The other day we had a wonderful table with a 4 legged friend in tow. I immediately remarked that I wanted a couch in the dog’s fur color and texture, but little did I know that I also would fall in love with his personality. The dog’s name was Stevie Wonder. He was a silver Shar pei and he was born without any eyes. He was so adorable and we were all making excuses to visit the table just to visit with Stevie Wonder. His little face was so sweet and kind even though he didn’t have any eyes. It was quite a tribute to the relationship he had with his owner and we were all thrilled to meet them both. I mention this because I try to encourage people to bring their well behaved dogs with them to our restaurant. They are always encouraged.
Meanwhile back to the grind:
Why do people look for things to eat other than what a restaurant specializes in. I know one person on Yelp was frustrated with our lack of non seafood offerings. To me, it’s so odd to look for a non seafood item in a restaurant called Ferry Plaza Seafood. I wonder for example how may pieces of salmon the House of Prime Rib sells per week.
Typically, the next question is do you have any gluten free items? I am often amazed by this question and perhaps I should “go the extra mile” to read up on all the different diet restrictions and fads there are out there at the moment. The reality is, please folks, you need to tell me what your restrictions are, don’t make me guess as to what ingredients (or if you are from the Housewives of New Jersey and your name is Theresa, you say: ingrediences) are OK or not OK. Just say, I can’t eat, blank, is that ingredient in your salad dressing. The worst is, “I am a vegan or I have a food allergy, what do you have that I can eat?” This is my worst nightmare. First of all, I don’t want you to go into some sort of seizure on the spot and second of all, I can’t go through every item on the menu until we find the one that suits your situation.
I just want every person on the planet to start taking responsibility for their own stuff. That means, I want you to take responsibility for your own health issues, your own children’s behavior, your own awareness of others around you. I don’t know what happened, but somewhere in the last 15 years, everybody wants to pass the buck and hold someone else responsible for their well being.
Seriously………….?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Children LOVE fish!
One of the things that has been on my mind lately is how much we at Ferry Plaza Seafood love, I mean LOVE, children who eat vegetables and seafood. It’s so refreshing and a wonderful change from the usual question, “Do you have a kids menu?” and “Do you have anything besides seafood?” We have had children chowing down on raw oysters, steamed mussels and steamed clams. It makes me believe that it is possible to encourage “the little foodie” in the youngest of generations. Thank you so much parents and way to go kids!
When did paying your restaurant bill become elective?
Sometimes, I am confused by the rigidity of some people. I don’t know how else to explain this situation except to just dive right in: You would be very surprised how many people don’t know that smoked salmon comes in a few different forms: Hot smoked (generally dryer texture) and Cold smoked (generally a more delicate “lox” style). Because the fish is “smoked” technically it’s raw. It is not the same as having a piece of fish that’s baked or grilled. At our restaurant we serve smoked salmon (both hot smoked and cold smoked) and we serve a piece of salmon that is baked with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
So after my salmon lesson, I will share with you that we had a group of people in the restaurant and pretty much everyone ordered soup, but there was a woman who ordered a smoked salmon sandwich. We delivered the sandwich and she said it was “raw” and she didn’t want it. She said that when she had had smoked salmon in Sacramento, it was delivered on a board and that this was not the same and therefore unappetizing. I tried to explain to her that she probably had eaten Hot smoked salmon and this is a different style and that all smoked salmon is technically raw, blah, blah, blah. So she said well I’m not going to eat it. I asked her what she wanted me to do since there’s nothing wrong with the sandwich and in fact it’s very popular in our restaurant. She said I don’t know, but I’m not eating it reiterating the version of salmon she had eaten in Sacramento which I guess to her was the “be all end all” of smoked salmon dishes. She asked me if I could cook it. I said “Wow, I’ve never been asked to do that, I don’t think that’s going to work given that it’s already smoked. Why don’t I take it away and bring you another cup of clam chowder.” She said “I’ll take a cup of clam chowder.” I went back thinking you know what, I am going to cook the salmon just to show her how it’s not going to work and deliver the soup. So I dropped off the cooked smoked salmon sandwich and the chowder. She looked under the bread and refused to touch the sandwich. So at that point, I let the table wrap up, which incidentally was a table of 6. I dropped the check off with a free cup of soup, the salmon sandwich still on there since there wasn’t anything wrong with and a gratuity.
