Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Restaurants Do celebrity chefs make diners less likely to complain?
Posted by Besha Rodell @BeshaRodell on Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 9:45 AM
After reading the article by Besha Rodell about Ron Eyester, @theangrychef, this week, I felt I had to write and point out another perspective that was missed in the article. As a restaurant owner myself, I feel that Ron's gripes and venting, however justified, is doing the service industry a disservice by being publicized. As a restaurant owner, I am constantly trying to train my staff how best to deal with an upset guest. Usually it is fairly easy to fix most problems, once they have been vocalized by the guest. My concern is that chefs and restaurant owners seeking spectacle like Ron, will further dissuade guests from voicing their displeasure with a meal or experience. As restaurant folklore goes, we all know a happy guest will tell two people about their experience and an unhappy guest will tell ten. Increasingly I have noticed that guests are unwilling to complain or point out criticism.I think there is a multitude of reasons for this reluctance, from feeling like they won't be heard, from not wanting to make a fuss, or embarrass the other guests at the table, but I would venture to say that chefs, restaurant owners and managers like Ron are contributing to the reluctance of guests to inform their server or manager when there is an issue. If you say "Fine." when I check on you as a guest and when I further ask, "Are you enjoying everything?" and the response is "yes." but the food is untouched, I feel robbed of the opportunity to improve my restaurant. I'm not saying every customer is right, or that customers have the right to be rude or verbally abusive, but those are extreme cases. I feel in the world of celebrity chefs, chefs like Ron have forgotten who is paying his paycheck. So Ron, while you might feel you have the "right" to vent all you want about your customers, please remember the rest of us in this industry are trying our best to hear that guest and improve their experience
Cheers,
Molly
I'm not so sure about the logic at work here. Foodie culture has made people more informed about what good food is, and made customers more likely to recognize when bad food is being served. If it's also caused them to understand that acting bratty or entitled as a customer is bad form, then I'm fine with that. I can't imagine that someone would refrain from complaining about genuinely flawed food or service just because chefs have more of a voice in our culture than they did in the past.
But what do you guys think? When you have bad food at a restaurant, do you send it back? And if not, why not? Is it because chefs like Ron have scared you off?
Comments (20)
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I think the shift in staff/customer communications, due to the internet, is pretty even.
In the online universe, restaurant staff have a way to vent that gives their concerns and gripes about customer behavior a higher profile. But customers also have greater power with their complaints via the web because of sites like Yelp (flawed as it is) and the comments sections of blogs like this.
Incidentally, my wife and I went to the Porter for lunch on Sunday and had both great food and service. The guy who waited on was really informed about the beer selection and was able to make a recommendation that I really enjoyed.
Everyone needs their 15 minutes of fame. Especially, cooks nowadays. Ron's cooking skills is reflective of his rants about his customers. Didn't he say that customers are his guest but if they complain he doesn't need them. Based on his tweets, sounds like he doesn't need 80% of his guests.
What about the cooks who go on TV to save their dying restaurants/careers? How did their food become God-like after a couple months behind the camera when their food went unnoticed for years. Oh, yeah, PR gimmick. Most diners don't know the difference between good food or bad food, if they were on TV then it must be good. Sadly, the food you think you're eating is not cooked by said TV cook.
Bravo, Molly.
Okay, Molly, you want it straight: My complaint is restaurant owners like YOU, who come to the table, interrupt the conversation, ask us how things are with no regard whatsoever to whether we have food in our mouths at that moment, and then wait patiently at the side of the table while we finish chewing, just so we can spit out a "Fine!" after ten or twelve seconds of awkward owner-induced silence.
"Fine" does not mean "this meal is exemplary." "Fine" means "Your intrusion was unpleasant and unwelcome; go the fuck away." If you really want the "opportunity to improve [your] restaurant," figure out a way to get that opportunity without diminishing the quality of MY meal.
Just once, I'd like to be welcomed into a restaurant by server saying, "We have a policy of avoiding interrupting our diners as much as possible -- but if anything at all needs attention, please call me over or bring it to the attention of the staff at the service stand, and it will be handled immediately."
