Do you have rituals you perform when you go to a restaurant? Most people do. Ever notice that person who, after being seated, unrolls the napkin and inspects the silverware piece by piece? What about the guy that turns the bread plate just so and the water glass slightly and moves the silverware askew to the left? Those are rituals. So you have noticed or did you think I picked you out of a line-up?
I have a ritual too. Before anything else, I always check the wine list. My eyes dart towards the wine section of the menu or my head bobs one way and the other looking around for the wine list. A well thought out wine list tells if management cares about the dining experience. Just as we hold the type of service we receive at an eatery as an important element so too should we consider the wine list.
A less than desirable wine list could be the result of one of the following:
This article appears in Jan 20-26, 2011.