I began the Friday b’fast meetings by inviting one colleague to join me at a well-known local restaurant about a mile from campus. I’d enjoyed the small group of good friends with whom I had weekly b’fast where I used to live and I missed that camaraderie, so decided about 8 years ago that I would have one New Year’s Eve resolution: to start another b’fast group. It is one weekly activity I not just enjoy, but anticipate. However, for about the past 6 months or so, I’ve been less than well-satisfied with the meals and/or the service.
Chain restaurants are keeping up with the hard times, offering “2 for $20,” dollar menus, kids eat free, and running specials, such as the Denny’s once-a-month someone eats for free. However, our local eatery is not offering specials; instead, the marketing approach includes downgrading both the quality and the quantity of the food while literally doubling some of the prices. I first mentioned this to the group last spring, when I noticed that I was paying 1/3 again more for the same meal than I had been, and it was not a gradual increase. My $7.95 chicken fried steak with scrambled eggs and toast b'fast was suddenly costing me a whopping $14 and change! At the same time, the preparation of the meal declined as drastically as the price had inclined, with me often refusing to eat a meal that arrived with cold, slimy eggs, burnt toast, and limp bacon. Yeah, I sent it back a couple of times, but that gets old too, so I tried other b’fast items to see if there was something else I could order, eat, and afford.
One morning, my b’fast buddy ordered what is in essence a McDonald’s b’fast sandwich, the one with sausage, egg, and cheese on a toasted English muffin. The first time I ordered it, it was delicious, but after that initial offering, I never had another one that tasted as good. The price went from $4.99, which is quite pricey, to $6.99, and then to $7.50 – while the muffins went from fat and perfectly toasted to thin and burnt, and the eggs went from plump and moist circles to a lacy-edged splat that hung over the edges of the burnt muffin. The sausage, which had been a nice, thick, moist patty was suddenly a cardboard-thin, dried out, fried piece of mystery meat! All in all, not worth paying the price – nor worth eating.
We did have the discussion one morning, asking the server if, perhaps, there was a new cook. Nope, same cook, so that didn’t seem to explain the changes. Yes, business has been off, but it’s the economy. I wanted to say no, it’s the food combined with the price increases, but I didn’t. Today, our server didn’t come to pick up our payment, so after waiting a while we walked up to the register to pay. When she saw us standing there (she was reading the morning paper), she said that we finally “caught on” that she doesn’t have to perform that service.
Okay, there’s the key word: service. As in, the customer comes in to order a product from you and you treat the customer well, service the customer, so s/he will enjoy today’s product (meal) and want to return. If I wanted to fill my own coffee cup; if I wanted cold, slimy eggs and limp bacon; if I wanted a fried egg curling and oozing over the edges of the burnt muffin – I’d stay home and cook it myself. I come to the diner once a week for a treat, for a little bit of service provided to me in exchange for which I pay money, as well as a TIP, to ensure proper, polite service.
A restaurant that used to fill to capacity during the 60 minutes our group was there is now empty. We no longer worry about hurrying to leave as no one is waiting for a table. I’m sure the staff blames the situation on the economy, but it’s not: it’s the lack of good food combined with an unreasonable pricing structure that is not competitive within the community. You try to make up for your failure to compete by scrimping on the food and raising the prices, but you end up losing more than you would if you had kept what you had and hustled to get more patrons in the door.
Don’t blame the economy for bad business practices: blame bad business practies! Meanwhile, we're looking for another spot for our Friday 6 am b'fast club.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I was a waitress off and on for the 8 years between the time I was 16 and 24. I had my first official job at good ol Mickey D's. I was fifteen and I had a work permit, . Back then if we didn't keep the place sparkling and provide good service we got written up, they had a strict 3 strikes and you are out policy. They also had a huge banner over the cashiers station that said something to the effect of, "service with a smile! or you get free french fries!" Elderly people would come in and antagonize us just to get the free fries.
Where have those days gone?
That was only 18 years ago. My next job was more lucrative I became a hostess and was quickly promoted to waitress status at a hotel restaurant in DHS. Service was priority back then, even at a diner. Things have changed, these days many people employed at restaurants seem to think they are Gods gift to the food industry and you better appreciate it! I will warn you however that their are vindictive people in the food industry and if they decide they don't care for you, I just would not trust them with my food, not ever. Trust me. My unsolisited advice on this one: if you have to complain, do it once, with a smile plasered to your face, then don't go back. By the end of my time in the restaurant business I became the night manager of a restaurant. The cooks hated me, because if the food was bad, and by bad I mean: someone asks for well done and there is a puddle of blood on the plate, I would take it back and make sure they did the order correctly, whilst standing in their kitchen.
Last words...
Short order cooks are often like temperamental artists, if you insult their food there is no telling what they will do and you will never know about it. Trust.
Post a Comment