Monday, May 25, 2009

Amuse bouche: When good restaurants go bad

A couple friends have had negative experiences at favorite restaurants recently. This brings up an important question: What should a restaurant do when it screws up? Regardless of whether the establishment is somewhere you frequent, any proprietor should see to it that mistakes are swiftly corrected. Give you complementary dessert; comp the entree; toss you a gift certificate for your next visit. No matter what the restaurant and no matter what its price level, it ought to do something when they mess up. Sadly, it is all too common that when dining out mistakes beget little more than a grudging apology. The worst example I've experienced was at t'afia in Houston. A lamb entree ordered medium rare came out medium well or well done three times. Barely an apology. Nothing comped. When that happens, you have to wonder if it's so common the staff is numb to it. My response is taking my business elsewhere.

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