nwyles

I have posted a couple of things in the Irish Heather DOV post and other DOV posts about reservation no shows , credit card policies and how to handle it. This is a tough question for the restaurant - to take credit card #'s or not - to charge them or just threaten. I would think that you would have a hard time with the credit card company. You would have charges on a card but never have had the card. The Cardholder could dispute this and probably win. You could take a "soup Nazi" appraoch and ban them but that does not get you ahead $$ - I know , if they no show, you aren't $$ ahead, but if they do, ...... Restaurant guests are hard won and sometimes very fickle, leaving you on a whim. How does one handle this "prickly" situation ? Let it begin. [Moderator's note: DOV is Dine-Out Vancouver]

I wanted to add a quick reply re: credit card resos I know this is off topic of the Heather subject and I await the wrath............ I take credit card resos for the wine tastings and people still do not show or call at the last minute to cancel. There are a couple of things here to think about - It certainly creates a negative experience - right or wrong - for your customer. Do you teach them a lesson at the expense of never having them back. I had one guy call after he did a no-show for an event ( these events all sell out with a waiting list so if you give me some notice, I can fill the spot and everybody is happy ) and complained, saying he was very "concerned" about the future of my business. I asked him what he meant by that and he said that he would tell eveyone he knew about me charging him for an event he did not attend. I assured him that the future was sound. I would not budge until he backed down and apologized. I then told him the charge would stand but I extended him another chance to attend the next event and I would give it to him for half price. He accepted. I win. I got the money and still kept the customer. I know some restaurants send out gift certificates to people that they charge and not show. I myself would be embarassed to use those as they would probably say " no show reso loser" on them and everybody would know, come over to the table and make fun of you !! But really not a bad idea, if they use them , you kept the customer, if they do not, you still got the money. I will start a new topic and see what other people have to say.

Classic ! This is a attempted Dine Out Reso last night. " Hi , I would like to make a Dine Out Vancouver reservation for 20 people @ 7:00 on Saturday night. Can we get one long table ? " I'm sorry we are all booked up. I could fit you in at 10:00 ! " You don't understand - I already told my friends I made the reservation - they are all meeting me there ! Sorry , I just don't have the space. "What if we don't have the Dine Out menu - could you fit us in ? I'm sorry , we are all booked up. " What am I going to do ? It's my birthday and I told them we were having it there. I can't get hold of some of them to tell them we aren't coming. What if we just showed up ! You would be forced to take us then ! Sorry , I just do not have the space. I have other reservations that have been booked for ages. You should have called earlier. There is nothing I can do. "Can you take my name and numbers for the waiting list ?" I would rather not as that would leave you with the impression that you have a chance, which you do not. I'm sorry , I have to go now. " Can I speak to the owner ? I know him , his name is Ian " Maybe he could get me in ! " You are, and my name is Neil and I still have no space. Sorry buddy , Goodbye. Welcome to my world !

I'd be quite happy to see this policy introduced here. I'm guessing many of these same no-shows would be the first to bitch and whine if their reserved table wasn't available on time. Inconsiderate, self-centred boors. You should have to take an etiquette course to graduate high school. ← Just a quick note here. This is Monday @ 10 :30 P.M. We have had a total of six no shows - two fri, two sat and two on Sunday. I spent most of my setup time on Sat trying to confirm all resos, I left messages etc. What kills me ( or cracks me up ? ) is when I call a reso 1 hour after their time and inquire whether they will be coming. Most times they stammer around and don't know what to say, most lie and say I canceled that and one this weekend said " Oh , I don't think we will be able to make that ! " - I mean really , you are already over one hour late and you are still at home. Another little thing I like to do with no shows is call ad leave a message - "Hi , this is Neil from HSG, I have been holding your table for two hours and I just wanted to check and see if I was mistaken and had you down for the wrong night. Can you call me back and let me know either way. Thank you. " I know it is petty but it is my special way of telling you you are an asshole ! I am the only one who gets pleasure out of it. Some might think it a little short sighted but I really use my extra special phone voice, extra sweet ! I then gently hang up the phone and strut around the restaurant like I just gave someone a major ass whoopin' - Who is the Man !! ( Yeah, the man of my own small terarium of a world - occupant - One )

