More Dinner Drama

  Friday night my wife and I went out to dinner in Ripon to a restaurant that isn't normally open in the evenings. If you're local you may be able to figure out which one but because this is a negative review I won't say. Also, a lot of people seem to like the place. Besides, I'm no food critic, just a stomach with an attitude. What we experienced was maybe just me expecting too much so this may come off as whining. You decide.
 The establishment was busy but not full. We were immediately seated and the hostess was pleasant. I ordered a beer at the same time we ordered our meals, which isn't normal but we had been left there long enough that we had the menu memorized. It seemed like a long time had passed and I was still waiting on my beer. My taste buds knew a lot of time had passed because I ordered some fancy schmancy brew I had never tried before and was looking forward to a swig. Eventually another person brought out the main dishes and asked if there was anything else we needed. "Ya, my beer and our salads". I expected more of an apology than we got so now I'm grumpy even though the smoked salmon was pretty good. The beer came out and a few minutes later the salads. I was made to feel like it was no big deal but it is. That salad is pretty unappealing once the main course has been gobbled up. I could eat at home and none of this would matter but when I'm paying good money I expect good service. When I finish a meal at a restaurant I should be walking slowly to the vehicle while patting my stomach and thinking about how to fit in another visit. That wasn't the case here. This was their second chance and I won't be going back.

 Last night we went to a different restaurant that I like for their blackened prime rib. They offered a much different level of service that I enjoyed. Sure we paid more for the meal but both places had good food. What I'm comparing is everything else. Remember, no matter how good the food is, its the people out front that make or break the experience. The first place did nothing about their mistake and even tried upselling pastries as we paid the bill. That just rubbed me the wrong way. Oh sure I ended up buying some frosted cookies but those were for the kids. Its all about the children! Well they were supposed to be for the kids but after I sampled one I realized there weren't enough for everyone. Then I did what any good parent would do and ate all the rest of the cookies so there would be no fighting.


Have a happy Easter!
Later.