No way to treat a customer

[coughy]

Just came from lunch at the Ritz Diner in Livingston with a friend. As we were both going on to run different errands we visited the ladies room and were appalled at the deplorable condition.

When we went up to the register to pay we mentioned to the owner that she might want to send someone in to the bathroom to clean it up. She flew off the handle and told the hostess to take over the register because she had to go in to clean the "mess made by her disgusting customers." We paid and left and as we were saying goodbye in the parking lot this "crazed" woman came running out screaming at us that there was one piece of paper on the floor and how dare we complain.

Needless to say we will NEVER go back. It is my recommendation that if you need to go to the bathroom while dining in the Ritz that you visit the Exxon station up the street. It has to be cleaner!

[Kape]

Jason,

Pictures?

[Toasted]

So sorry you had that experience. It sounds like the lady was a little nuts??? I had a recent situation at a local place where I complained about the used bandaids all over the bathroom floor. The owner said that I was "too Picky" and "if I was bothered then I should pick up myself!". Yeah, I love to go to restaurants and pick up old bandaids with my meal! Anyway, we will NOT be going back to that place even though I believe in eating in local places.

[tommy]

i bet it wasn't as bad as this one, from a great mexican place in Chicago.

[menton1]

i bet it wasn't as bad as this one, from a great mexican place in Chicago.

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I think that photo was more information than we needed!

I think we once had a thread devoted to this, and for me nothing can spoil a food experience faster than a disgusting rest room. As a matter of fact, Hudson Valley Magazine just did a restaurant reader survey and one of the criteria was the "restroom experience".

And, on the other side of the coin, immaculate restrooms are very pleasing to the senses...

[hitmanoo]

Just remember--at many restaurants, the bathrooms for the patrons are the same for the employees--the very men and women who are preparing your food.

If hand washing conditions are less than sanitary, just think of the kitchen!

[tommy]

Just remember--at many restaurants, the bathrooms for the patrons are the same for the employees--the very men and women who are preparing your food.

If hand washing conditions are less than sanitary, just think of the kitchen!

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it's the same ol' argument i know, but hopefully, with any luck, in most restaurants, the chef is in charge of the kitchen, and most likely has respect for his craft. the bathrooms, of course, are kept clean by someone other than the chef and kitchen staff (runners, barbacks, guys in charge of cleaning the parking lot), with any luck, and that person may or may not have the restroom on the top of the list. i'm not saying that's right, but over the years of being in kitchens, and restrooms, i've seen little correlation between the cleanliness of the two.

if you want to be really grossed out, have someone inspect your own ("your" general, not you hitmanoo) kitchen for germs and cross-contamination. you'll never eat at home again. ABC's 20/20 will be glad to come in a few weeks before "sweeps week."

[Raynickben]

I remember reading a long time ago in Philadelphia Magazine that Georges Perrier of Le Bec Fin said he always visits the restroom of a restaurant before he sits down to eat specifically to see if they are clean, have soap, etc. I've never forgotten that and I try to do it as much as possible!

[JoRic]

I must say, though, it's amazing how quickly a clean bathroom can become dirty. My staff checks ours regularly and I have a look most times I walk past (which is often), and I almost always find paper towels all over the floor at the least. I can never understand how people can just throw things on the floor when there is a trash receptacle right there. And that's not even getting into the stolen signs, potpourri, flowers and of course, grafitti.

This by no means excuses the poor treatment by the staff that Coughy described. I in fact really appreciate it when someone lets me know if something is amiss.

Joanne

[thereuare]

I remember reading in "Kitchen Confidential":

If you see a dirty bathroom... think about what the kitchen looks like.  If they allow the bathroom to look like that and it's a place where customers do go; think about how they keep the kitchen where customers never go

[slo_ted]

I remember reading in "Kitchen Confidential":

If you see a dirty bathroom... think about what the kitchen looks like.  If they allow the bathroom to look like that and it's a place where customers do go; think about how they keep the kitchen where customers never go

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Yes, AB pointed out that bathrooms are easy to clean but kitchens are not. Extrapolate that!

