KatieLoeb

Ingrid: And you absolutely should be treated nicely. That's another part of the restaurant's obligation in the unwritten contract. This is in addition to holding the table for you as agreed, getting your food and beverages to you in a timely manner, having the items that are stated on the menu and preparing them appropriately and plating them attractively, so as not to cause food poisoning or an unpleasant dining experience, and having a polite and knowlegeable staff that can guide you through your dining experience. For the record, hotels and airlines should be treating you nicely as well. And most of the time those experiences cost a heck of a lot more money than a dinner out at anything but the highest end restaurant. Yet by your own admission, you expect less from them. What's wrong with that picture? The treating of the dining experience as "casual" is definitely part of the problem. But it's puzzling to me that hotels and airlines have fees for no-shows or non-refundable tickets and no one seems the least bit outraged by that, yet restaurants are held to a different standard. I just don't get it.

Isn't this precisely what caused Violet Beauregard's near demise in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Wasn't it the "Blueberry Pie" flavor that caused her to blow up and turn blue??? Anyone? Sorry. The ECM is waaaayyy too scary for me.

A "true emergency" being defined as being hooked to dialysis or EKG machines or being in a full body cast in a hospital bed, I presume? That's what qualifies for me. A meltdown from an overtired toddler with parents that lack presence of forethought does not qualify as an "emergency" in my book. That qualifies as a predictable end to the day's events. The very doctors, dentists, lawyers and accountants that are appalled at the thought of having their credit cards charged for no-shows think nothing of charging you should you cancel or no-show for your scheduled appointment with them with less than 24 hours notice. What I can't understand is why they can't see how it's the same thing. Just because we all have to eat to survive doesn't make tying up the restaurant's resources (the free table at which another party might sit and pay) and cancelling without notice any less an egregiously rude thing to do. Try hunkering down for a nap in your doctor's exam room and see how they feel about you then. Try throwing a tea party in the one and only dressing room at your favorite high end boutique and see if you remain their favorite client. It's no different. The folks that "camp out" at restaurant tables are guilty of this as well but at least the restaurant got paid by them once. The no-shows are just selfish and rude. It's a business, not a charity. And folks wonder why restaurants go out of business with such regularity? There is no other industry that's expected to "suck it up" and take it when shafted by their clientele. Even other members of the "hospitality" industry like hotels will take a credit card number and charge you if you dont show up, and no one bats an eyelash. Why should restaurants have to bear the economic brunt of the collective rudeness of a clueless and entitled clientele? ← Sounds like people don't cut each other any slack whatsoever where you're from. In Montreal, unless a restaurant has an explicit policy of "seatings", the rule in most high end places is that your table is your table for the night. You can sit there as long as you like without being guilty of anything other than having a good time. ← Where I'm from is your basic large city with many many dining options. That doesn't make not showing up any less of an economic burden on the restaurant. Whether you're in Manhattan, Tokyo or are the only restaurant in a one horse town, if you take a reservation, you expect the customer to hold up their end of the implicit contract - "I'll save this table for you so you can eat and you'll show up and spend your money here without cancelling needlessly and preventing us from making money on another more reliable guest." Every restaurant has "seatings" whether it's stated explicitly or not. No restaurant owner would expect to stay in business only seating each table once per evening unless they were selling some sort of overinflated tasting menu at $200 per head. If you and your dining companions came in at 6:00 PM would it be unreasonable of the restaurateur to rebook your table at 8:00 or 8:30 presuming you'd be gone? Two and half hours for a table of two to six persons is not rushing anyone. If your dinner took any longer than that I'd suspect folks would feel they were waiting too long between courses. And no doubt they'd then complain about that. My point remains the same. That table is a money making resource to the restaurant, just as the exam room is to the doctor's office and the dressing room is to the boutique owner. Get a clue folks. Restaurants are businesses and not charities. They need to utilize their resources in the most profitable and productive manner possible to stay afloat financially. It's arithmetic, not calculus. Think about it. Why does no one grasp the obvious?? No one thinks twice about being charged for no shows in other industries. Why should restaurants be any different? Simply because we have to eat??? That's not a good enough reason. You could eat at home. Doc, you might be the last of a dying breed both in not charging your less reliable clients and in being fair minded toward the restaurants. My doctor's office didn't used to charge me either, not that I'd ever no-show without at least a courtesy phone call, but apparently enough clientele abused the priviledge to make the rest of us have to suffer for their lack of courtesy and responsibility. It's an accepted practice in many industries. "Time is money" as they say, and most professionals charge for their time. Not showing up for an appointment with most doctors, lawyers, accountants or even hairdressers will cost you. It's simply accepted. I simply don't see a leap of logic to the "hospitality industry". Hotels do it all the time. The masseuse at the spa would charge you for a no-show. How is a restaurant different?? This is particularly more of a problem for a smaller restaurant. My current place of employ has 28 seats in the dining room. We don't get a lot of walk-in traffic because folks understand that we fill up quickly (at least on weekends) and have all those seats timed out like a military exercise. It isn't any less rude to cancel out at a larger restaurant than a smaller one, but it really hurts the smaller restaurant operator when folks no-call and no-show. Then we've turned down a significant percentage of the evening's business and couldn't even take those few walk-in clients because we didn't know you were planning to screw us over. Has common courtesy gone the way of the dodo?? Is it too much to expect that folks would pick up the phone just as they did when they thought they were coming and let us know we could re-book those seats? Is it too much to expect that folks wouldn't plan a full day for their toddler and then hope to drag their overtired little asses into a nice restaurant?? Seriously??

