Chris Maclean: the restaurant lark
On Mothering Sunday one of the restaurant customers complained about a dish she was served. It was something fishy on a risotto bed and the lady picked at it, then said it wasn't good enough. The chef was bewildered. He came to see me and seek my counsel. Should he not charge for the dish, argue the dish was fine, give complimentary puddings or some other sop to the woman's complaint? He was simply out of his depth when faced with criticism like this. It is one of the many reasons I don't want to be responsible for a food operation.
My theory about restaurants is that they a product/service of diminishing returns.
Suppose you were to find the most sensational restaurant imaginable. Beautiful setting, great food and good value. You sit down and select what you are going to eat. Do you choose something that you are familiar with or do you go for something new? If you go for the familiar you risk being disappointed on the faint chance you will be surprised at the outcome. If you go for the different and unusual the chances are you will either discover something wonderful or, more likely, you will realise why you have always avoided the dish. But whatever choice you make, you risk disappointment. And even if you have a sensational meal and everything is perfect the next visit is unlikely to take you to that lofty experience of the first time. The third visit is likely to be regarded as commonplace.
It is no wonder that complaints will occur.
In light of this, the chef must learn to handle the complaints himself. But he needs tact and wisdom.
A while back a friend visited a restaurant with his family to celebrate his 50th. At a neighbouring table was another family with a bawling child. My friend, very discreetly, asked if they could be moved to another table away from the crying child. There was plenty of space in the restaurant. But the waitress simply went over to the other table and asked if the family could silence the noisy child as "the other table is complaining".
A large fight followed.
Maybe this restaurant lark is going to be more interesting than I imagined.