Finally, Molly, get this through your head: First: We're not in the industry, and may not have the vocabulary or background to know why a dish doesn't seem to work. You're never going to get an answer like, "I think chanterelles would have been a better choice than porcini with this dish" or "I think the acid balance may be off because of how long the beets were cooked." The best you can hope for is "It's a little cold" or "I wanted well-done" or "I think you forgot the celery." And those are things that you can fix BEFORE it comes to the table. You know what good food is, and you know what your menu promises; just bring it to the table and we're good. Second, if something goes wrong, I may not want to wait for it to be fixed, so that I can listen to my stomach growling while my dining companions dive into their entrees, and then finally start on my salmon when they're moving into desert.
You don't want me to "[rob you] of the opportunity to improve [your] restaurant"? How dare you? I don't want YOU to rob me of the opportunity to enjoy a meal and a conversation with my friends because of your self-serving questions in the middle of it.
And as you so sagely pointed out, I'm paying your paycheck.
I'm not sure that I agree with/understand Besha's choice to single Molly out. Almost a little bashy there...
Nonetheless, I can see both sides. I find Eyester to be incredibly entertaining and many of his complaints completely valid. However, as a diner, I already feel terribly awkward (even embarrassed) on the very rare occasion that I have an issue with my meal/service, due to a fear of insulting the kitchen. And to some degree, this fear is validated through Eyester's comments...so yeah, I can see where Gunn is coming from. I do, however, think that if a few of the most flagrant offenders can see the light due to Eyester's commentary, then his articles are likely doing more good than harm at the end of the day (and are hilarious to boot).
Joe--I think you missed the boat on this one, buddy. I'm fairly certain that Molly wasn't indicating that she expects in-depth critiques from her diners...just voicing a concern that articles like Eyester's might create a culture of fear to voice criticism/feedback amongst her diners. After all, criticism/feedback is necessary for restaurants to improve themselves, and what problem do you have exactly with a restaurant seeking to become better? Balance, my friend.
Feedback cuts both ways, as Molly is pointing out. I like Rosebud but frankly it's now a case for me of maybe a bit 'too much information' about the AngryChef. It's like Facebook and kids nowadays - nobody said they can't have fun, but you need to realize everyone can see what you post out there, good or bad. You can't just claim 'hey I'm having some fun' without being ready for the impact it has on your brand, marketing, and customer perception. It's really not that hard to grasp, if one doesn't want to be subject to yelp, urbanspoon, or comments like these, then find another career that doesn't take CUSTOMER cash in such a direct manner.
meganlikesfood - Molly sent us this letter as a Letter To The Editor, which indicates that she would like it published as her opinion of our coverage. I in no way meant to single her out - she wrote to us with her concerns, no other restaurateur did, so we published her letter. I'm not sure I agree with her logic completely, but I wanted to hear from y'all on it, especially because I never send back food for obvious professional reasons.
Hope that clears it up a little...
Joe in Atlanta,
Sounds like you should stick to eating take out. Or maybe take an anger management class.
As for the article... Restaurants should behave like hosts and diners like guests. Hosts need to be accommodating and strive to please. Guests should be polite and appreciative.
While I think some of Ron's venting is hilarious, you don't want your guests to feel like they have to walk on eggshells around you. Which I don't think is his intention, but with enough piling on, it can seem that way.
And Molly, you can ask how my food was anytime.
Actually, @I like to eat, I agree with you -- not about sticking to take out or taking anger management, of course -- but with the part about hosts being accommodating and about guests being polite and appreciative.
I can see why you might think I would be a difficult customer, but I think in a real-life situation, I hide my anger at the intrusion pretty well. But when Molly Gunn writes this insipid letter, taking diners to task for not giving her their time and their detailed feedback in addition to the money she is taking from them -- then, yes, it makes me mad.
The model for this interaction is a formal or semi-formal dinner party: A proper host would never, never, never ask for feedback from one of the guests; it would be viewed as a cloying attempt to fish for a compliment. And a proper guest would never, never, never voice a criticism of the meal.
There are ways for restauranteurs to get advice about problems with their ingredients, failures with their service, and innovations their customers would like to try, that don't involve interrupting people in the middle of their dining experience. Molly (and every other restaurant owner in town) should focus on those alternatives.
