[Mrmean58]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoelaces

How about $34 for a lobster roll at LightHouse?
Which is a modest amount of lobster salad on a hoagie roll.
I was buying, so I didn't bring it up.
Seems extravagant to me.
I would call that indirect poor treatment.

Sorry to disagree but if you were to price out the ingredients, add in the cost of labor and cost for the brick and mortar you may find it's not too bad.
The common trap is people often remember (sometimes not accurately) what they paid for an item back in the day.
Sorry to say but we're not going back in time. Social media can make it worse.

[Luggage]

We have not been back to the lighthouse for years and I still don't understand why it's in business other than maybe there's lots of drunks in The Villages. Yes we read a lot of their reviews but I understand you can't get good help especially in restaurants these days however that said there are plenty of good places to go to like Stavros ramshackle or several of the other diners on Route 27th in Leesburg. Partly it's the recipient's fault for wanting things to be perfect in an imperfect world. If you're stuck up and feel privileged that's part of the problem. Being a wait staff person is a very hard job in the best of times so if you stiff them on a tip what do you expect

[Luggage]

A whole lobster at Publix is 12 bucks. I'm sure wholesale it's much cheaper. The rule of thumb in restaurants is to charge three times the cost of ingredients to make some money at the end of the day so I can't see how $34 for one Lobster Roll sandwich is not being overcharged.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoelaces

How about $34 for a lobster roll at LightHouse?
Which is a modest amount of lobster salad on a hoagie roll.
I was buying, so I didn't bring it up.
Seems extravagant to me.
I would call that indirect poor treatment.

My understanding is that this is the going price in Maine this summer, but it may have a pound of lobster. The lesson to learn is don’t buy a lobster roll unless you are at a notable lobster roll place on the coast of main. Lobster is far more expensive this year than it usually is, including for restaurant owners.

[jimkerr]

Originally Posted by RiderOnTheStorm

I couldn’t help but notice a number of recent threads related to restaurant issues, usually to express dissatisfaction over a meal or service.

While I do not own a restaurant, I know some who do, and can tell you that it is a hard business in the very best of times. Many fail, even without the additional challenge of today’s COVID crisis, supply chain issues, inflation and difficulty finding good help.

That said, I urge anyone who may feel they were poorly treated to try to resolve the issue with the restaurant manager or owner, before posting it on Talk of The Villages. I have found most restaurant owners very eager to work with you to rectify the situation.

Classic studies have shown that a publicly expressed complaint will reach an average of 22 people. Involving a social platform significantly increases that number. Many who hear it are likely to avoid the restaurant.

Please consider the impact your posts could have on the restaurant’s business before “going public” with them. Working with the restaurant is also likely to provide you a better outcome.

Thank you.

Yeah, that doesn’t work. Glenview Country Club is a perfect example. You can talk to management and they could care less. You’ll still have poor service and terrible food.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by jimkerr

Yeah, that doesn’t work. Glenview Country Club is a perfect example. You can talk to management and they could care less. You’ll still have poor service and terrible food.

I agree. Most restaurant managers don't seem to be very interested in resolving individual customer complaints.

[True Blue]

Originally Posted by jimkerr

Yeah, that doesn’t work. Glenview Country Club is a perfect example. You can talk to management and they could care less. You’ll still have poor service and terrible food.

Agreed. I’ve been surprised and a bit shocked by the “I couldn’t care less attitudes” of restaurant management and staff. Especially given these tough times. They’re even unimpressed when you try to compliment them. So defensive. We know it’s hard for them and we’re trying to give them our business but they make it difficult and unpleasant at times. I don’t get it.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just to be clear, the wait staff at Lighthouse was very personable and excellent service.
Why should management worry about quality or quantity or value of the product?
With that location they will always have patrons.
It's the view and convenience that will continue to bring people in.

[jbrown132]

Originally Posted by RiderOnTheStorm

I couldn’t help but notice a number of recent threads related to restaurant issues, usually to express dissatisfaction over a meal or service.

While I do not own a restaurant, I know some who do, and can tell you that it is a hard business in the very best of times. Many fail, even without the additional challenge of today’s COVID crisis, supply chain issues, inflation and difficulty finding good help.

That said, I urge anyone who may feel they were poorly treated to try to resolve the issue with the restaurant manager or owner, before posting it on Talk of The Villages. I have found most restaurant owners very eager to work with you to rectify the situation.

Classic studies have shown that a publicly expressed complaint will reach an average of 22 people. Involving a social platform significantly increases that number. Many who hear it are likely to avoid the restaurant.

Please consider the impact your posts could have on the restaurant’s business before “going public” with them. Working with the restaurant is also likely to provide you a better outcome.

Thank you.

When I read those type of posts I usually do not pay that much attention to them. Once heard that “one man’s garbage is another man’s potpourri”. I guarantee in most cases if you gave the same meal to two different people you would probably get two different opinions. We have a friend that every time she goes out to dinner she always has a complaint. Some people you can never satisfy, it’s just part of their makeup.

[Wilson02852]

Evidently you are not a very lobster roll price expert. Do some research and you will find that price just about the mean price point. In New England home of the best lobster rolls and lobster the cost are anywhere from about $27 to $35. So if are eating NE lobster the price is bad.