As they left, they paid for the meal and her companion said here is your money, there is no tip and we have subtracted the price of the sandwich off the bill. I was so frustrated because they tried something new, thought it was supposed to be like the salmon in Sacramento, and then because it wasn’t, refused to try it and pay for it. So, I discussed this with them all over again and finally they simply walked away and we swallowed the situation.
Why are people so rigid? Honestly, I don’t think there is a customer service rule that states that when you don’t care for something you get it for free. Shoot I think I must be the only fool that has been trying new things and paying for them whether I liked them or not for the last 25 years of my food, wine and cocktailing experiences.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, my last experience of the day was a lovely one that ended up with my boss telling me that a customer of mine that had enjoyed 6 oysters, 2 glasses of wine a whole crab and a cup of coffee, who went on and on about how great the meal was to me, didn’t pay for her bill in full after I left. She elected to pay $40.00 on a tab that was at least $59.00 and in fact, I think it was closer to $60.00. I was soooo upset. Who does that? Who eats a meal, raves about it and then cheats me and the restaurant of payment and tip? I don’t know what is going on in the world that this behavior is justifiable and that payment is “elective.”
Next time you go out to eat, especially if you have children, challenge yourselves not to ask the restaurant if it has anything fried or if there is a “kid’s menu.” Remember when children grow up, there won’t be a “kid’s menu.” Finally, don’t put sauce on fresh food or veggies, you are adding calories and disguising your food’s true flavor. Seek out restaurants that don't hide their ingredients underneath, frying, blackening, and "saucing." Fresh food speaks for itself other than a little olive oil salt and pepper what more do we need.
Eat Fresh Food!
One of the things that has been on my mind lately is how much we at Ferry Plaza Seafood love, I mean LOVE, children who eat vegetables and seafood. It’s so refreshing and a wonderful change from the usual question, “Do you have a kids menu?” and “Do you have anything besides seafood?” We have had children chowing down on raw oysters, steamed mussels and steamed clams. It makes me believe that it is possible to encourage “the little foodie” in the youngest of generations. Thank you so much parents and way to go kids!
When did paying your restaurant bill become elective?
Sometimes, I am confused by the rigidity of some people. I don’t know how else to explain this situation except to just dive right in: You would be very surprised how many people don’t know that smoked salmon comes in a few different forms: Hot smoked (generally dryer texture) and Cold smoked (generally a more delicate “lox” style). Because the fish is “smoked” technically it’s raw. It is not the same as having a piece of fish that’s baked or grilled. At our restaurant we serve smoked salmon (both hot smoked and cold smoked) and we serve a piece of salmon that is baked with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
So after my salmon lesson, I will share with you that we had a group of people in the restaurant and pretty much everyone ordered soup, but there was a woman who ordered a smoked salmon sandwich. We delivered the sandwich and she said it was “raw” and she didn’t want it. She said that when she had had smoked salmon in Sacramento, it was delivered on a board and that this was not the same and therefore unappetizing. I tried to explain to her that she probably had eaten Hot smoked salmon and this is a different style and that all smoked salmon is technically raw, blah, blah, blah. So she said well I’m not going to eat it. I asked her what she wanted me to do since there’s nothing wrong with the sandwich and in fact it’s very popular in our restaurant. She said I don’t know, but I’m not eating it reiterating the version of salmon she had eaten in Sacramento which I guess to her was the “be all end all” of smoked salmon dishes. She asked me if I could cook it. I said “Wow, I’ve never been asked to do that, I don’t think that’s going to work given that it’s already smoked. Why don’t I take it away and bring you another cup of clam chowder.” She said “I’ll take a cup of clam chowder.” I went back thinking you know what, I am going to cook the salmon just to show her how it’s not going to work and deliver the soup. So I dropped off the cooked smoked salmon sandwich and the chowder. She looked under the bread and refused to touch the sandwich. So at that point, I let the table wrap up, which incidentally was a table of 6. I dropped the check off with a free cup of soup, the salmon sandwich still on there since there wasn’t anything wrong with and a gratuity.
As they left, they paid for the meal and her companion said here is your money, there is no tip and we have subtracted the price of the sandwich off the bill. I was so frustrated because they tried something new, thought it was supposed to be like the salmon in Sacramento, and then because it wasn’t, refused to try it and pay for it. So, I discussed this with them all over again and finally they simply walked away and we swallowed the situation.
