Positive and negative comments for restaurant owners and managers:
 

Both positive and negative comments can be of value to restaurant owners and managers. Positive comments are nice to hear and the positives can be accentuated while the negatives can be eliminated.

Just like this song: Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive - eliminate the negative.

Restaurants that are doing poorly may not be aware of what they're doing wrong. How will they know what needs improvement if no one is willing to make negative comments? Maybe the food is good but the service is poor or maybe it's the other way around.

Restaurant owners and managers are likely aware of this website by now and they need your honest and complete feedback, the good and the bad. If you hold back because you think it's not nice to be negative, you're cheating them - you may be keeping them from getting the vital information they need to run a better restaurant.

And sadly, we could be causing them to lose business unfairly. For instance the OP could be very difficult to please at the Outback because he is a vegetarian and he looks for low fat plant based food.

We really need to be careful of our praise, and our criticisms. Not everyone looks for the same thing and some folks are comparing the country club dining here to that back home, but NOT the prices.... and we aren't a huge city like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles..with the diverse food available there. I think we should all try to be a little bit more realistic about what we can expect in a retirement community where most people are careful with money.

No need to post here......just do it in person!
I also agree with Gracie.

:agree:

There may be various reasons why it's not done in person. But I'll just give one or two examples: Sometimes people may have second thoughts after they get home, or even the next day. Then they might think it's too late or they might feel embarrassed to complain.

I don't want to put myself in the position of telling the customer that he or she is wrong by not complaining in person. Some people just can't do it.

Anyway, this is not called "The Restaurant Praise Board", it's the "Restaurant Discussion" board. ;)

A good way for restaurant owners or future restaurant owners to learn how to run a successful restaurant is to go work for some. Learn the trade from a few of the best. Relying on the general public to provide advice is not a recipe for success.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but Gracie nailed it again.

I always remember a great article that was in The Wall Street Journal many years ago. The heading was: "Customers Go Out The Door When Success Goes To Your Head." This article was about successful restaurants doing an about face over a long period of time.

I'm not sure what you think was nailed. Can you put it in your own words please?

Assuming a moderate amount of intelligence, I believe anyone can tell a legitimate criticism from one that's not. If a vegan or vegetarian complains about a steakhouse, will anyone think that's a legitimate complaint?

As far as being careful about complaints, there will usually be both good and bad reviews. Should complainers pull their punches because they're afraid they might hurt business? Would that be an honest assessment?
What happened to the virtue of honesty?

This thread is no different than these:
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...bonifay-69912/
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...y-club-116110/
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...y-club-132897/

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...y-club-144143/
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...y-club-130249/

Poster's have not been reluctant to post the good and the bad about all the restauarants in TV.
To me it is just opinions..................I go and find out for myself!

All of our tastes are different. You can't please everyone. We went to a restaurant with another couple. Best meal they ever had. The waitress spilled my husbands tea in his lap and didn't even apologize. Our take always were different. Of course we have gone back without thinking. We took a relative out for dinner and she ordered spaghetti in a seafood restaurant. We ordered seafood. How many people were happy at the end of the meal? That's enough.

Positive/negative comments for owners/managers is all after the fact.
A good manager will anticipate and plan , train employees for every eventuality and if he/she does it right then any comments from customers will not come as a surprise but an affirmation of his/her anticipations. I could go on but......

Exactly. Well said Gracie....as usual.

I have been in the food business my whole life. From casual dining to Fast Food and I have always preached and lived by one philosophy! "Praise in Public and Criticize in Private"! If I have an issue that is severe enough to complain about I ask for the Manager and tell them my feedback directly. Slamming businesses on this forum is indeed "the wrong thing to do". I cringe every time I see it since it absolutely affects that businesses sales!

My constructive criticism of restaurants would be I'd like to see more healthy choices on the menu, less sodium in dishes and definitely no salt on baked potatoes unless requested.

[QUOTE=Villages PL;1033364]I'm not sure what you think was nailed. Can you put it in your own words please?

Assuming a moderate amount of intelligence, I believe anyone can tell a legitimate criticism from one that's not. If a vegan or vegetarian complains about a steakhouse, will anyone think that's a legitimate complaint?

