"Inside The House"

[qwertyy]

During RW it's a big help to get someone to answer the phone during dinner/lunch rushes to take reservations for the following days. Because I'm too busy managing guests in front of me to look up the bookings for tomorrow, day after, etc. The point I was making that whoever's answering the phones can successfully manage requests for the following days, but not for "right now". Managing requests for "right now" requires buzzing me, distracting me, and most often nothing is available anyway because even if something was, there's fifteen walk-ins at the bar waiting their turn, and the person at the office can't see that.

Then why not just direct to voice mail? Office person can check every 30 or so minutes to check if anyone called to say he or she would be late, but other than that, get back to them at a better time.

I know there are all kinds of reasons why this wouldn't work; I'm just growing really frustrated as a diner at the increasing limitations on when and where and how I can eat. I'm irked at the notion that if I eat out Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, graduation weekend, Restaurant Week, yada yada yada, I can expect to be treated shoddily. I'm irked at the notion that if I don't call at certain times I can expect to be treated shoddily. I wish my office gave me an allowance for rudeness or half-assedness during especially busy periods, but it seems that only the service industry does that.

Oh, irony.

[Please note: This isn't directed at Nadya--whose writings I always enjoy for their style and ability to get us talking about interesting topics--or at any particular restaurant at all, just the dining environment in general. And I'm kind of crabby today. Sorry.]

[Jacques Gastreaux]

During RW it's a big help to get someone to answer the phone during dinner/lunch rushes to take reservations for the following days. Because I'm too busy managing guests in front of me to look up the bookings for tomorrow, day after, etc. The point I was making that whoever's answering the phones can successfully manage requests for the following days, but not for "right now". Managing requests for "right now" requires buzzing me, distracting me, and most often nothing is available anyway because even if something was, there's fifteen walk-ins at the bar waiting their turn, and the person at the office can't see that.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to imply that having that extra person on hand to answer the phone and help with the load was not necessary. It was the fact that it was necessary is what I was trying to get at.

I wonder if different restaurants deploy different strategies to deal with the load during RW. I wonder what would happen if a restaurant booked only 80% of its capacity knowing it could fill the other 20% from walk-in, underbookers, people who call night of, etc.

[Nadya]

Then why not just direct to voice mail? Office person can check every 30 or so minutes to check if anyone called to say he or she would be late, but other than that, get back to them at a better time.

I know there are all kinds of reasons why this wouldn't work; I'm just growing really frustrated as a diner at the increasing limitations on when and where and how I can eat. I'm irked at the notion that if I eat out Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, graduation weekend, Restaurant Week, yada yada yada, I can expect to be treated shoddily. I'm irked at the notion that if I don't call at certain times I can expect to be treated shoddily. I wish my office gave me an allowance for rudeness or half-assedness during especially busy periods, but it seems that only the service industry does that.

Oh, irony.

[Please note: This isn't directed at Nadya--whose writings I always enjoy for their style and ability to get us talking about interesting topics--or at any particular restaurant at all, just the dining environment in general. And I'm kind of crabby today. Sorry.]

I am not even close to taking this personally so need to apologize.

There is no limitation on where and when you should or should not eat. The choice is yours. You won't be treated shoddily at a well-run place no matter when you call. However, my humble opinion was that everyone can benefit from a sort of an insider map to the realities of restaurant life. It's doesn't equal shoddy treatment to say, look, if you want to call at the busiest time, be prepared to hold a lot because it's busy. If you want to come for dinner at 7 pm with no reservation, be prepared to wait, because it's busy. If you want to have dinner at a quiet time, don't come at 7.30, because it's busy.

You don't get angry at IKEA when you choose to go shopping on Saturday afternoon and the lines are longer than let's say Tuesday morning, do you? The reality is that some times are busier than others. High volume necessitates having less time to deal with any one person during high volume times. How is it shoddy treatment to realize that?

[Heather]

On the first point, some will just have to agree to disagree, there may be the occaisonal rube that comes along who is just so clueless that you just can't help yourself.

