The Tasting Panel magazine

MARCH 10

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 / the tasting panel / march 2010 FROM THE EDITOR t he relationship between a restaurant and its cus- tomers is an extremely intimate one. Whereas the products that most other businesses sell to people are often either watched, ridden in, listened to, worn, read or thought about, a restaurant's products are actually ingested into peoples' bodies. The act of providing food is a profoundly personal act, involving a considerable amount of trust. Why, then, would a restaurateur purposely contaminate that trust at the onset of a customer's dining experience? Who would do that? A lot of people, apparently. How many times have you been told by a haughty hostess: "We won't seat you until your entire party is here." This may seem like a minor issue, but when you greet a customer with distrust, it can taint the entire experience. Ask- ing customers to wait at the bar (where they are intimidated into buying a $15 cocktail) or shoving them up against the coat rack gives the message that you don't trust that the rest of their party will show up. This is totally counterproductive. No res- taurateur wants to have a party of two monopolizing a six-top on a busy Saturday night, but you don't want to elicit hostility from those who have to trust you not to poison them later. If the other members of my party don't show up after a reasonable amount of time, I have no problem moving to a smaller table. I think most people would respond in the same way. And, actually, if you seat guests immediately, they are likely to order a drink or wine, thereby generating more revenue without taking up space at the bar or blocking traffic in the entrance. If you go the other way and condemn them to waiting uncomfortably until the entire party has materialized, you are showing distrust. Customers will, most likely, politely wait out this unjust penance and then eat dinner. They will quietly pay their bill and depart. Are they likely to come back for another meal? Maybe not. Take a Seat at the Bar PHOTO: CATHY TWIGG-BLUMEL

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