Joe i think you missed the point of what Molly was trying to say. I think she is trying to be a customer advocate. She is saying that she does not want guests to be afraid to speak up if there is a problem. I dont know Molly personaly but i do know who she is. I can not imagine being bothered by a smiling person asking me how was my meal. God, the nerve of some people. Could she not see that i was boring my dinner guest with my insipid bullshit?!
It's not the restaurant owner's place to save my dining companions from my insipid bullshit. (But if you're ever sitting next to us, feel free to do so; I'm sure they'd appreciate it.)
And yes, I get the point that Molly wants me to feel free to speak up. That's nice, and I appreciate it. But then she goes well beyond, saying that if I decline to complain about something, that I have "robbed her of of an opportunity." That is unacceptable. If she supports my right to speak up, how in good conscience can she question my right to stay silent?
And does it really not bother you when owners and servers come up and ask about your meal when your mouth is full? I hear people complain about this all the time.
Maybe you just don't like the fact that I've chosen such strong words, and you're trying to bring some balance -- but my selection of words and tone is a calculated choice. I can't make these comments at the time the offense occurs: It would be completely out of place in the restaurant environment, hurtful to an employee who is just trying to do a good job, and embarrassing to my dining companions. But if I make a stink here, safely out of any dining room, maybe owners will get the clue that their well-intended intrusions don't further the goal of diner satisfaction.
Ron is great because he is never defensive about his food. If you've noticed, it's all about pointing out a customer's attitude. In the time i've followed him, I can't recall him ever saying, "They don't understand my culinary vision?? F 'em!!" It's all entertainment, no one from customer to eyester should really take offense. What? you were called out because you wanted to come in for brunch half an hour early? That's a reason to never want to revisit a good restaurant? If you want to know how a good restaurant really feels about stress and the customer, read the fourth star. http://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Star-Dispatch…
then cry about your 5 day deadline to your boss.
I'm from NYC living in Atlanta for almost 3 yrs. I can honestly say that the intolerance, "f**k you", and overall nastiness that you see in local Atlanta forums, such as this, - it leaves me cold. Even some of the food writers are down right condescending to their audience.
What ever happened to accepting that a restaurant can have a bad day, giving feedback, as Molly suggests, so that they have a chance to get it right the next time?
What ever happened to constructive criticism?
I lived in Atlanta 12 yrs ago, and mourn the kind, fun, willing to try new things with a smile place that it once was.
I very seldom say anything about bad food or service in a restaurant - I just don't go back. And yes, I tell more people about bad than I do about good.
Why? I'm not intimidated by name chefs or overbearing servers, I'm just not going to engage in back and forth about what I think is wrong. The few times I have over the years, I find I'm talking to someone who has no say over the problem and really doesn't understand the problem. You get pained smiles and not much else.
There are so many good restaurants around that the simplest solution to bad is to go elsewhere.
On a side issue from the comments, I do read Yelp and Urban Spoon, with several grains of salt. The comments can give you a pretty good idea of what you will find if you toss out the pans and the paeans.
Ron doesn't scare me, and I wouldn't hesitate to say something and/or send something back to his (or Nick's) kitchen if there was something wrong with it. To me, it's entertaining to follow his tweets; there's nothing about them that would keep me from returning to his restaurant. Likewise, I respect Molly's opinion that it could be viewed as harmful to the industry. I hope not, because Rosebud and The Porter are two of my favorite places. In my opinion, there is nothing that could be done at either place to "improve the experience." Both are standout establishments, regardless of the style of management.
people are missing the point of the angry chef.. he is not complaining about people who have problems with service or food, its more about people who feel they have a sense of entitlement to do whatever they want to do inside his restaurant. people who work in the restaurant industry do this all the time... this is nothing new, there have been several blogs like this over the past few years
The Porter is one of the friendliest places I've ever been. The vast majority of people who hang out there are happy to strike up conversations with strangers and I've met some good friends there. The servers and owners are awesome, and complaining about the possibility of Molly coming up to your table really means you're missing out on a big part of what makes the Porter a great place. Maybe it's not for everyone, but it's certainly not a flaw.
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