Usually, if you're in the service industry you're being paid to stifle urges like that. Granted, usually not paid enough.

As for voice mail, someone would have to sit down and write down all of names, numbers, and requests. A percentage will be garbled or cut off. Or, I can envision a message like: "Please put me down for 8/15 at 8pm, 4 people, my name is (blah)"...and no phone number to call them back and say sorry we don't have anything on that day.

[DLB]

Then why not just direct to voice mail? Office person can check every 30 or so minutes to check if anyone called to say he or she would be late, but other than that, get back to them at a better time.

I know there are all kinds of reasons why this wouldn't work; I'm just growing really frustrated as a diner at the increasing limitations on when and where and how I can eat. I'm irked at the notion that if I eat out Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, graduation weekend, Restaurant Week, yada yada yada, I can expect to be treated shoddily. I'm irked at the notion that if I don't call at certain times I can expect to be treated shoddily. I wish my office gave me an allowance for rudeness or half-assedness during especially busy periods, but it seems that only the service industry does that.

Oh, irony.

I agree, that's why I don't eat out on the above days anymore! Every industry is in the customer service business. My clients can care less about what I want, and I understand that totally, as they are paying for a SERVICE. I just can't understand my some folks in the restaurant industry expect so much from the customer. I get paid to serve my clients at work. They do not want to hear excuses as to why we do not have enough staff to get the job done. They just want it done!

[mdt]

I agree, that's why I don't eat out on the above days anymore! Every industry is in the customer service business. My clients can care less about what I want, and I understand that totally, as they are paying for a SERVICE. I just can't understand my some folks in the restaurant industry expect so much from the customer. I get paid to serve my clients at work. They do not want to hear excuses as to why we do not have enough staff to get the job done. They just want it done!

Expect so much? What are you talking about? Since when is expecting a little understanding so much? Damn you would think that you are being asked to cook the damn meal too.

You show up on a busy night with no reservation and don't understand when you cannot be seated right away? You call to make reservations during a busy week, are told that they only have early and late reservations, and you complain that they don't have what you want. You arrive with extra people and are surprised when they cannot be easily accomodated?

I think the real problem is that nobody thinks about anyone but themselves. And this relates to all parts of life. Sometimes people need to be told no. It is like the old saying, you can have it done quick, good, or cheap. Pick any two.

[CrescentFresh]

One of my favorite things about restaurant week has not been any of the meals I've had. I gave up on going to participating restaurants that week long ago, for a variety of reasons. But my favorite thing has always been when, for a week or two afterwards, Nadya would always share some fun and funny "in the trenches" stories. I like "Inside the House." There's no rocket science to it. I just dig how she tells stories.

[Mark Slater]

Usually, if you're in the service industry you're being paid to stifle urges like that. Granted, usually not paid enough.

As for voice mail, someone would have to sit down and write down all of names, numbers, and requests. A percentage will be garbled or cut off. Or, I can envision a message like: "Please put me down for 8/15 at 8pm, 4 people, my name is (blah)"...and no phone number to call them back and say sorry we don't have anything on that day.

Then there's always the message that says "party of 20 at 7:30, oh, and we want a round table". A round table for 20. Yeah. Right.

[bilrus]

Then there's always the message that says "party of 20 at 7:30, oh, and we want a round table". A round table for 20. Yeah. Right.

Maybe at one of those places like at the Excalibur in Vegas that have the jousting dinner show.

"Table of 20 for the Arthur party."

[Mark Slater]

I don't understand why restaurants participate in Restaurant Week, if they don't want to deal with these type issues. It almost seems as if you are waiting for restaurant week just to make fun of those that don't dine out on a regular basis, and don't know the "rules". I have stopped going out for restaurant week, because the service always seems to be somewhat condescending in nature....... just like most of these articles.

Some restaurants don't participate in Restaurant Week ( ). That doesn't stop people from coming to those restaurants every year, eating a full dinner with cocktails, wine, coffee, mineral water and then having extended arguments with the manager because they thought that restaurant was participating and their check is $600 instead of $90. This is what Nadya was getting at, I think.