IMO, lobster rolls should be made with lobster buttered served in a toasted New England style hot dog roll. That way you get the lobster and not bread and other fillers.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Originally Posted by Wilson02852

Evidently you are not a very lobster roll price expert. Do some research and you will find that price just about the mean price point. In New England home of the best lobster rolls and lobster the cost are anywhere from about $27 to $35. So if are eating NE lobster the price is bad.

IMO, lobster rolls should be made with lobster buttered served in a toasted New England style hot dog roll. That way you get the lobster and not bread and other fillers.

I'm much the wiser in the world of lobster rolls now.
Chalk it up to education.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by RiderOnTheStorm

I couldn’t help but notice a number of recent threads related to restaurant issues, usually to express dissatisfaction over a meal or service.

While I do not own a restaurant, I know some who do, and can tell you that it is a hard business in the very best of times. Many fail, even without the additional challenge of today’s COVID crisis, supply chain issues, inflation and difficulty finding good help.

That said, I urge anyone who may feel they were poorly treated to try to resolve the issue with the restaurant manager or owner, before posting it on Talk of The Villages. I have found most restaurant owners very eager to work with you to rectify the situation.

Classic studies have shown that a publicly expressed complaint will reach an average of 22 people. Involving a social platform significantly increases that number. Many who hear it are likely to avoid the restaurant.

Please consider the impact your posts could have on the restaurant’s business before “going public” with them. Working with the restaurant is also likely to provide you a better outcome.

Thank you.

Good post, and advice.

I write a lot of reviews for TripAdvisor, always before reading any of the other reviews first, and sometimes the differences between the reviews can be huge. I always go several times to the restaurant in question: so many of the reviews are "one and done", which in my opinion is NOT fair to the business. It is possible that you catch a waitperson having a really bad day (we have) and as a result form a very negative opinion of the restaurant based on an experience that for the most part is extremely rare.

This is/was especially true of The Lighthouse (mentioned in this thread). Our first experience was very good: great food and service, though the birds eyeballing your food meant that one person always needed to be at the table. The second visit, not so much. Slow service (they were low on staff that day), and food that had too much time to cool before it was served. The difference? The first visit was early on a Saturday evening, while the second was on a Tuesday afternoon, or the difference between the "A" and "B" teams.

Also agree with taking it up with management before writing or saying anything negative. Give them a fair shake. They know that what people think of their establishment often makes it into print and if they care about that, they'll probably try to make things right for you. Some years back my wife and I were eating at a buffet in the midwest. For dessert I was going to have soft-serve ice cream with strawberry syrup. Syrup machine wasn't working too well, so I pressed a bit harder on the top button, and--sploooosh! The nozzle popped of and all of a sudden I was wearing a rather wide ribbon of blood-red strawberry syrup from my shoulder diagonally to about mid-thigh. One of the waitstaff saw it and immediately alerted the manager, who rushed on over. I wasn't really angry (more amused than anything) but he gave me a note saying that the restaurant would reimburse me for a new pair of trousers and shirt (my choice of store), plus SIX free vouchers for future buffet meals. We went straight from the restaurant to a J.C. Penney about a block away for the shirt and trousers.

The clerk sort of gasped when she saw me; I said "don't worry. The other guy looks a lot worse".

Moral? I could have gotten on my high horse, chewed out the manager and stormed on out. But waiting and listening made things a whole lot better.

[retiredguy123]

I think one problem with restaurants is that tipping has become automatic and expected. So, the restaurant doesn't need to hire competent servers. If the restaurants had to pay servers a decent wage and not rely on customers to pay them, they would be more selective in their hiring process. And, customers should tip based on the quality of the service they receive, but many don't.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by True Blue

Agreed. I’ve been surprised and a bit shocked by the “I couldn’t care less attitudes” of restaurant management and staff. Especially given these tough times. They’re even unimpressed when you try to compliment them. So defensive. We know it’s hard for them and we’re trying to give them our business but they make it difficult and unpleasant at times. I don’t get it.

Part of the problem might be they hear nothing but complaining. It's no secret that Villagers love to complain about things. Just take a look at this thread for a great example of that.

If a manager is being bombarded by entitled customers who won't be happy until they are served filet mignon at a baked chicken price and even then would complain that the sun is too bright or the breeze smells like cut grass then I can understand why he might have a lack of interest in yet another complaint.

I have been to Glenview a few times and thought the food and service was exceptional. Maybe I got lucky but judging by the crowded room they must be doing something right.

Every server can have a bad night. Every kitchen can have a bad night. If it's just once or just occasionally then give them another chance. If the bad service or bad food is a regular feature then vote with your wallet and stop going to that restaurant. If enough customers do that then the restaurant will get the message.

[Two Bills]

If we eat out, and the menu price is low, I do not expect Michelin standard food or service, and would never complain.
Just not go back again if it was that bad.
If I pay a lot for a meal, and the food and service is dire, I have a word with the manager/owner on way out.
Sometimes give a second chance if the complaint is handled well.
I never return food to the kitchen to have a fault rectified.
My fishing buddy for many years was a senior steward on cruise ship!