A "true emergency" being defined as being hooked to dialysis or EKG machines or being in a full body cast in a hospital bed, I presume? That's what qualifies for me. A meltdown from an overtired toddler with parents that lack presence of forethought does not qualify as an "emergency" in my book. That qualifies as a predictable end to the day's events. The very doctors, dentists, lawyers and accountants that are appalled at the thought of having their credit cards charged for no-shows think nothing of charging you should you cancel or no-show for your scheduled appointment with them with less than 24 hours notice. What I can't understand is why they can't see how it's the same thing. Just because we all have to eat to survive doesn't make tying up the restaurant's resources (the free table at which another party might sit and pay) and cancelling without notice any less an egregiously rude thing to do. Try hunkering down for a nap in your doctor's exam room and see how they feel about you then. Try throwing a tea party in the one and only dressing room at your favorite high end boutique and see if you remain their favorite client. It's no different. The folks that "camp out" at restaurant tables are guilty of this as well but at least the restaurant got paid by them once. The no-shows are just selfish and rude. It's a business, not a charity. And folks wonder why restaurants go out of business with such regularity? There is no other industry that's expected to "suck it up" and take it when shafted by their clientele. Even other members of the "hospitality" industry like hotels will take a credit card number and charge you if you dont show up, and no one bats an eyelash. Why should restaurants have to bear the economic brunt of the collective rudeness of a clueless and entitled clientele?

So sorry I missed this, but I was working, of course. Everything looks up to the usual SK standards of beautiful plating and a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. I hope further "guest chef" forays are in the works for the future. I miss SK as much as any of the rest of you and this is as good an excuse to have Shola's food as any. I particularly like the idea of Shola doing ethnically diverse, yet ethnically specific menus as that was usually not an option on any given evening at SK. Can I put in a vote to have the next guest cheffing experience fall on a Monday so I can attend?

Yes. I'm particularly enjoying the level of discourse lately. Some of our newer member have really stepped it up. Thanks and keep it coming. As they should be. I've got it pretty good as the hosts around here go... And let's keep it that way, OK? I do love my job when it's easy. Clearly I have you all well trained at this point.

