What do you like about restaurants?

[longroper]

We read plenty of criticisms about all the general things that restaurants do that displease people. 

 

What do restaurants do that make you happy?

[liuzhou]

Someone else doing the work in cooking and cleaning up.

 

Trying things I haven't had before. Or are too much trouble to make at home.

 

Exploring previously unknown cuisines.

[jmacnaughtan]

Enjoying the fact that a team of people are cooking for me.  A wide variety of wine.  A good atmosphere, and occasionally the chance to dine (well) in the sun.

 

And service.  I love great service, when the waiters are invisible until you need them and your glass is always full.

[gulfporter]

We eat one meal out every day, usually dinner and have done so since we retired in 2003.  

 

Service is as important as the food that's served.  I'lll forgive a chef whose version of a dish doesn't quite match mine, as long as he/she put some thought, creativity and good ingredients into the dish.  

 

But we will leave a restaurant that ignores us for more than 8 minutes after being seated.  Yes, we put them 'on the clock' and vote with our feet. It's been our experience that when the initial contact is s-l-o-w, the entire meal service will just go downhill from there.

 

We tend to go to restaurants that offer foods that I don't make at home either because the ingredients are difficult to come by or making the meal at home involves a lot of clean-up, splatter, or mess.  

 

We like places that offer at least a few off-menu specials, it's a sign that the kitchen is still having fun cooking (not just cranking out the same-old same-old). 

 

We like a range of wine prices by the glass, including a house wine that is no more than $7 per glass.  

 

We like small plates and an array of appetizers with a big variety.  

 

Eclectic offerings always a plus; we don't go out to eat a standard steak dinner or meatloaf. 

 

Outdoor seating is a big draw for us (we live in FL now, prior to that AZ and Central Mexico); even when we travel to colder climates we enjoy eating outdoors whenever feasible.  

 

Don't like places that push desserts, extra sides, etc.  

 

We always start with a glass of wine before we order food, and it's nice when they bring the breadbasket when they serve our pre-dinner wine so we aren't drinking on an empty stomach.    

 

We like friendly waitstaff but it's more important that they're knowledgeable about the menu items.  

Edited March 30, 2015 by gulfporter (log)

[Hassouni]

Someone else doing the work in cooking and cleaning up.

 

Trying things I haven't had before. Or are too much trouble to make at home.

 

Exploring previously unknown cuisines.

 

Exactly this

[lindag]

I like QUIET in a restaurant; the really noisy ones don't get a second chance.

[lindag]

Ever been to a Red Robin?  It's so loud it's like trying to have a meal in a Gymboree!  I will NEVER go there again.

[radtek]

Mainly for dishes that I can't or won't make at home. And that list is becoming shorter. Generally though, I quit eating out at any kind of restaurant on a weekly basis about 11 years ago and primarily will go in the company of friends to share the meal once or twice a month.

 

So that's positive part. Everything else about the experience is generally not that motivating.

[palo]

Sounds dumb, but the feeling I often have is that someone is throwing a party and I'm the guest of honour.

 

p

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I have to say I appreciate value from a restaurant nowadays, and that's disappearing.

 

I can't afford to eat out often, so I like to look at "food porn" photos, both on eG and places like Yelp or Roadfood.

 

Has anyone noticed that shrimp dishes are now served with five shrimp or even less? I can remember when it was a minimum of a dozen; then it halved dramatically to six, and now the norm is only five.

 

When you peruse posts about oysters, the news is even more depressing. The norm of a dozen on the half shell went to six, and now it's $3 or more each. Yikes!

 

Fortunately, my local Harris Teeter has a dozen oysters for $4.99. My brother just informed me today that these can be done successfully in ... the microwave. I've yet to test what I consider a dubious theory.

 

There are some restaurants around here that offer real value for your money with excellent quality. They are usually ethnic, which just means that they offer dishes from a cuisine that is uncommon in these parts. 