[Miami Danny]

I'm sure 9 out of 10 customers are fine-but who cares about them? "Joe and Mary Blow ate dinner paid their check and left." When I was a cab driver we didn't sit around at the end of the night and talk about the fares who were pleasant or uneventful. Same goes for the bar business now. This stuff about restaurant customers is boring enough-and it's the GOOD stuff! One spends the night serving people-it's not for everyone-you're under-appreciated and you know it. (Don't they know I'm an out-of-work actor/model/writer/PhD candidate/poet, etc?) You gotta blow off steam. Personally, I never talk about my customers' behavior in a bad way, and if I catch my employees (or other customers) doing it (which they do constantly!), I admonish them; because if my customers stop coming, I'm closed! I DO know where the anger (or is it confusion?) is coming from, and I like your haughty/holier-than-thou style. Give me more dirt on your favorite retards, please!

[Nadya]

Like death and taxes

[blakegwinn]

Like death and taxes

I enjoyed the latest DCist piece. It is funny how hot those topics are. I see a lot of the city politics columns or expose on the latest police scandal go by with one or two comments but put something up about service in restaurants or potential Whole Foods sites and BAM 40 comments without breaking a sweat.

[Nadya]

А вот кому еще статейку почитать!

http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/09/28/i...hous_6.php#more

[Barbara]

А вот кому еще статейку почитать!

http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/09/28/i...hous_6.php#more

My Russian dictionaries are all in storage and I really don't want to have to go to Tyson's Corner to dig them out. Translation please.

Oh, and another great column. This stuff is just fascinating.

[DonRocks]

My Russian dictionaries are all in storage and I really don't want to have to go to Tyson's Corner to dig them out. Translation please.

It means, I thought I saw a почитать!

[CrescentFresh]

Y'know, every time I think that things get a little heated in the dr.com galaxy, I always remind myself that I can look at the comments after any one of Nadya's columns and realize that it's all good......

[Capital Icebox]

It means, I thought I saw a почитать!

Or, if I'm not too rusty, "Look who had to write another article!"

It could also be the old Soviet code for "The DCist comments section drives me to drink!"

[porcupine]

It means, I thought I saw a почитать!

etd

[DanielK]

Babelfish says:

"But here coma to another stateyku read a little"

[CrescentFresh]

It means, I thought I saw a почитать!

Я сделал! Я сделал!

[Lydia R]

My Russian dictionaries are all in storage and I really don't want to have to go to Tyson's Corner to dig them out. Translation please.

Curiousity got the better of me earlier today and I approached a grandmotherly émigré for translation. Nadya, please warn us before we do that. She was quite upset by the signature passage and was hesitant to even whisper the translation to me. Coarse language involving chocolate and Angry Dogs, oh my.

[Barbara]

Curiousity got the better of me earlier today and I approached a grandmotherly émigré for translation. Nadya, please warn us before we do that. She was quite upset by the signature passage and was hesitant to even whisper the translation to me. Chocolate and Angry Dogs, oh my.

Well, ya see, Nadya doesn't realize how many of us studied Russian for the sole purpose of doing some spying (whether the lessons took or not isn't relevant). Will somebody who actually LEARNED the language clue the rest of us in?

[Nadya]

Camping Is For Yellowstone - Can You Make Them Leave?

[giant shrimp]

Camping Is For Yellowstone - Can You Make Them Leave?

this is wages of fear material, transporting tnt. i have seen poky diners go ballistic when their server suggests moving things to the bar, and when they are liquored up they can really go off -- spectacularly. i don't have much restaurant experience, but from slaving as a busboy one summer in a fishy restaurant, one of my indelible memories is waiting around for a table of two ladies out to lunch who sipped coffee for hours after there was no one left in the place, turning my split shifts into a 14-hour straight run. it was quite a different experience than you saw in the movies -- romantic couples forgetting their surroundings as everything breaks up around them and finding an attendant when they come to.