Vadouvan is correct. There's a reason every high end restaurant in the city takes credit card numbers for Penn graduation. Too many bad experiences in the past of no-shows or late shows when they're completely booked. One of the worst experiences of my entire professional life was being a dining room manager at the White Dog during a Penn graduation. It was a nightmare beyond reason. The rudest and most clueless yet entitled bunch of assholes I've ever encountered in my life. And those were the parents. Book now or forever hold your peace. Try go somewhere less predictable and perhaps you can avoid the throngs of your graduating colleagues. Chinatown, somewhere in the suburbs or NJ might be a whole lot more pleasant. Seriously.

Me too!! Buckethead, you suck. ← From Klein's TableTalk, 2/22/07: "Matt Ito is saying "late March/early April" for the opening of Fuji at 116 E. Kings Highway in Haddonfield. Ito won waves at Fuji's previous incarnation in Cinnaminson, which closed in August because its blighted strip mall was razed." So we're just hitting the sweetspot now. Be cool, fools. ← **Happy Dance** Better now.

I stopped by Hershel's while I was shopping at RTM for this week's groceries today and had a nice chat with Steven, the friendly proprietor. He was speaking with the head of Engineering from RTM and complaining he didn't have enough cooking space. Hershel's problem is that they can't keep up with demand! The stand is selling out of pastrami by 1 or 2PM on the weekends. They're working on keeping up with demand but scrupulously maintaining quality. That's a heck of a problem to have for a new business. Seems they're doing well and I now understand why. I got a nice little taste of the brisket, the corned beef and a tiny scrap of the pastrami which was totally sold out. Everything was delicious and tasted just as is ought to have. The brisket was particularly moist and the spices in the corned beef and pastrami were nostalgically correct and making me dream of Katz' Deli. I don't think I'll have to drive so far anymore. I'll just have to get there a little earlier in the day. I wish Steven and his partner the best of luck with Hershel's. They're obviously doing something right because every single person in line was raving about their sandwich. And for whomever asked, there is definitely chopped liver. I overheard someone paying for a chopped liver sandwich while I was chatting with Steven.

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! When I saw this thread resurrected I turned into a little kid bouncing up and down in the back seat saying "Are we there yet?", "Are we there yet?", "Are we there yet?", "Are we there yet?" No news is BAD news. <sobbing>

An even bigger asshole than I gave him credit for...

sadie: Call on Tuesday and ask to speak to Tom, the Dining Room manager. Restaurant is closed today so no one answers the phone. We do use Open Table, but with a 28 seat dining room, it is best to speak to a human. I'll look forward to seeing you on Thursday. I'll be the one behind the bar mixing your pre-prandial cocktail, I hope.

So the server should have to go on eBay and sell the stupid DVD the arrogant ass left behind instead of a tip? Jackass makes more money in 5 minutes than a real working stiff does in a year and leaves a DVD?? Throwing it at him isn't a strong enough response. Shoving it down his throat so he chokes on it is far more appropriate.

I like Mother's for cocktails in New Hope. It's nothing fancy, but a fun vibe and usually pleasant staff. It's been there forever and that's just fine. I usually end up walking over the bridge with my ice cream cone from Gerenser's on the New Hope side, and then snooping in all the antique shops on the Jersey side. Joyeux Anniversaire to you and MrTarteTatin!

This is an appalling service experience. There's no way you should have been charged one dime for being abused and having your time wasted in that manner. In fact, they should have insisted on packing up your meal for you so you could take it, not charging you a thing and asked for your address to send you a gift certificate for your next meal there on them. That might have begun to heal the damage, a least a little bit. You absolutely MUST contact the management of this establishment and let them know about your experience. If it's the server's fault for hiding once she realized she'd ignored you for far too long then the management needs to know she's doing that. If it's management's fault for grossly understaffing the restaurant, then they need to know that too. Whatever the issue, it needs to be brought to their attention and addressed so no one else has to suffer through what you and your very patient wife did.

