While dining in a well regarded Manhattan eatery last week, I was stunned by the multitude of avoidable errors that this place made. Sure the food was good, maybe even very good, but there were so many decorative and service missteps that I had a difficult time focusing on my meal and the potential employers sitting across from me (yes, there is a chance that I may be moving to NYC; and no, I cannot discuss it here though I wish I could.)
As much as I hate giving away advice that I would normally be compensated to provide, the experience at that place prompted me to share:
Ten Common and Avoidable Misteaks Restauranteurs Make
- Cheap toilet tissue in expensive restaurants is incongruous but surprisingly common; it personifies the phrase “penny wise, pound foolish.”
- No one looks good under harsh lighting, please stop using it.
- If your restaurant lacks a mission statement, you’re doing it wrong.
- Seriously? You’ve heard about this for about a decade; how can you still not have hooks under the bar?
- Coco Chanel once said “that in order to be irreplaceable, one must be different.” The same thing applies to restaurants.
- The irreplaceable Ms. Chanel also suggested that a lady should always get dressed and then remove one thing before leaving the house. With the proliferation of overly constructed cuisine, the same should be said of every dish before it leaves the kitchen.
- Superlative service costs the exact same as mediocre service, why must so many places countenance the latter rather than seeking the former?
- Brag through your food, not on the printed menu. When menus are written boastfully, they make everyone more inclined to seek flaws in equal measure to flavor.
- Call your own restaurants frequently and from outside lines, you would be surprised by the dearth of telephone civility.
- No music on the website, use a minimal amount of flash, ensure that the hours, address & phone number are on every page, and answer your email.
p.s. Yes, I really did think that “misteaks” part was funny.
Posted by restaurant refugee 
