I have been cooking professionally for 25 years now, the last 12 as a private chef and caterer. I don’t get to go out to eat that often and when I do there is something that matters way more to me than the food itself….service. I can make some of the best food for myself at home, but there isn’t service there. There is no one to take my order, poor my wine, or do my dishes. Oh, if only I had the money for that hot, 18 year old “busy dishwasher”. Life would be soooo much more fun…and easy.
I pride myself on my service. I employ only the best of servers when I cater a party. I expect nothing but the best. So is it too much to ask for the same when going out to eat. Now I am not going to group all places together. I don’t expect the diner down the street to give me the same service as any of the top notch restaurants in any major city, but once again, 9 out of 10 times the diner is better. Every city I have lived in or been to the service is always different. The best service I have had has been in Seattle and Portland. There is a reason for this….there isn’t any actors there. Now, I just want to state that some of my best servers are actors themselves, but I think there is a difference between service at home and service in a restaurant. In someone’s home it is a little more personable, which leads it to a somewhat more relaxed atmosphere no matter how formal the dinner is.
LA is particularly difficult. Nobody here is a server. They are actors. Serious actors. They don’t give a flying fuck if your $40 steak is overdone or they brought your entrée with your appetizer. Maybe they are star struck by the D list celebrity sitting next to you, or pissed because it isn’t them sitting there with the scarlet D across their forehead. Speaking of bringing my entrée with my appetizer, my major peeve is the rush. You better not rush me. If I want to take most of the night to eat my dinner, that is my prerogative. I just spent 4 years living in Barcelona where you were lucky if you got a menu in the first 20 minutes…and it might take another 20 just to get your drink. Why do we rush? I don’t want to be rushed. I don’t want to have to be rolled out of the restaurant not remembering what just happened or even having a clue what I just ate without having to take notes (which I do a lot anyway, so I guess I shouldn’t bitch too much). I want to remember a fabulous dinner with the best service ever…everytime. Is it too much to ask?
I pride myself on my service. I employ only the best of servers when I cater a party. I expect nothing but the best. So is it too much to ask for the same when going out to eat. Now I am not going to group all places together. I don’t expect the diner down the street to give me the same service as any of the top notch restaurants in any major city, but once again, 9 out of 10 times the diner is better. Every city I have lived in or been to the service is always different. The best service I have had has been in Seattle and Portland. There is a reason for this….there isn’t any actors there. Now, I just want to state that some of my best servers are actors themselves, but I think there is a difference between service at home and service in a restaurant. In someone’s home it is a little more personable, which leads it to a somewhat more relaxed atmosphere no matter how formal the dinner is.
LA is particularly difficult. Nobody here is a server. They are actors. Serious actors. They don’t give a flying fuck if your $40 steak is overdone or they brought your entrée with your appetizer. Maybe they are star struck by the D list celebrity sitting next to you, or pissed because it isn’t them sitting there with the scarlet D across their forehead. Speaking of bringing my entrée with my appetizer, my major peeve is the rush. You better not rush me. If I want to take most of the night to eat my dinner, that is my prerogative. I just spent 4 years living in Barcelona where you were lucky if you got a menu in the first 20 minutes…and it might take another 20 just to get your drink. Why do we rush? I don’t want to be rushed. I don’t want to have to be rolled out of the restaurant not remembering what just happened or even having a clue what I just ate without having to take notes (which I do a lot anyway, so I guess I shouldn’t bitch too much). I want to remember a fabulous dinner with the best service ever…everytime. Is it too much to ask?
RSS Feed