As far as being careful about complaints, there will usually be both good and bad reviews. Should complainers pull their punches because they're afraid they might hurt business? Would that be an honest assessment?
What happened to the virtue of honesty?[/QUOTE]

Most restaurant managers, etc., either are not aware of this forum or don't have the time to go through 150+ posts to read what someone might say for or against their restaurant. They also don't have the time to teach themselves how to navigate this forum. Most owners or managers are not aware of this site. I know because I have asked many of them them.

Gracie -- frankly, I would not put much stock in a restaurant the OP recommends or disses. I base my opinion on his many other threads and posts.

Yes, Gracie -- you nailed it. If the OP doesn't understand what you nailed, he needs to read your post again and again until he does.

The OP mentioned a "legitimate complaint" . . . Why in the world would a vegan complain about a steakhouse??? Come on, now!
I would like to know if someone posts their opinion regarding that a restaurant not good, is that NOT a "legitimate complaint?" If it's posted, it is legitimate, even if others don't agree!

That last paragraph is . . . . . . uh . . . . ?????

If you have a really valid complaint about awful service or food you should speak to the manager in person. They can't fix what they don't know is broken.
We went to a popular restaurant 3 times. Loved the location, service and decor. Did not care for the food. On the flip side, I hear rave reviews about this restaurant. However we have been to restaurants we love and then come on here and hear all kinds of complaints. I think we all have different expectations and tastes. I think we tend to get "egged on" by other complainers.
i felt bad one time when the server asked me how my meal was and I told them. The manager came over and comped us in spite of me asking them not to. Another time my husband complained about a really awful dinner and they were very nice and gave him a meal to take home...with more of the awful dinner.
Life is too short to worry abouth a bad meal or service. WE are lucky to have food on our tables.

I love the last line of your post. Two very true statements, and a wonderful attitude.

I was thinking the same thing. We are so lucky to have enough food and mostly nice food too.

I like that Flamingo Flo. Yes I do.

I personally prefer to deal with things at the time they occur. In many cases my overall assessment of a restaurant includes how they respond to complaints. If they act like they could care less if I return to their establishment, then I don't. If they appreciate the input and at least try to take care of it I will always give them at least a second chance. Everyone can have a bad day. I do not take it out on the waiter/waitress if the food is bad since they did not cook it. If the service is substandard then so is the tip. If the service is lousy then I will politely let someone in management know my feelings without making it confrontational. Waiting until you are home and have had time to stew about an issue always makes it more of a problem than it needs to be in my opinion.

:ho: Well said, FlamingoFlo.

At times I have told managers about bad food or bad service, but usually not.

When they are standing right there, able to see with their own eyes that customers are unhappy with agonizingly slow service/bad food and they don't inquire, it says they do not care.

I'm not going to aggravate myself explaining and defending my position to a manager who does not care. It ruins the entire outing.

I have written a few short letters to tell them, and sometimes they call to learn more about the problem.

It's their job to SEE and inquire about what's going on. I find that when a courteous, interested manager stops in at the table to ask how everything is, we tend to give praise for things simply because he/she took the initiative to ask, and act like they care.

You are whistling Dixie my friend. My experience, especially during the Winter Months is that is that they could care less about complaints because they have a virtually non ending clientele of less that discriminating people to take your place. Golfers are generally treated like second class citizens at our so called "Country Clubs" because they in large part interfere with their obsession with the thought of turning away non golf customers.

TV is one of the few places I'm aware of where Restaurants can provide mediocre food and average (at best) service and get away with it without affecting the bottom line. Many would not survive if they did not have the steady stream of Villagers to line their pockets.

latex gloves and restaurants
 

sadly my husband and I would ate out 3 meals a day 7 days a week retired here hoping to continue. every restaurant we have gone into uses latex gloves for cooking. we are as is 17% of the medical field allergic (have to carry a pen). we are from new jersey and although we are used to seeing some restaurant owners wear gloves they are not latex. latex is for surgery and very explosive. so now we have to eat at home. anybody know of any good restaurants that do not use latex gloves? :(

If true "country club" status is the goal, then paying minimum $5000/year dues, periodic assessments to balance the year's books and future capital project funding, 20% service charge on every tab, initiation fees of $30,000+, guest greens fees of $100+, and minimum spending at the clubhouse of $200/month….. is what the "member" needs to seek somewhere else besides in TV.