 

I do not like to fry at home. It's a huge mess to clean even if done outside. So the fact that someone else does all the prep, serving, and especially cleaning up the mess for fried foods (which I don't eat a lot of, but adore) is a major selling point for me.

 

I also like restos that offer me something at a good price that I can't get anywhere else. A good example is Torrero's (WARNING, this is a .pdf, for those with slow connections):

 

http://www.torerosmexicanrestaurants.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/TOREROS1.pdf

 

You can't buy skirt steak anywhere around here, unless it's possibly Whole Foods or the like which I never darken their doors. This place offers PERFECTLY cooked skirt from $10.95, and I can eat on it at least twice. That is real value these days!

 

Here's the yelp reviews with lots of photos for those who might be interested:

 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/toreros-mexican-restaurant-cary

 

They have old-fashioned deeply padded ample booths to make their customers comfortable too, and $2 margaritas on Mondays. Who could ask for more?

 

It's like transporting (beam me up, Scotty)  back to a better time.

[palo]

What I like about restaurants is the re-visitation of my early childhood, where I sat in my high-chair and had to do nothing but open my mouth and swallow. Of course the downside of that was I never had much say in what was offered or how it was prepared. The same could be said of the meals I've had in some restaurants with a "vision".

p

[Tri2Cook]

Food.

[CindyJ]

I appreciate restaurants where the chef and/or owner visits each table to chat about customers' dining experiences.  I think it's a sign of a good restauranteur when he/she takes a personal interest in customers' opinions.  And it becomes a plus for restaurant "regulars" who get to know the chef/owner a little better.  Unfortunately, I think that's the exception rather than the rule in most restaurants.  In my vicinity (southeastern PA), I can think of three such places, and those are by far my local favorites. 

[Meanderer]

I prefer restaurants where the pace is sufficiently relaxed and the noise level not so overwhelming.  Those are the conditions that help facilitate long conversations with my dining companion(s), one of the nonfood pleasures of eating out.

[gulfporter]

I appreciate restaurants where the chef and/or owner visits each table to chat about customers' dining experiences.  I think it's a sign of a good restauranteur when he/she takes a personal interest in customers' opinions.  And it becomes a plus for restaurant "regulars" who get to know the chef/owner a little better.  Unfortunately, I think that's the exception rather than the rule in most restaurants.  In my vicinity (southeastern PA), I can think of three such places, and those are by far my local favorites. 

And while you 'regulars' are shooting the hash with the chef, I'm looking at my watch and wishing the chef was back in the kitchen 

[hummingbirdkiss]

I like going out to eat for every reason mentioned all ready …ESPECIALLY to eat someone else's food other than my own with friends! …second to just eating someone else's cooking …second to that I like to stay on trend with food in my area. I try new things get excited bitch about how it was not as good as it could have been ..go home and make it myself and go out and find more food to bitch about …it is the cycle of life 

[espresso]

I like when a restaurant has this friendly feel about it and you just know you're going to come back here again. I prefer restaurants when it's not too busy and you can actually have a conversation, but I like to go to some of those where there's live music accompanying the meal. I find it very important that the staff is friendly. It puts me away if someone is working there as if they were forced to do it. I prefer short menu's like this one:  http://www.saltflakeslondon.co.uk/menu/ Another thing that's important to me is trying out something new. For me, going to restaurants is especially a good way to explore different kinds of cuisines or eating something I wouldn't be able to cook myself.

[Martin Fisher]

The answer is what most would expect, I think.

Good food, good service, good atmosphere.

Maybe a better topic would be "What do you hate about restaurants?"

