An Unfortunate Restaurant Experience

This is a partial letter to the owners of a restaurant I recently visited during a visit home to Georgia:

We are in a recession as a country and when a family makes a deliberate, dedicated choice to spend their hard-earned money in an establishment, the hope and expectation is for their to be value. 

I have enjoyed some very unique dining experiences.  And, I’ve had some mediocre experiences as well.  Usually, because it was an “off” day, or one aspect of the meal was lacking – service, food, ambience, etc.  At your restaurant, everything was lacking.  We were seated in a freezing cold room (it was cold that day – not your fault, of course).  We sat on chairs that had slits/holes in them.  We gazed upon wallpaper that was peeling off the walls before our eyes.  And, we waited 1 hour and 15 minutes to receive our meal when 1) we stated we had limited time at the onset of the meal and 2) the restaurant was a quarter full, if that.  After making several inquiries to our server, a sweet girls who was “in the weeds”, she explained the kitchen was backed up and they were trying to serve a “seven top”.  My in-laws and wife don’t know, nor care, what a “seven top” is.  It would be wise to instruct your staff not to use restaurant lingo to patrons.  It’s unbecoming and presumptuous.  To top it all off, I spent that evening vomiting from what I believe was the tomato bisque soup and/or the mixed green salad. 

Normally, I enjoy writing letters of praise as I believe in supporting all local and regional businesses.  The service industry is at the core of this country, so I am personally committed to supporting businesses in any way possible.  However, I don’t think my expectations are unreasonable or extraordinary.  I expect quality, value and terrific service; none of which I received from your establishment.

As somebody fortunate enough to have kept my job while friends and colleagues were losing theirs, I maintain a very strong conviction about personal/corporate responsibility and excellence.  I did not witness a level of responsibility, dedication or excellence at your restaurant.  All we received was a few empty apologies, terrible food and a tremendously long wait (not to mention some kind of food poisoning).  What, exactly, can you explain, were we paying for?

I regret having to write such a letter, but I would be remiss not to.  I hope it is received in a constructive manner so you can make necessary adjustments to your staff, kitchen and aesthetic so you can stay in business.

Sincerely,

Now, the reason I share this with you is to discuss the validity and/or necessity to write letters when you’ve had a less than satisfactory experience.  (I did get very sick that night and it was a bad restaurant experience.)

I have worked in many restaurants back in the day.  One of my biggest challenges was that I could not afford to dine in the kind of restaurant where I worked.  That frustrated me.  I’ve worked in theme restaurants, diners, cafes, tea salons and very fine restaurants (oh, I even worked at a Kosher BBQ joint on the Upper West Side for a brief spell).  This was all a long time ago, but my expectations of wanting to pay for no-attitude service and great food haven’t changed.  I love restaurants because I love food.  But, more so, I love the social and intimate aspect of going out to eat with my wife or friends or family.  I am always excited to try something new and even more thrilled to return to places I love.  The restaurant business is incredibly competitive; even more so these days.  Which, when I have such a lousy experience at one, I feel compelled to bring it to the owners attention.  Not because I want to be cruel, but because they need feedback from customers in order to survive.  Equally, I love writing letters that praise an individual and/or an experience.  We are so quick to gripe and complain, but it seems to take an extra effort to praise. Oh, by the way, I was recently on a Delta flight that arrived in Los Angeles 40 minutes early.  The flight attendant came on the intercom welcoming us to LAX.  Then, she said, “Make sure to tell all your friends we got you here early.  Because we know you tell them when we’re late!”  Everyone shared a laugh, but it was so true!

How many of you write letters based on a poor experience or perhaps, an excellent one?   What was the result?  Do you think it is necessary to take the time and write a letter?  We’d love your feedback!

Oh, in case you were wondering… I never heard back from this restaurant.

Michael Albanese is a playwright, screenwriter and part-time jack-of-all-trades. A recent transplant to Los Angeles from New York, he loves, in no particular order, all things Italian, art, films, music, theatre, food, wine, etc.  He drinks a lot of coffee and knows just enough about sports to get by.  He has vast experience in the hospitality and service industries and at one point in life, wanted to be a dentist.  He lives with his best friend, who happens to be his wife, and has a stuffed dog because he won't commit to getting a real one. Michael was fired from his first table-waiting job because he told a food-critic that the goat-cheese salad he ordered was a “delightful plop”.  Michael didn’t know what “chevre” was at the time – the French word for goat-cheese.