I just wanted to add a quick post. This Dine Out season stands to be the busiest ever for us so I have had no time to post. A quick " Wow" to David - what a great meal. Excellent flavours, colours, combinations etc. I know what sort of planning I had to put in for Dine Out so hats off to David for pulling that fantastic menu off ( night after night ! ) Also a thank you for the extras that David included - 80 extra plates on top of all that was going on. Service was great, smooth, pleasent and informative - they were proud of what they were doing and serving ! It was nice to see that West has embraced the Dine Out Promotion - I am sad that some others have had negative experiences at other restaurants - a loss for the restaurant in the long run - Why would you make restaurant X your special place after a negative Dine Out experience and why wouldn't you make West your special place after such a warm and positive experience. Ok, back to the salt mines...........

Hey, careful how you phrase that ! We would not want people to get the wrong idea about what sort of spot this is. Although lately, with all of the egulleters getting hanger steak, it could be called a "Meat Market" Most of the take out we get is from Memphis Blues but I think I could have overdosed on it. I just don't love it anymore. We often get a roasted chicken from Urban Fare as it is open late and I will devour when I get home. For those of you who don't work in restaurants, you don't always want the food that you have been cooking all evening .

What is the address and what are the hours , Alex ?

I will pass along all of your good wishes to Brain and Kathy. Thank you for using PM"S to send these messages as we would not want the board to be clogged with "chat" I will pass on messages from those of you who have offered to give room and board to the dog. I sure he would appreciate that. I will not tell him about those of you who were willing to take in his lovely wife. Brian was not injured and would have something to say about that If there needs to be an emergency wine cellar restock - I will let you know how much and which vintages in particular. If there needs to be an airdrop of foie gras, balsamic vinegar and clarified butter, I will pass on details.

Just a bit of news to keep you up to speed Our very own Chef ( Brian ) Fowke is now a residential refugee. After the Whiskey and Cheese the other night, he was evecuated from his home. He ( and his wife ) are one of the twenty families who still cannot enter their homes after the fatal landslide in North Vancouver. Brian is in good spirits and is now "shacking up" at the Holiday Inn in North Vancouver. They are experiencing some difficulties but nothing too major. The Federal and Provincial Governments have kicked into action and things seem to be taken care of. It has been interesting talking to Brian over the last couple of days - dumped out on the street, no socks, just coats etc. - not really having the Disaster suitcase packed at the door ready all the time. I thought of making light of the situation - Chefs need special treatment like Europeon Bottled water, First Press extra virgin olive Oil, only Imported wine not domestic but as there was loss of life and people are out on the street and not able to return to their homes I thought better of it. Kudos to Brian for being quick on his feet ( sans socks ! ) - he had the dog in the kennel and the Hotel room booked right away. I hope that they will be able to return to normal lives as soon as possible. This will make for interesting dinner chat on Sunday.

At the risk of over simplifying this - I would think that Hot Dog Johnnie's would be the only place in this town to have anything that could possibly resemble that. The only hot dogs that I really crave every once in a while is at the Red Onion - the only problem, mine , not theirs, is in my enthusiasm to eat this, I always chomp down on a piece of the foil paper that they wrap those things in - you know, that funny feeling you get when foil and fillings connect !

what is Chi ? A bit more info !

