What’s up with on-line restaurant forums? Does anyone read them other than the handful of people who post on them? Do they influence anyone? How is it that a person can hide behind a fake name and post things that are mean, vindictive, inaccurate and untrue, like they are fact, and a restaurateur, the one with factual information, and upfront about who they are, is not allowed!
Sound like something hit a nerve? Yes it did, and as much as I can generally not take things personally, or better, learn something from them, or dismiss them, this one just has me (and our general manager) seething! And, since this is My Blog this is my forum to say what’s there for me! So here’s what happened:
Late in the morning on Monday I checked the few boards I audit from time to time to see what foodies are saying about The F&P as well as other restaurants in the area; taking a pulse on the industry. There is a post from a guest who dined here on Saturday. Not a good experience! Then I get an email from the poster telling me that she posted something and here it is (cut and pasted the post….. with one significant change.) It had the tone of a childhood taunt “Na-na-na-na-na, I got you! So there! Phughhhh!” Full of rage and mis-spellings the poster did not like her eggplant tart appetizer (a stack of eggplant and unremarkable other ingredients…… puff pastry, tomato confit, diced heirloom tomatoes and a sherry vinegar reduction), main course lamb (overcooked/ sauce horrible), dessert (not what she expected/ dry/“discuting.” Yes, spelled that way). There were service issues: wine was not poured, server did not check up with her and the manager’s attempt at appeasing the guest was inadequate. In addition the guest was put off because the wine was too expensive and $300 was too much for a sub-par experience (note: $300 on the public on-line post and changed to $200 in the email to me. Wine in a later post cited at $75 was actually $61). Well I would have been pissed off too if that was my experience! So get to the bottom or this!….pull the guest check, talk to the staff and the GM, reply to the guest.
Here is our version of the story;
A couple arrives at the restaurant for their reservation and opts to have a drink at the bar. They had already had a cocktail at another establishment (found out subsequently after reading chowhound post). Our bar is busy. The bartender greats them. They say they are not sure what they want yet. He says he will check back with them in a minute. The woman in the party says “So you’re going to make us wait!” This might have been a Red Flag; but the bartender never shares that remark with anyone until days later. He just lets it roll off his back and goes on being the great bartender he is, ultimately getting back to them and serving them their drinks in a timely manner despite the quip.
The couple is seated, server greats them, they order; normal sequence, nothing out of the ordinary. The server has tables upstairs (where the couple is seated) and downstairs. Not the most ideal station; with the layout of the F&P this happens. Management knows it is difficult, so one of the 2 managers on duty is stationed upstairs assisting with service, which basically means pouring wine and water, directing service and being available when the server is in the other part of her station. Server pours wine initially. Server checks back with each course (appetizer and main course). Pleasant exchange; guests indicate all is well. Manager pours wine twice. No apparent food issues or any other issues. Guests are eating. Main courses are cleared. Guest orders apricot dessert with olive oil cake garnish (mint oil and Riesling reduction). Server serves dessert. Guest is not happy with dessert (dry, green sauce, “discusting”). Server offers to remove the item from the guest check. Server alerts the manager that the guest is not happy with the dessert. (Cake was indeed dry! Our mistake.) Manager stops by the table to apologize. Out of left field, WAM!, guest goes off about how terrible everything was and how they had to pour their own wine. Manager, startled, stutters, “I, I, I poured your wine twice.” Guest says “So you’re right and I’m wrong!” Manager steps away, sort of shell shocked like what-just-happened!?…..Surreal. Manager composes himself and returns to the table, apologizes again, offers his business card asking guests to let him know when they return and he will take care of them. Guest pushes card away, smirks at managers and says “Not a chance!”
What’s the truth? The truth is that we are not mind readers! The truth is that if we screw up on the doneness of the meat, we re-cook it, or get whatever else the guest wants. If the guest doesn’t like an appetizer, or a sauce or whatever, we offer something else. We had no indication that there was a problem until the guest flipped on the evil switch. What ever happened to personal responsibility? Don’t you think the guest should have said something? Subsequent posters suggested this. Seems like the reasonable thing to do. Yet, back to the point of this post, one can go off on a public web site, hide behind a pseudonym, and use the power words, to trash an establishment including saying things that are absolutely not true! Yuck! Despicable behavior! (By the way the very expensive bottle of wine was $61 and the guest check before tip was $158.). Is this the intention of the internet? I don’t think so.
So, I email the guest, further apologizing and refund her wine. I post the reply on the on-line forum and it is deleted as inappropriate within the half hour. I then got to poking around other sites, looking for ones I don’t know about or only occasionally check out, and landed on one where there is a thread about our very strict dress code. We don’t have a dress code! What is the motivation for going on line and saying untrue or mean things? I don’t get it. Got an ax to grind, go on-line! Get a life!
In the mean time we continue to set our standards high. When we miss the mark, which will happen when the bar is high, we will continue to own our mistakes, make up for them and learn from them. We will never hide behind our failings and certainly not behind a fake name on an internet forum!
Rant over.
Sincerely, Betsy Alger
Proprietor of The Frog and The Peach