nights?

Upon reflection, this poor performance in this restaurant primarily rests on a server who was having a bad night or should be doing something else for a living. My friend, by the way, was in that restaurant as a reviewer for the local newspaper. He’s an incredibly fair restaurant reviewer and he’ll go back for at least one more visit. As a reviewer, he’s obligated to revisit the restaurant. But a mistreated customer is under no such obligation.

So, I ask you, do you use second- or third-string players on slow nights hoping they won’t mess up too much? If so, how do you avoid major missteps? Email me with your thoughts.

Michael Sanson, editor-in-chief
e-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @MikeSansonRH