[Tri2Cook]

I'll expand a bit on my previous, somewhat flippant reply. Mainly, I like that I don't have to cook or clean up the mess. I can cook anything I can get in any restaurant around where I live myself and do a better job of pretty much all of it. That's not boasting, that's just commentary on the local restaurant scene. Good food is important but good service is a make-or-break for me. I'll go back to a place with decent food and good service. I won't go back to a place with amazing food and bad attitude. 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I will weigh in again with good value. Some of our local restaurants really live up to this. The first one that springs to mind is Esmeralda Grill. Can you say three tacos with salsa and homemade warm chips where you can specify your taco fillings as you like for $4.99? I'm sorry, but this cannot be beat. And you don't have to deal with the Soup Nazi. The service is pleasant and accommodating. Now this deal is truly an outlier, but you can go to other restaurants here, where value is very high.

 

If you go through to the 64th photo of the 73 on this linked site, it holds a photo of the lunch specials from Esmeralda Grill, which still holds true today. I ate there a couple scant weeks ago and had the taco special for $4.99.

 

You can also go to many more where value is not at all on the table or anywhere in the experience of the restaurant.

 

Can you tell I dislike snooty restaurants with skimpy portions? 

 

Good!

[ChocoMom]

Consistently great food and atmosphere are both top priorities. Service is a close second.  And the reason I say that, is because "service" can be rated in different ways. Length of time in having the order taken, length of time to receive the food, waitstaff attitudes/behavior, etc.   So, if a great plate of food takes longer to get, I can forgive the time issue.   

 

A prime example of a restaurant with a perfect balance of great food, great atmosphere, and a fabulous staff- (IMHO) would be the Dearborn Inn.    I've been going there for nearly my whole life, more sporadically in the last 20 years. But, never once has the food, atmosphere or service been anything short of perfect.  (Their coffee is amazing, too!)

 

The staff we've dealt with there are the kindest people, as well.   My Dad had always made an effort to learn the names of everyone he met. He'd say their name, shake their hand, and say their name again. One of the waiters must have been quite touched by that, and for decades, he was always there when our family would visit, and would serve us.   When my Dad became confined to a wheelchair years later, this particular waiter wanted to be alerted if my parents pulled in, so he'd do his best to meet them near the entrance, wheel him in, seat him and my Mom, serve them, and then wheel my Dad out, help him into the car, fold up the wheelchair, put it in the back, and help my Mom into the car.  He even came to both of their funerals. He took care of me graciously, when I went there a couple times, after my brother died this past August.  The hostess knew my parents well, also, and would alert the waiter whenever she'd see them/us come in.   

 

The pastry chef and/or servers even knew how fond my mother was of raspberries. Whatever she'd order as a dessert or breakfast side, if it was appropriate, ended up with mounds of extra raspberries., or a bowl of raspberries on the side.   Its like they just knew.   And honestly, I don't know that my parents were really singled out,  because the Inn had/has many "regulars".  The staff really seems to dote on every patron. Its just that extra effort they put forth with fantastic attitudes that makes you feel welcome and well-cared for.    

 

There are certain places that just seem to tick all the boxes, and that one is at the tippy top of my list. 

 

   

 

 

[lindag]

13 minutes ago, ChocoMom said:

 

 

There are certain places that just seem to tick all the boxes, and that one is at the tippy top of my list. 

 

   

 

 

What a touching story.

[kayb]

At my favorite diner, you order and pay at the counter, they write your name on your ticket, and call your name when your lunch is ready.

 

I love it that they know my name and just write it down.

[bos]

I like when they making the food for me and it's a good food

[SLB]

First, I like to feel welcome.  Not coddled, or even nurtured; but truly welcome within your retail establishment.  This is not the same as technically good service, although they are connected.  And it's not found as reliably as you might imagine.

 

Second, I like the food to taste delicious.

 

Third, I like for the wait staff to enthusiastically like the food, and to be able to talk about how a dish works (in terms of flavor), and what they like about a dish.  Really, enthusiasm is more compelling than literacy, I am fine with pure emotion on the subject.  

 

And finally, I like clean.  I admit that I'm fine with less-than-perfectly-clean if: (a) I am welcome, and either (b) I am hangry; or (c) all of the delicious food has been fried.  

Edited February 24, 2019 by SLB (log)