I had a recent unpleasant dining experience and feel inspired to rant about some deceptions that happen all too often in the restaurant world. While this is certainly not the first disappointment in a meal that I have had, and it surely won't be the last, it affected me deeply on many levels.
Being a chef and having worked in the hospitality industry for 20 years, I have both high expectations of certain restaurants by knowing what is achievable and a forgiveness for missteps by knowing that some things just aren't under a chef's or restaurateur's control. But when does one draw the line at what is acceptable?
My biggest issues are the lack of truth in a restaurant's menu and poor quality of the food. As patrons of eateries, we put our trust into our chefs and restaurateurs to deliver what is stated on their menus. A particular menu I'd recently read had terms like "Mediterranean cuisine" and "Continental" peppered throughout — and in my opinion used loosely and carelessly — and were not representative of some of the dishes offered, which is a major pet peeve of mine. However, what intrigued me most was an extensive list of tapas offered that, based on the descriptions, sounded quite tasty. Being a lover of variety, a restaurant that offers small plates gets me excited. I made the decision to give the place a chance and returned for dinner later that evening.
After being seated and presented with a menu, I immediately noticed that the tapas selections were nowhere to be found and when I questioned the waiter about this, he explained that the tapas were a limited-time promotion that they, "used to have on Mondays but no longer offer." This was strike one. Lazy perhaps, not the biggest sin, but failing to update a menu to reflect what is currently offered is only fair to me, as your patron. I don't care what you used to offer. The tapas were the whole reason I chose to eat there in the first place.
This article appears in Jan 20-26, 2011.