Biggest Restaurant Killer

[radcen]

What one thing, to you, is the most frustrating things a restaurant can do... or not do?

For me it's inconsistency. Food is great one time, and sucks another, then back to great three times, then meh. Even if it's great most of the time, I will stop going. I think why I get so frustrated is that they've shown they *can be* great, so I want to go there, but it just isn't happening.

Bad food, bad service, high prices, all will make me not go, too, but I'll just stopping going and never give it a second thought. Inconsistency will cause me to dish out some negative 'word of mouth'.

 

[Hawkeye10]

The biggest killer is food to go from multiple sources. Just like we decided that we could not be bothered to do family dinner we are deciding that spending a bunch of money to go sit down and get served is spending both too much time and too much money.

Restaurants are a huge bubble.

Still growing.

 

[longview]

With the kids grown and gone, My wife and I eat out often.
I agree inconsistency in the food , would be one of the killers.
One place we go often, has horrible service, but the food is always great.
I guess with me it is about the food quality.

 

[Cigar]

What one thing, to you, is the most frustrating things a restaurant can do... or not do?

For me it's inconsistency. Food is great one time, and sucks another, then back to great three times, then meh. Even if it's great most of the time, I will stop going. I think why I get so frustrated is that they've shown they *can be* great, so I want to go there, but it just isn't happening.

Bad food, bad service, high prices, all will make me not go, too, but I'll just stopping going and never give it a second thought. Inconsistency will cause me to dish out some negative 'word of mouth'.

Exactly that; I know several people in The Restaurant Business, and when something that I liked that was on the Menu, I ask the Manager why. Many times they have a reasonable answer. Sometimes it's seasonal, other times it's lack of quality from suppliers or they may just put it back. Often times it's a change in the Chef and they have their own specialty.

But if I were you, I'd ask why.

 

[Lutherf]

For a full service restaurant it's poor service. Just keep half an eye on my coffee cup during breakfast. Let me know if my order went in behind three 10 tops and a party of 65. I'll order an appetizer and another drink before I order my dinner if that's the case.

If the food sucks and the server is attentive I'll find out why the food sucks before I decide never to come back. If the service sucks there's nobody to ask why the food sucks too. Besides, poor service is a good indication that management sucks and if management sucks the kitchen is probably nasty.

 

[backpacker]

There are lots of things that could make me never go back to a food joint, but of the things that would be regular practice and not health code violations, that would and does do it is that their menu changes so often I never know if they will even have something that appeals to me going in. I can understand having seasonal specials and all, but I have to know that they have a standby meal I can go to if I don't want the limited time choices.

 

[radcen]

Exactly that; I know several people in The Restaurant Business, and when something that I liked that was on the Menu, I ask the Manager why. Many times they have a reasonable answer. Sometimes it's seasonal, other times it's lack of quality from suppliers or they may just put it back. Often times it's a change in the Chef and they have their own specialty.

But if I were you, I'd ask why.

Way back in my younger days I had a lot of experience at family cafe type places, and even owned one for a short while. So, I still observe to this day and pick out things they are doing. Many places... and I mean small family-type restaurants, not higher end places where the chef IS the reason people go... allow the cook to do it their way, and that is a HUGE mistake, IMO. The owner/manager should set the tone for the food, not the cook. Cooks change, patrons don't, hence the food should remain consistent.

 

[Hawkeye10]

Way back in my younger days I had a lot of experience at family cafe type places, and even owned one for a short while. So, I still observe to this day and pick out things they are doing. Many places... and I mean small family-type restaurants, not higher end places where the chef IS the reason people go... allow the cook to do it their way, and that is a HUGE mistake, IMO. The owner/manager should set the tone for the food, not the cook. Cooks change, patrons don't, hence the food should remain consistent.

Except for chef driven places yes of course. But this is America@2017....a lot of things our ancestors could manage we no longer do.

 

[faithful_servant]

Bad service and uncleanliness. One of my wife's favorite places to eat has both. Floors are dirty, carpets are worn through, service is horrible (the only time we see the server is when she takes our order). The food is pretty good, but if it was my choice, we'd never go back.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

What one thing, to you, is the most frustrating things a restaurant can do... or not do?

Forget that the employees ARE the restaurant.

All of the negatives listed in this thread can be avoided by keeping a good staff happy.

If you don't have good staff or if the good staff you have aren't happy, your restaurant will eventually suck so hard it collapses.

 

[Helix]

i'd say lousy food would be the biggest factor for me in choosing whether or not to go back to a place. also, if a place has at least a few healthy options that are good, that's a place that i'm going to visit a lot more.

as for complaining about a place or giving it a low rating, i don't do that. i will consider giving a place i like a good rating or recommend it to friends, though. i also never complain about service. a couple summers dealing with customers when i was in college cured me of that. if the order is wrong, it's easy enough to get it fixed without being impolite or getting anyone in trouble.

