Instead of the usual review from Allan Borgen, this week we get his culinary wishes for the new year.
You can read them in their entirety here.
I’d like to add my two cents worth by including my own five New Year’s Restaurant Resolutions:
5) Please be original.
It amused me how quickly everyone — from Wendy’s to
Jamba Juice — seemed to start serving breakfast after
Starbucks started offering breakfast sandwiches. It was like a tidal
wave of morning food. Be a trendsetter, not a trend follower.
4) Please educate your employees.
Good employees, if they don’t know the answer to a particular question,
will tell you so and try to get an answer for you. They know the rules
of the restaurant. They don’t ask if you want to be seated and then
tell you that they can’t seat you since your entire party isn’t present.
3) Please be flexible.
Allow groups to split the check. Allow substitutions. Offer vegetarian options. Diners will thank you for it, trust me.
2) Please reign in the high cost of beverages.
Now, I’m not talking about beer/wine/mixed drinks. They’ve always been
a profit maker for restaurants. I’m talking about sodas! Why can I get
a whole meal at a fast food place for the cost of a Diet Coke at
Denny’s? And since I’m paying for the grocery equivalent of four liters
of soda, why does it take so long for you to come by and offer a
refill?
1) Please wait until your restaurant’s posted closing time to begin closing down.
Fast food restaurants are especially guilty of this. Nothing irritates
me like going into a restaurant an hour before they close and they’re
already mopping the floors. The smell of Pine Sol is particularly good
at ruining a meal. One time I went to Weinerschnitel in Rialto
a particular fast food restaurant about 40 minutes before they were
scheduled to close and the chairs were already up on the tables and the
doors were locked! We argued through the door with the guy who was
mopping the floors and he finally unlocked the doors, but we decided
they weren’t going to get our money and went somewhere else.
I know you’ve got your own restaurant resolutions. Please comment below.