Restaurants, an ever evolving business after the pandemic, are not going well. After traveling this year I can say that the struggles restaurants have gone through is quite widespread. Just recently I have vacationed in two high end vacation spots known for great restaurants East Hampton and Rhode Island. Prices are very high, service is fair, offerings trimmed down and the quality in most cases disappointing.
Let‘s go back to 2019, You had a set reservation and you didn‘t have to wait for your table.and you had an attentive waiter, who served water and gave you a basket of bread automatically. The table was meticulously set and you were given a leather bound menu with varying offerings.
Post Pandemic
As Bill Maher would say “New Rules”. Restaurant 101, (PP) post pandemic. Reservations are not taken at many restaurants, so to beat the incessant waiting, you can opt to eat like a senior at the early bird, 5 pm. Some restaurants will only take a reservation two weeks prior to your reservation. To ensure you show up, some restaurants now take a credit card and if you do not cancel and don’t come you will be charged a fee. Another change is to open less days and hours to utilize the staff on the limited days their open. Many restaurants are closed on both Mondays and Tuesdays.
You jumped through hoops and now you gratefully get to your table. It may or may not be set. The jubilation of getting a table is now wearing off, because you have been seated twenty minutes and no one has approached you. Finally, the waiter comes and asks if you would like water. No offer of bread, because that requires more logistics,. Now, similar to Europe, bread can be had for a small fee. My advice is to get the bread, because no doubt your meal will take longer than you were planning.
The waiter comes back and asks if you would like a drink. Warning, since restaurants are having personnel issues, the bartender today could have been the waiter yesterday. Don‘t order anything too complicated, because the restaurant will either not have all the ingredients, or it will just be made wrong. If you order a drink, do not let the waiter leave until you place your food order. The kitchen undoubtedly is backed up, due to a lack of personnel, so be strategic and order your meal as soon as possible.
The menu itself, which used to be a marketing piece for the restaurant is now a copied piece of paper. One of the most obvious causes of this was Covid, with multiple people handling the menus it was believed to spread the virus. Paper can be thrown out after one use. This affords the restaurant flexibility in planning their meals, which is needed due to supply chain problems. Thirdly, personnel is also an issue in the kitchen., less offerings available, makes for a better flow for the restaurant staff. Although not enough improvement for your meal experience to be orchestrated in a reasonable time frame.
All the issues that were already addressed in this article, affects the quality, availability and taste of the food. The prices of many food products have risen significantly, so to get the 2019 equivalent meal you will either pay more, or the quality may not be as good. This could be very disappointing after waiting.two years for that great meal. This past July fourth week my family and I were in Rhode Island and we went to a well known seafood restaurant. Three of us ordered lobster, a staple for any New England coast restaurant surprise, they were out.
The restaurant problem also extends to the food we have been ordering at our homes. The process of home delivery or pick up, which was a lifeline for many restaurants during the pandemic, now increases the volume of food a restaurant is putting out. We all have choices. You can go to a restaurant, have patience, plan to spend more money and maybe the food will be good. Alternatively, find your best friend that cooks and beg them to make you a wonderful meal. The last suggestion is time to become that gourmet chef you always wanted to be. WTH
4 thoughts on “Restaurants; A Service Business?”
Agree with everything said. I will add though that given COVID, my wife and I, and granted we live in the sunbekt, are pretty much limiting our restaurants to those with outside seating. To the extent there are a number of others doing the same and more restaurants don’t have outside seating than do, the overall effect is less restaurant patronage. Less patronage if not leading to restaurant closures, leads to layoffs and other neasures to reduce costs. The problems cited in the article just get exacerbated…a vicious cycle.
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