Why are people so rigid? Honestly, I don’t think there is a customer service rule that states that when you don’t care for something you get it for free. Shoot I think I must be the only fool that has been trying new things and paying for them whether I liked them or not for the last 25 years of my food, wine and cocktailing experiences.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, my last experience of the day was a lovely one that ended up with my boss telling me that a customer of mine that had enjoyed 6 oysters, 2 glasses of wine a whole crab and a cup of coffee, who went on and on about how great the meal was to me, didn’t pay for her bill in full after I left. She elected to pay $40.00 on a tab that was at least $59.00 and in fact, I think it was closer to $60.00. I was soooo upset. Who does that? Who eats a meal, raves about it and then cheats me and the restaurant of payment and tip? I don’t know what is going on in the world that this behavior is justifiable and that payment is “elective.”
Next time you go out to eat, especially if you have children, challenge yourselves not to ask the restaurant if it has anything fried or if there is a “kid’s menu.” Remember when children grow up, there won’t be a “kid’s menu.” Finally, don’t put sauce on fresh food or veggies, you are adding calories and disguising your food’s true flavor. Seek out restaurants that don't hide their ingredients underneath, frying, blackening, and "saucing." Fresh food speaks for itself other than a little olive oil salt and pepper what more do we need.
Eat Fresh Food!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
If I could control the position of the sun, do you think I would be working here?
Sometimes I feel like "have it your way ruined Americans." When did it become OK to be rude, demanding and entitled as you move through the world. I know some of you probably think that I make up many of the stories that I share and I whine a lot, but let me tell you, in speaking to servers in other restaurants, if you can work in the Ferry Building, I think you can work in any restaurant.
Generally speaking, serving is hard work and to be a good server means you have the ability to multi-task, possess a sense of humor, are able to channel your inner psychologist and describe every item on the menu and determine if it's safe for pregnant women, gluten free, sugar free or any other "fill in the blank free" that is the current culinary/dietary fad of the moment. Honestly, I'm sure my point of view isn't necessarily popular from a service standpoint, but honestly, why is my job as a server to know all of these things. I'm not pregnant and I eat everything. You should own your own dietary restrictions.
Then on top of that, you need to be able to explain why your restaurant is not modeled after the Cheesecake Factory where "having it your way" is like a visit to "culinary purgatory." It's neither great food nor bad food, it's just about choices (about 10 pages as I recall) and volume. That's what the average American wants, variation and volume. I think somewhere in the shuffle, simple, clean, fresh food has been dealt a bad hand.
I've talked about how people get down right offended that we don't have a kid's menu or french fries or root beer or Budweiser or blah blah blah, but this month I am speaking on controlling the position of the sun. If I hear one more person ask me if we could move their table out of the sun, put their table in the sun, provide part shade and part sun, and while I'm at it, align the stars or cross the Moon with Mars, I think I shall fall over in frustration.
When you ask a customer if they want inside or outside, almost always they say outside followed by (If it's a foggy day) "Don't you have anything in the sun?" Or my favorite (if it's a sunny day in SF which we cherish by the way) "Don't you have anything in the shade." It's like no one is ever happy with how things are and easy going. I mean, I don't go out to Half Moon Bay with anything less than 4 layers of clothing and a blanket because I know want to eat outside and there may be any number of weather conditions from sun to no sun.
Special requests come from our "special" customers all the time beyond just trying to key in the position of the sun for them.
At least no one asked me for a "steak knife" though.
Oh yes, a customer asked for a "steak knife" one evening.
The server said "I'm sorry, we don't have "steak knives."
"What do you mean you don't have a steak knife?"
"Mam what is it that you need a "steak knife" for?"
"I need to cut my sandwich (she had a crab melt sandwich). I never touch my food with my hands."
"Oh......"
"Would you like me to cut it into small bite size pieces for you in the kitchen?"
"Yes please......."
That was a first.
One early evening late afternoon a few weeks ago, I served 4 crab cakes to 4 different people. All but 1 loved it and became new members of our ever growing "clean plate club."
There was one "special" customer that said she wanted another glass of wine to which I responded and said "Sure, I'll get that for you. How's the crab cake?"
"Well to be honest......." This response is so difficult to hear because 70% of the time it will be followed by a complaint of some kind. Of course, it was and then she said, "You know all day long I have waited for this crab cake and I am sooooo disappointed. I mean it's chewy, rubbery, and dry. I can't believe it........... pause...........I mean, really I am just soooo upset."
I thought to myself, wow, I hope this is your biggest disappointment in life, because I don't think you could handle anything bigger.
"Well, that's strange I said because it's one of our most popular dishes and I served the same cake to 3 other tables and they all loved theirs." I'm sure I shouldn't have said that because I'm sure it put her on the defense.
