So last week I wrote about my lackluster experience at a restaurant here in downtown Seattle., and also posted that review on Yelp.com
Well this morning I awoke to an email from Yelp telling me that someone had commented on that review, Well here it is, I can only assume that this is the GM or Owner, as I noticed that he had also made other comments on other posts.
It sounds as though you ordered from the "selection of artisianal cheeses" from the happy hour menu which was priced at $3 per ounce at the time (we now offer 2oz for $5); hence the single small portion. In regards to your three charcuterie plates the Chef thought it was best to give you the broadest selection of what we had to offer rather than three identical plates of meat (priced at $5 for happy hour). I'm sorry that our cocktail menu didn't look interesting to you but we try to expose our guests to new things: blood & sand, arsenic & old lace, absinthe, etc.
Although I do indeed appreciate the fact that someone who seems to be in the know wrote back, I am a little miffed at what they choose to reply to. Now part of me wants to simply thank this guy for his time in responding to me and move along. But the Chef (and antagonist) in me wants to really reply with something like: Hey thanks for your reply, but if you really took the time to read and reply to my post then you would have at least noticed that my issues were all really related to the service or in this case lack thereof... Spend a little more time training your front of house staff so that they are able to accurately describe to the customer what they are ordering. On second thought, be a little more descriptive in your menu descriptions, don't use terms like "selection of" when the customer only gets one "selection", at least let the customer make the selection then. It makes the customer feel a little better about the dish in the end, almost like they are in control of it. Otherwise you may as well turn out the lights and promote a Sensory Dining Experience. Now in my response to your comment about the charcuterie plate, I made the mistake of stating that it came out 3 different ways, it didn't it came out 2 different ways. My group like diversity as much as the next guy, so sure make it 3 different ways, we know there were plenty of selections to be had. Once it was mentioned to the server she kinda brushed it off as oh well...
So for my biggest complaint with his response, we were not even invited back to give the place a second chance, not asking for a free meal, or even a discounted meal. We would be happy to pay full price for dinner. It seems that in today's times many restaurant owners and chefs are simply satisfied to get the business and move along regardless of the customer experience is. If you want to survive in a truly dog eat dog industry you need to provide a TON of service to your clients and they will happily return time after time.