 

[radcen]

i'd say lousy food would be the biggest factor for me in choosing whether or not to go back to a place. also, if a place has at least a few healthy options that are good, that's a place that i'm going to visit a lot more.

as for complaining about a place or giving it a low rating, i don't do that. i will consider giving a place i like a good rating or recommend it to friends, though. i also never complain about service. a couple summers dealing with customers when i was in college cured me of that. if the order is wrong, it's easy enough to get it fixed without being impolite or getting anyone in trouble.

I never send food back. In my experience in the restaurant industry I know that people dicking with food is rare, but it does happen.

I never complain to a manager about bad service. If it's a "one off" scenario, I let it slide. If it's a habit, I just don't go back.

I generally tip well, but the server does have to do their job, too. I refuse to pay well for indifference. I have stiffed a server once in the last 20 years, and that was just a year ago, the service was that bad.

I do leave comments on places like Yelp, and I am honest. My reviews lean heavily toward 4 or 5 out of 5 stars, but I am not afraid to leave 1 or 2 stars if warranted. I usually go to a place at least three times before I will review it, though.

 

[Helix]

I never send food back. In my experience in the restaurant industry I know that people dicking with food is rare, but it does happen.

I never complain to a manager about bad service. If it's a "one off" scenario, I let it slide. If it's a habit, I just don't go back.

I generally tip well, but the server does have to do their job, too. I refuse to pay well for indifference. I have stiffed a server once in the last 20 years, and that was just a year ago, the service was that bad.

I do leave comments on places like Yelp, and I am honest. My reviews lean heavily toward 4 or 5 out of 5 stars, but I am not afraid to leave 1 or 2 stars if warranted. I usually go to a place at least three times before I will review it, though.

the last part is a good idea; ensures against rating an outlier.

as for a genuinely bad review, it would have to be seriously bad, like they served me chicken fried poop or something. that's just my own personal thing, though, and it's directly related to my experiences with some utter assholes while i was running a register.

 

[<alt>doxygen]

i'd say lousy food would be the biggest factor for me in choosing whether or not to go back to a place. also, if a place has at least a few healthy options that are good, that's a place that i'm going to visit a lot more.

as for complaining about a place or giving it a low rating, i don't do that. i will consider giving a place i like a good rating or recommend it to friends, though. i also never complain about service. a couple summers dealing with customers when i was in college cured me of that. if the order is wrong, it's easy enough to get it fixed without being impolite or getting anyone in trouble.

That's me. Healthy options, decent prices and good food. I will negotiate on the first 2 from time to time, but the last one, never. Too many choices out there. One other thing, if it's impossible to get in without reservations days in advance, we won't be there much. We're pretty spur of the moment, who's in the mood for what people.

 

[Helix]

That's me. Healthy options, decent prices and good food. I will negotiate on the first 2 from time to time, but the last one, never. Too many choices out there. One other thing, if it's impossible to get in without reservations days in advance, we won't be there much. We're pretty spur of the moment, who's in the mood for what people.

we've got a place near me that's supposed to be pretty good, but you have to wait forever to actually get in, and you can't make reservations unless your party is huge. tried to go there with some friends, and then we gave up and went somewhere else. they said that they could seat us at ten PM and this was at around five on a work night. place is located in a somewhat isolated rural area, too. i looked at my GF and said "why don't they just add on to the dining room and make more money?" hanging out in the parking lot waiting for them to finally let you in is actually part of their gimmick. every time we pass the place, i always joke that the people who were in front of us are just now getting seated. :lol:

 

[Mr Person]

What one thing, to you, is the most frustrating things a restaurant can do... or not do?

For me it's inconsistency. Food is great one time, and sucks another, then back to great three times, then meh. Even if it's great most of the time, I will stop going. I think why I get so frustrated is that they've shown they *can be* great, so I want to go there, but it just isn't happening.

Bad food, bad service, high prices, all will make me not go, too, but I'll just stopping going and never give it a second thought. Inconsistency will cause me to dish out some negative 'word of mouth'.

* Inconsistency.

* Seating people in clusters. Makes it easier for the server, but rather annoying to be sandwiched between loud tables when parts of the restaurant are empty. (Though the older I've gotten, the more likely I am to ask for a particular table if it looks like I'm getting plopped down next to loud people)

* Watered down drinks. This is a rare one, but some places I'll order Manhattan, up, which should really only be shaken w/ ice for a very short while. I sip it and it tastes like it's down to 25% alcohol. No, I actually want the full bourbon flavor, thank you. Make it smaller if you must save money.

* Food obviously cooled down before it was brought out. Get that to the table ASAP! If it happens regularly, no thank you.

 

[Mr Person]

I never send food back. In my experience in the restaurant industry I know that people dicking with food is rare, but it does happen.

The only time I've done that was when my family took me out to Morton's after I graduated from law school. Ordered a steak rare. It wasn't even "bleu". The outside was seared and it was cold purple on the inside.

I like rare, but come on. I don't want it literally raw unless it's chopped up and made into steak tartare. Cook that for another 60-90 seconds......




(I also calculated that it was relatively unlikely that someone would attempt to rub an entire porterhouse on their balls in revenge).