[tommy]

I remember reading in "Kitchen Confidential":

If you see a dirty bathroom... think about what the kitchen looks like.  If they allow the bathroom to look like that and it's a place where customers do go; think about how they keep the kitchen where customers never go

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Yes, AB pointed out that bathrooms are easy to clean but kitchens are not. Extrapolate that!

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OK. you have six or 10 people in the kitchen for 15 hours who, hopefully, give a shit about the kitchen, whereas you have 100 people pissing all over the restroom for 8 hours who don't give a fuck about the restroom. the results are clear to me. hell, when i have a party with 20 people it's hard to keep up with the restroom. my kitchen, however, well shit, you could *eat* off the fucking floor.

[hitmanoo]

Just remember--at many restaurants, the bathrooms for the patrons are the same for the employees--the very men and women who are preparing your food.

If hand washing conditions are less than sanitary, just think of the kitchen!

←

it's the same ol' argument i know, but hopefully, with any luck, in most restaurants, the chef is in charge of the kitchen, and most likely has respect for his craft. the bathrooms, of course, are kept clean by someone other than the chef and kitchen staff (runners, barbacks, guys in charge of cleaning the parking lot), with any luck, and that person may or may not have the restroom on the top of the list. i'm not saying that's right, but over the years of being in kitchens, and restrooms, i've seen little correlation between the cleanliness of the two.

if you want to be really grossed out, have someone inspect your own ("your" general, not you hitmanoo) kitchen for germs and cross-contamination. you'll never eat at home again. ABC's 20/20 will be glad to come in a few weeks before "sweeps week."

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Believe it or not, that kind of thing doesn't bother me for the very reason you mention. I'm sure that my own kitchen is less than stellar. I don't trouble myself worrying if a kitchen is pristine. I just felt like stirring the pot!

[Meredith380]

I remember reading in "Kitchen Confidential":

If you see a dirty bathroom... think about what the kitchen looks like.  If they allow the bathroom to look like that and it's a place where customers do go; think about how they keep the kitchen where customers never go

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This something I have heard a million times over in various restaurant management classes. I do not hold a lot of merit in that-- think about the holidays with corporate holiday parties, the bathrooms can be destroyed in a matter of seconds with drunks.

That said? I hate when management has a bad attitude towards keeping their facilities clean. At place I frequent often (more for the Brooklyn Pilsner than the food), I told the manager I had a suggestion. It was to add a special to the menu, but he looked at me and said "let me guess, the women's room is a mess again, right?" The look on my face said it all. And this wasn't in a bar, but a restaurant with a decent bar frequented by more men than women.

When I was a hostess, I did my best to ensure the facilities were in proper order, and called housekeeping when they weren't. I hate paying for a meal and being disgusted by the bathrooms. Especially if it was a good meal up until that moment.

[lmkennedy53]

I have to say that you don't have complete control of the bathroom situation in a restaurant. Yes, of course it should be checked periodically but especially if they are unisex like our bathrooms are, they seem to get dirty faster, because (sorry guys ) of the men!!!! I am a nut when it comes to cleanliness and I HATE most public bathrooms!! I don't work at our restaurant but when I go into the restroom as a patron, I always check to make sure everything is ok and most of the time it is but occasionally near the end of the evening it's not always as perfect as I would like it to be!! Having said that, our kitchen on the other hand is absolutely perfect!!!!!!!!!! It is immaculate and super clean. They DO have complete control over that situation. There is even a sink just for hand washing in the kitchen as well. So, I really don't think there is a true correlation between kitchen cleanliness and a bathroom that's a little untidy. But if the bathroom is disgusting in any restaurant, I would leave very quickly!!!! Believe it or not people actually steal things from the bathrooms too, like really nice soap!!! That's why sometimes the soap is missing!!!!!!!!!