Public playing golf on TV "country club" courses, and EVERYONE paying greens fees, should give a clue at the outset that it is not a private, member-owned country club…...where about a dozen excellent golfers will have to take on a 2nd 30-hour/week job at night, sitting at endless board meetings figuring out where to cut costs in every other department except golf, without raising dues on golfers…..and listening to member complaints every time they come to enjoy themselves.

Been there, done that…..it's aggravating. And the certain "better golfers" quickly become very territorial and possessive about tee times, dining areas, etc., and they tend to treat non-golfing members as 4th class citizens, not 2nd class!!

Have you talked with a manager at any restaurant to explain your situation and see if they might switch to nutile gloves or other non-latex product? I certainly understand your situation & wouldn't go to one without calling ahead.

Too often managers view complaints as complaining for the sake of complaiing and won't take customers seriously and/or believe the customer is fishing for a freebie. I can tell you Athens owner is not one of those and implements customers suggestions.

I can tell you are a decent cook, Rubicon. I haven't ever been to Athens Restaurant. What is YOUR favorite menu item there?

I, too, have seen the Athens owner "deal with it" and "nip it in the bud" right then and there, validating--and not minimizing--the customer's honest complaint.

An owner being present and watching is key.

Hi GG: I am the breakfast cook since I like breakfast the best. I make good omelets , one my wife says would be praised by Martha Stewart because the outer side is such a nice color of yellow . My favorite french omelet is a ham with potato and apples in a butter/brown sugar sauce. My favorite american omelet is one with asparagus, mushrooms and cheese. I love hash browns, beef hash, grits . I prefer ham but also like sausage or bacon and love eggs in any forms and especially like eggs Florentine. My wife is the dinner cook and her repertorie runs from Italian, to Polish, to German, French American classics, primarily European
She makes excellent pizza both red/white from scratch

We prefer to cook at home even when we are going out for the evening. Eating out in most cases is truly for special events, birthdays, etc.

Athens prepares their fish fry much to what I remember when growing up in Central New York. a must stop for us when we go home is a stop at Doug's great fish fry and chowder etc.

Personal Best Regards:

Nice tirade but you missed the point that mediocre Restaurants here in TV can easily succeed with sub par food and service. Easy solution for you is to stop calling these joints "Country Clubs" which they are surely not! Why not just call them mediocre Restaurants adjacent to Golf Courses and eliminate all the nonsense you referred to.

When we moved here a year ago, we put all the restaurant names on slips of paper in a bowl. Each time we plan to go out, we draw a slip to see where we are dining that night. This is helping us try all the restaurants in TV. If there is one we don't like, we throw away the slip, if we like it it does into the already tried bowl for our next round. This also helps if you get in a restaurant rut, going the same places every month. Works for us! Thought I'd share...

OK let's remember one thing. Unless you lived in Florida before moving to TV we all lived somewhere else for 50+ years. So what you were used to eating will NOT be the same living here. The food doesn't taste the same, get cooked and or spiced the same etc. Even the cuts of meat are different. does that mean the Food or Restaurant are no good? No it means it's not what we were accustomed to before moving here. As for service now that SHOULD be the same regardless of where you are from. You come in are greeted, seated and a menu is presented the specials read and your beverage order taken. If that's not being done then somebody needs training. If a place is constantly out of food, beverages etc. shame on management and he needs to be told either in person or smashed on TOTV.
There are very few Restaurants I wouldn't eat at some I like better then others and visit them more frequently. The end of my rant. All I know is they must be doing something right because I've had to wait to be seated quite a lot this season.

Gracie nailed it again. BTW, I don't think I need to explain anything. GG did a much better job than i ever could. :BigApplause:

Folks we are all just voicing our opinions and we all have a right to disagree and we are all at the disadvantage of the written word which often loses much in translation.

Personal Best Regards:

Athens is one of the few decent restaurants in TV. You really ought to try it.

The topic of this thread is Positive and Negative comments for restaurant owners and managers. If posters do not return to the topic and refrain from negative comments directed at each other, the thread will be closed.

Moderator

I like this idea and likely will steal it. Hope you don't mind. Not only do we go to the same restaurant almost every time (Evans Prairie), we order the same thing every time.

Where is Athens located?