PrintMy Latest Restaurant Pet Peeve: What's yours?
I am gathering restaurant horror stories in the next few weeks. Here's what just happened to me:
Yesterday I met my brother, his wife, and four of their friends at Cafe D'Alsace for lunch or brunch or whatever it is you call a meal eaten at 1:15 on a Sunday afternoon. Needless to say, I suggested the restaurant, which was reasonably convenient to the group's next planned activity, a visit to the Guggenheim to see an exhibition of Jackson Pollack drawings. I must have been feeling lightheaded from all the heat. Why else would I agree to go a museum instead of watching the Yankee game?
The first sign of trouble was the response from the woman that answered the phone when I inquired if they took reservations for brunch. She said that they don't take reservations, that it wasn't crowded the moment I called, and she couldn't say if it would be crowded when we got there. In other words, she made no effort to be accommodating or helpful in any way.
Seven of us (I know, I know, it's a large party. But that's exactly why even restaurants with a no reservations policy make exceptions for large parties) walked into the restaurant at 1:15, and we were told it would be about fifteen minutes before we could be seated. Fifteen minutes went by, and though no large tables became available, there were at least ten tables seating four or less standing empty. The natives (my brother and his friends) were getting restless, and I felt their restlessness keenly, as I had suggested the restaurant.
I kept going over to the podium and suggesting ways they could accommodate us by being just a little creative with their seating plan.
The officious jerks at the restaurant would have none of it. They kept telling us, "No, we can't do that." I felt like a character in that David Spade credit card commercial.
Finally, after 25 minutes they sat us at a table directly across from the swinging kitchen door. And the food was actually really, really good.
Excellent burgers, homemade pork sausage with delicious sauerkraut, even the dreaded quiche was excellent. But all we were left with was the sour taste of having been strung along by the turkeys at the podium.
Adam Platt's take on Cafe D'Alsace in NYM
Frank Bruni's take in the Times
I actually like the food at Cafe D'Alsace more than Platt or Bruni does. Which makes it even more of a pity that the folks working the front of the house behaved so badly yesterday.
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2 Comments:
re: restaurant pet peeves
This happened to me a few weeks ago...
Shabby treatment in Astoria
The backstory: Coming from Long Island, meeting friend from Brooklyn, make reservation for Thursday 7PM at Li'l Bistro 33 where we have had a number of good dinners. Restaurant confirms reservation.
The shabby treatment: Last night, at 6PM, as my wife and I are driving to the restaurant, I get a call on my cell phone from Gary (who I believe is the chef/owner of Li'l Bistro 33). He tells me that they have "decided to close for vacation, so please don't come tonight". When I question his timing, he admits that they knew about this as early as Thursday morning, but did not call until 6PM.
So we are already en route, my friend is on the subway from Brooklyn, we have no dinner reservations, and Gary says that he feels that he has given us ample notice!
Needless to say, we will never return to Li'l Bistro 33. Just wanted to share this tale of incredibly unfair and inconsiderate behavior on the part of this restaurant towards its customers.
Mistergee at 8:32AM on 08/08/06
shabby treatment is more the norm than the exception, unfortunately. particularly in all simon oren's restaurants! the morons that run nice matin have done an excellent job of doing everything wrong. the bartenders couldn't be any less efficient. just 1 ex. because there are simply too many. unsolicited was speaking with someone about nice matin's front desk & bartenders where she acknowledged the better service recorded by females at the bar, to the detriment of anyone else, which includes couples, as well as males by themself. apparently this is a "known" fact.
what troubles me is how well these places seem to do - is there no limit to what "we" will put up with??? very high wine mark-ups!! very bad service!! incompetent front desks!! arrogant owners!!! absentee owners!!!
i no longer go to any restaurant that has these "attributes", & if i go & treated in such a way, i leave 0 for a tip, & if given a hard time, ask for the manager & tell him the reason(s) why. for those ninnies who excuse the waiter, that's ridiculous. the waiter is the extension, & if the owners/managers choose to be obnoxious, let them take some of those egregious wine mark-ups & pay the waiter his 15-20%. i see no reason why i should be treated like crap AND be expected to leave a tip. AND, btw, for those who are wondering, the suggested tip is 0, not 10%, not 5%!! anything more than 0 leaves no imprint upon the waiter or the restaurant. "IF" the waiter or restaurant does NOT get IT, i.e., the message, then regardless they will always provide poor service......
"the fault, dear brutus, is in ourselves"
baruch at 1:49PM on 08/08/06