That was a Sour Maraska Cherry Margarita made from a Croatian Sour Cherry Syrup I bought at Bitar's. I love cherry and lime together. Sour Cherry Gimlets are tasty too.

I have an absolutely spectacular deco-styled chrome sandwich press from the 40's that makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches known to man. I'll try and take a photo of it so I can show it to all of you. It's very cool and gets a workout in my kitchen. I do love me a good grilled cheese sandwich. edited to add: And you can all laugh at me if you want, but my Magic Bullet gets a workout in my kitchen too. Especially for protein shakes every morning. Right in the mug container. Works like a charm. And all the parts are dishwashable. Gotta love it.

Dude. I'm speechless. Keep your hands and feet clear of their mouths. Do not stick your fingers between the cage bars...

I wonder if anyone will question the State Sommerlier's travel expenses as they seek out new products for the PLCB? Is State Sommelier like Poet Laureate? How does one apply for this job? I would most certainly have forwarded my resume to the appropriate parties if I wasn't so outraged by their throwing Chairman Newman under the bus...

Fair enough and done.

Actually that's really not true. The more insipid the better to be a "blank slate" on which to layer the flavors of well booze soaked fresh fruits and fine brandy and orange liqueurs. I'll be happy to PM you my "one bottle batch" recipe for sangria. Or I could mail you the "BIG BATCH" recipe in commercial proportions if you prefer. How much are you making?? And more importantly will you save me a glass if I can get to Apamate after work on Tuesday night if I can sneak out early?

The very fact that you have a travel box of Maldon, somehow does not surprise me in the least.

D'oh! I think JAZ beat you to the name. Although I'm sure plenty of people are discovering that name, with the popularity of pomegranate juices, infusions and liqueurs. ← Ha! I knew it sounded familiar. Going back and rereading that old thread it's clear my mind still works in the same manner it always did. I'm renaming my drink a Salty Pomeranian so JAZ can reserve the rights to her version.

That's Booze Muse, Andrew. Actually, my favorite new term this week is "Spiritual Advisor". SugarJ - glad I could convice you to come out of lurkdom and post. Your insights will be most welcome here. It was a pleasure to meet you, your very charming hubby-to-be and the soon-to-be in-laws. Your in-laws are regulars. I've seen them at the restaurant several times. It's funny getting recognized out of my little sandbox in cyberspace. I'm surprised you couldn't tell it was me from my little cartoonish avatar! The viognier you had was the Renwood. I'm fond of it too and suggest it often to try and convert the knee-jerk Chardonnay drinkers. The first drink you had with the Falernum was a Queen's Park Swizzle - sort of a funked out mojito with rum, fresh mint, Falernum and bitters. The Taylor Made was my surprise fave of the evening. Who knew bourbon went well with grapefruit and cranberry juices? Pretty interesting concoction that tastes like none of it's parts when it's finished, but is a cocktail I think could convert "girlie" drinkers to whiskey. Megan - you're welcome to come visit Philly anytime! You missed the cassoulet feast this weekend past chez TarteTatin, but I know the invitation is open. There's lots of us that look forward to meeting you and raising a glass. In the garden, even!

Search no more. We try to be accomodating to visiting eGulleteers around here: Best Mexican in Philly Thread Note that most of these places are pretty down 'n dirty ethnic eateries. I mean that in a really good way, but they are not fancy at all. Pretty small, very casual, usually incredibly cheap and very very tasty. If you like real deal Mexican food then I'd suggest a visit to either Taquitas de Puebla or Jose's or both while you're here. You'll eat very well and hardly put a dent in your food budget. Jose's is actually a small grocery store that happens to serve a small menu, de Puebla is a tiny taqueria that specializes in amazing tacos al pastor. Read the thread and ogle the pictures. You'll get a good idea of what's here. Feel free to PM me if there's anything else you need assistance with. We hope you enjoy your visit to the eGullet capital of Brotherly Love and good eats!