The dualities of dining

Every positive has a negative, at least according to some schools of thought. Well, for as many compliments as I have received since beginning this project, I have also had requests for posts on not-so-great dining experiences. Surely not every place you go deserves a great review, they say.

So here it is: A bad review! Since I am typically a fan of the establishment where said bad experience occurred, I prefer to keep it cloaked in anonymity. (And I have already once blogged positively about this place, so I don't want to contradict it and myself.) I am sure, though, that this experience is not limited to only this one establishment. This incident could have transpired in any restaurant, in any city, on any given Friday night. Read on:

Friday night, upon my suggestion, a friend and I met up for a glass of wine to unwind from the first week back at work and the stress of The Great Snow Storm of 2010. This restaurant, known for its  wine list and menu, also offered a rare treasure: Friday Night Happy Hour. (Remember, I do love a good bargain!)  Having never been there before, Katie was excited to try out a place she had only heard others rave about.

At first, as part of the light crowd, we received great service. The guy chatted up my friend about the snow, being from Up North, and the delicious daily special. (As a native Southerner, I had nothing to contribute to this conversation!) Our waiter immediately offered his recommendation for food, put in our drink orders, and promptly brought out our beverage.

Then, as we debated on whether or not to order dinner or just a small plate to share, the waiter came back, hovered while we discussed what to do, and then pulled out his phone to receive/respond to a text. Read: the man was texting! It happened so swiftly, with such dexterity, that Katie and I were left in disbelief that it had even actually taken place. Oh, but it did.

We decided to order food to accompany our wine, but towards the middle of our meal, there was no wine left in our glass. And no sign of our waiter to offer a refill. We kept looking for him, trying to flag him down, trying to place another order at the special price. K. finally had to recruit another waitress to help us find him so we could get a refill. He immediately brought over the water pitcher to fill our nearly-full water glasses. We were able to place another order, but he did so grudgingly and without enthusiasm.

I don't care how busy you get on a Friday night. I don't care how much our table orders or doesn't order. We are still your customers and you should still care about us. And, though I've never been a waitress, I do know this: the more you check on your tables, the more likely they are to order more food, drinks, dessert, etc. thereby increasing their bill and your potential tip. As it was, my tip was reflective of the lousy service I received.

I hope this was a one-time experience. I don't want it to keep me (or anyone else) from frequenting this place. But know it definitely put a damper on the "happy".

Better luck next time, right?