THERE are some laws in the universe that are pretty much fait accompli: gravity pulls things down; rain gets you wet; and levels of good service are often in inverse proportion to the amount of money you pay!
Over the past few months, I have eaten out at a variety of eateries and found that the old-fashioned type are, in fact, still providing far better service and consistent food than many newer trendy types.
Case 1: Dinner for four at a well-known seafood eatery at Melbourne’s Docklands was much anticipated.
We were welcomed with a smile by one of the chefs over the counter, however that is where the service stopped!
After spending at least 45 minutes trying to attract a waiter, we were served without much passion, although plenty of attitude, and finally received some food about 25 minutes later.
The mains took much longer, but at least most of the food was passable—however, mine was not so I left half and shared this with the waiter.
He offered a limp apology and assured me this would be shared with the chef, however I watched him drop off the plates and then veer off in another direction.
After a lacklustre coffee, I was surprised to see we were still charged for my meal.
When I expressed my surprise the waiter went off to talk to the manager, however, on his return he said the charge would remain but I could take it up with the manager.
However, when I did I found the manager had already placed the charge on my credit card without even talking to me!
The gist of the conversation was that I should have complained earlier as I had clearly eaten half.
When I suggested the waiter and the manager should have an idea of how patrons are enjoying their meals, she said the waiter had not told her, and she could not be expected to watch over all the tables in the restaurant.
After a little more discussion, she begrudgingly placed a $28 credit on my card.
Outcome: I will not return and, even worse for the restaurateur, I have told at least 10 other people of my experience—that’s a conservative loss of at least 10 couples.
Case 2: My wife and I wanted to have a quick meal together so went to Lygon St, home of some of the best Italian restaurants in Melbourne.
We went to one of the stalwarts of Lygon Street, Key in the Wall, and I must admit, whilst we went back a few years in decor, it was back to some good years where unpretentious waiters knew their job, the kitchen delivered consistent, wholesome food, and the atmosphere was comfortable.
This type of environment can be found at a couple of other places like Campari, Maria’s Trattoria or the Italian Waiters Club, however it is typical Melbourne Italian—wonderful, and not very expensive!
Case 3: I went away with a few friends to the country near Yea (Victoria), one of whom had been eating at the Molesworth Hotel for many years and raved about the size of the meals and value for money.
Suffice to say that the main meals consisted of the usual steak, chicken and mixed grill, however, for $19, the mixed grill was a huge meal, served in good time, by friendly and cheeky staff.
Couple this with a few bottles of a local red and we were in heaven!
Now you can see by the size of the paragraphs devoted to each experience that the one that will stick with me for a long time, for all the wrong reasons, was the most expensive and the most pretentious.
In fact, it is unfortunate that those with the biggest reputation often fail to deliver.
I am not sure whether some owner and managers start to believe their own PR—or think that the dining crowd will continue to adore them no matter how badly they treat them—but maintaining one’s position at the top of the restaurant charts is not an easy task.
Restaurants that do survive have some common traits, including remembering clients’ names, and delivering what customers want, at the price they want it.
Oh, yes, and being friendly!
I’ll gladly pay top dollar for a great dining experience, but for my money, this is more likely to occur at the Key in The Wall or the Molesworth pub than a high-profile Johnny-come-lately with water views.