K...I was trying to look at the HSG website but got a 404...will try again later when I can take a look at my calendar etc. Clandestine burgers...ye gods. Next I shall sit with my back to the room and wear a veil. ← Try www.diningoutguide.com I have my own website and I host it myself but am experiencing some problems. Perhaps if I spent more time trying to fix that than playing on egullet I could get a few more things done - Ok, there , my addiction exposed again

My vote would be for a venue other than the Hammie. No offense Neil... you know that I see you probably once every week to week-and-a-half for food. I'd say focus on beef first, with other types of burgers brought in by consensus after we've exhausted our burger joint options. After all, we need to be order the same burger in order to evaluate them fairly and my waistband won't accommodate two restaurant burgers in one sitting. Toppings? I vote for cheese too, unless there are lactose-intolerant burgerites among us. ← None taken. I would like a professional burger eater to give my burger a rating. Perhaps Mr. Cooper - I would be kind to his waistline though - I would not cook the onions in duckfat or marinate his burger in bacon just to get extra marks !

Holy Crap - my head really hurts now ! I just read the rules ! Please, please, please , no discussion about that. I am dreaming of chomping down on a big, juicy, anonymous cyber burger alone in my office which is really dry storage in the restaurant.

Ok, I have enough of you guys knocking on my door asking for gingerbread but I will toss my hat in the ring for burger club. Can someone refresh me on the rules ? I have a kick ass lamb buger with yam fries but I am not sure if anything other than beef counts. I also have a hand made Certified Angus Beef burger. I buy the ground beef and then add my hand ground steak trim to it - ( when you sell as many steaks as we do, you get lots of trim ) - we add seasoning etc. What toppings are allowed ? I have made a $15 Dine Out Vancouver Lunch menu and the Beef Burger is on it with sauteed onions, aged cheddar and crisp bacon. Does this fit the bill ? Please advise. Will Burger Club be a road trip ? Do we need a bus ? Sounds like fun !

Chef, I think you'd get your daily hit if you had a sign in front of HSG that says, "Kolachy Drop-off - 5 Minute Parking Allowed" BTW I was not at the KS today ← Does anyone have any connections at City Hall ?

Kolachy shut in or Kolachy Charity case ? 2 egulleters, not one dropped off Kolachys today. Chef Fowke , if you were anywhere near, I would have shared with you, breaking the Kolachy war !

You are correct , it is pumpkin but with a heavy spoon of cinnamon. Just mixing a fresh batch right now for Dine Out

Food AND golf? Count me in. ← And I will be there for comic relief. I shoot about 100 on a good day ! ← Neil, we should definately pair up. I'm also good for about 100 ← I meant on the front nine

Food AND golf? Count me in. ← And I will be there for comic relief. I shoot about 100 on a good day !

It is always fun to " discover" a $10 wine that is good - the downside is you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find the prince

There must be some truth to that because look at what happened to Malone's They had to cut it in half because they could only get half of the building leased out - two different landlords had control of the building. Do you remember them trying to keep it afloat by serving food from catering trucks - Health board shut them down on that pretty quick.

Tom & Gerry's on Hastings???? God, how the mighty have fallen! A. ← After tasting his Jambalaya at the Taste of Vancouver, we decided to go check out Tom & Jerry's for some Cajun cuisine. They have a "Big Al's Buffet" for $12.95 that includes: Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya, Fried Chicken, Rice, Breaded Catfish, Meatballs, Ribs, and pork (I think). My first instinct is to compare it with the amazing dishes we had while in New Orleans. Can't do that, wouldn't be fair to Al all the way here in Vancouver. But I'll just say I've had MUCH better. If you’re out E. Hastings and you just NEED some Jambalaya, it'll scratch the itch. We besides one other couple we're the only ones there tonight so they had complimentary pizza and grape Jello as well. Who knows, maybe that'll nudge you off the fence to go? I wish that I had a chance to try his place before it shut down to make a worthy comparison. Any other Cajun places around that are good? - ← Try the Ouisi Bistro on Granville - I have not been in a while but it was very good a few years ago.

I want to send out a thank you to the egullet gang for thinking of the poor shut in at the Hamilton Street Grill, who despite only being a couple of blocks away, can't seem to get his own Kolachy and has to rely on the kindness of other to bring one over. This gang does not iclude Chef Fowke, who despite lots of empty promises has never come across with a single Kolachy.

Sorry , took the staff out for a party tonight. Went to "C", had a great time