 

[radcen]

the last part is a good idea; ensures against rating an outlier.

as for a genuinely bad review, it would have to be seriously bad, like they served me chicken fried poop or something. that's just my own personal thing, though, and it's directly related to my experiences with some utter assholes while i was running a register.

When I do leave a negative review I am very descriptive. I do not do, "Horrible Never again." That doesn't tell anybody anything.

 

[radcen]

we've got a place near me that's supposed to be pretty good, but you have to wait forever to actually get in, and you can't make reservations unless your party is huge. tried to go there with some friends, and then we gave up and went somewhere else. they said that they could seat us at ten PM and this was at around five on a work night. place is located in a somewhat isolated rural area, too. i looked at my GF and said "why don't they just add on to the dining room and make more money?" hanging out in the parking lot waiting for them to finally let you in is actually part of their gimmick. every time we pass the place, i always joke that the people who were in front of us are just now getting seated. :lol:

There's a local pizza place here like that. I think it's part of their gimmick. I don't have patience for that. These are plenty of very fine options.

 

[Helix]

There's a local pizza place here like that. I think it's part of their gimmick. I don't have patience for that. These are plenty of very fine options.

i guess i just don't see how they make more money than they lose by not reducing extreme wait times. they could even keep most of the gimmick if they expanded dining space by even twenty five percent. i mean, what do they gain in making people wait 5 hours instead of 3.75? seems like you could seriously increase profits by increasing the number tables a bit.

either way, i checked their ratings, and they are doing pretty well, and more people like the experience than don't. maybe that's the part that i don't understand.

 

[radcen]

* Inconsistency.

* Seating people in clusters. Makes it easier for the server, but rather annoying to be sandwiched between loud tables when parts of the restaurant are empty. (Though the older I've gotten, the more likely I am to ask for a particular table if it looks like I'm getting plopped down next to loud people)

* Watered down drinks. This is a rare one, but some places I'll order Manhattan, up, which should really only be shaken w/ ice for a very short while. I sip it and it tastes like it's down to 25% alcohol. No, I actually want the full bourbon flavor, thank you. Make it smaller if you must save money.

* Food obviously cooled down before it was brought out. Get that to the table ASAP! If it happens regularly, no thank you.

Yes! It's just the last few years that I am no longer shy about asking for exactly what I want in a table. And if they're taking me to a table I don't want, I will speak up and say, "How about that one over there?"

I also no longer have no patience when a certain table that I want, and is open as I can see, is not in the next server's station.

I'm turning into that grouchy old man.

 

[Goshin]

What one thing, to you, is the most frustrating things a restaurant can do... or not do?

For me it's inconsistency. Food is great one time, and sucks another, then back to great three times, then meh. Even if it's great most of the time, I will stop going. I think why I get so frustrated is that they've shown they *can be* great, so I want to go there, but it just isn't happening.

Bad food, bad service, high prices, all will make me not go, too, but I'll just stopping going and never give it a second thought. Inconsistency will cause me to dish out some negative 'word of mouth'.

1. Bad Food

2. Bad Food

3. Bad Food

4. Really bad service.

 

[PoS]

1. Bad Food

2. Bad Food

3. Bad Food

4. Really bad service.

Ditto. It all comes down to taste and service for me.

 

[Winston]

What one thing, to you, is the most frustrating things a restaurant can do... or not do?

For me it's inconsistency. Food is great one time, and sucks another, then back to great three times, then meh. Even if it's great most of the time, I will stop going. I think why I get so frustrated is that they've shown they *can be* great, so I want to go there, but it just isn't happening.

Bad food, bad service, high prices, all will make me not go, too, but I'll just stopping going and never give it a second thought. Inconsistency will cause me to dish out some negative 'word of mouth'.

Having worked in almost every level of back of the house food service. Hit or miss food is highly dependent on two things. 1. regulations. do they have an expo at the window looking at every plate before it goes out? how strict is the chef on his line? 2. are they completely slammed wall to wall people standing room only? food quality suffers when this happens. most people don't care because they're too hungry give a damn by the time they get their food.

I've always got the best food from authentic Mexican places at like 2 o clock in the afternoon. Besides the fish in Seattle. can't **** with the fish in Seattle.

 

[nota bene]

For a full service restaurant it's poor service. Just keep half an eye on my coffee cup during breakfast. Let me know if my order went in behind three 10 tops and a party of 65. I'll order an appetizer and another drink before I order my dinner if that's the case.

If the food sucks and the server is attentive I'll find out why the food sucks before I decide never to come back. If the service sucks there's nobody to ask why the food sucks too. Besides, poor service is a good indication that management sucks and if management sucks the kitchen is probably nasty.

Bad service does it for me too. There is a restaurant with excellent Mexican food in my community, and it's done so well that it's opened a second restaurant. Whether either one is crowded or empty, the service is lousy, so I've given up.

And I also read the weekly restaurant reports on local news sites. Eventually, you see patterns. One is that Asian restaurant proprietors really, really, really don't understand that hot/cold temps and cross-contamination matter.

The other issue for me is noise level. No matter how good the food, if you have to shout to attempt a conversation, it's not worth it.