[Rail Paul]

The Times of London has a piece about how expectations of restaurants and diners are increasingly out of sync with each other.

The article was triggered by a recent case in which a chef won his first Michelin star, and was immediately sacked for making his food "too poncey" in the owner's words. That raised the question of what should a diner expect. No amount of truffled cauliflower amuses will offset a bad meal, nor will an escort to the loo, an increasingly common practice, the article says

The greeting Hospitality should be the watchword of any good restaurant, and this is their chance to put you at your ease. That doesn’t involve making you stand there like an asylum seeker while they check if your name is indeed on their reservations list. Would it hurt to take you at your word? Beware also the pompous, “Would sir care to have a drink in the library bar first?”

It’s supposed to sound all convivial and relaxed and homely but it’s just a blatant attempt to pin you with a bar bill.

Atmosphere Decor-wise there are no hard rules. Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in Bray has three Michelin stars but it still looks to me like a provincial pasta joint (in a good way, Heston, in a good way). Equally, I have had riotously good evenings amid the Art Deco splendour of The Berkeley. What you are looking for more than looks is noise. There is nothing more infectious than silence in a dining room, and nothing kills an atmosphere like it. You want to be surrounded by a low buzz of excitement and anticipation.

Thanks to Eater for the link


ETA the quote, and some comments. I hit the enter button rather than preview, so I didn't have the chance to correct the title.

This post has been edited by Rail Paul: 11 February 2010 - 05:27 PM

[Wilfrid]

Written by someone who has never visited a restaurant?

Hospitality should be the watchword of any good restaurant, and this is their chance to put you at your ease. That doesn’t involve making you stand there like an asylum seeker while they check if your name is indeed on their reservations list. Would it hurt to take you at your word?

Should they not keep track of who has arrived, who hasn't, where people are seated, which tables are clearing, and so on? Or should they instead just shuffle people randomly into the dining room and let them prowl around for empty seats?