"What would you like me to do? I could order another one, but I can guarantee it will be the same as this one so I think you should choose something else from our menu."
"Well, I'll just eat it but I just wish they would have cooked it properly. I mean I waited all day for this and on and on and on she went followed by "You know I never send food back (The people that send food back all the time, they always say that FYI)."
Followed by "I don't like a thing on the menu other than this crab cake and it's been ruined."
Then she started on another rant about her disappointment around the crab cake. It was like a broken record, that would not stop repeating the same lyric over and over and over again. I thought I was in the twilight zone. You know that feeling where you think is anybody else hearing this person the way I am? Or is it just me?
So I said, "Mam, I really find it hard to believe that you can't find another thing on our menu that you would like. I understand that you are disappointed with the crab cake, but we need to move on from that now and get you something that you like."
After a minute or so, she ordered a small crab louie salad.
I said, "Perfect. It will be up shortly." So I removed the source of her disappointment, the crab cake, and came back in 2 minutes to her with the salad. I said, "Enjoy!"
I returned a couple minutes later and passed her by to notice she had this look on her face like her best friend had just died. I came back and said, "Mam, how's the salad."
She said, "Well I tried to catch you before you placed the order, because I really wanted the crab tower. This is disgusting and I couldn't possibly eat this."
I said, "Mam, we sell 100's of this salad every week. It's not disgusting and I have yet to encounter one person who doesn't love it. Why don't you just try it?"
"No it's disgusting and what's that dressing supposed to be I mean it looks like Thousand Island, I can't eat that."
"It's Louie dressing Mam it's not as sweet as Thousand Island, but though it looks like Thousand Island, it's not. It's the traditional dressing served with this fish salad."
"I'm not going to eat it she said I just want a crab tower."
At this point, I just couldn't get her out of my tiny little world fast enough it was like she was just trying to torture me.
So I said, "Mam, I'm not going to prepare yet another dish for you. I'm going to buy your two glasses of wine for you. You should relax and finish your wine and choose to eat at any of the multitude of restaurants within the Ferry Building because I don't feel confident that we will be able to satisfy your taste."
So I picked up the salad, returned it to the kitchen and left her sulking like a 4 year old in front of her wine glass.
But wait there's more. Then, after all this drama, she get's up and walks away towards the Golden Gate Meat counter and takes our wine glass. I sent a busser after her and when she saw him, she took off running in the hall of the Ferry Building. I just died..... About an hour later she comes back, looks me square in the eye and says, "here's your glass back." I guess she needed to have the last word.
Sometimes people order things and then they just try to say there is something wrong with it before they even touch it.
A gentleman came in last week for dinner and our owner was talking to him about one of our specials, the albacore tuna sashimi which was sooooo yummy. I was telling people to order it as well because it's rare that we get that fish in and when we do, it just melts in your mouth.
He ordered the sashimi and when it arrived, he said, “I don’t eat raw fish.” The owner said, “The definition of Sashimi is raw fish,” and she removed it from him.
Then he ordered halibut which we always tell customers is baked in the oven, with a little salt and pepper and served with whatever the daily vegetable is a scoop of Japanese brown rice and a sliced orange or nectarine or seasonal vegetable. Simple clean fresh fish.
Then the Halibut arrives and he says, "That's not a fillet, it's frozen." So she got really offended especially since she brought it in just this morning and they were talking back and forth and she said "please leave." Everyone around him was astonished at the entire altercation.
Trust me, we get all kinds. Of course that piece of halibut went back to the kitchen and we ate it and it was soooo good!
Generally speaking, serving is hard work and to be a good server means you have the ability to multi-task, possess a sense of humor, are able to channel your inner psychologist and describe every item on the menu and determine if it's safe for pregnant women, gluten free, sugar free or any other "fill in the blank free" that is the current culinary/dietary fad of the moment. Honestly, I'm sure my point of view isn't necessarily popular from a service standpoint, but honestly, why is my job as a server to know all of these things. I'm not pregnant and I eat everything. You should own your own dietary restrictions.
Then on top of that, you need to be able to explain why your restaurant is not modeled after the Cheesecake Factory where "having it your way" is like a visit to "culinary purgatory." It's neither great food nor bad food, it's just about choices (about 10 pages as I recall) and volume. That's what the average American wants, variation and volume. I think somewhere in the shuffle, simple, clean, fresh food has been dealt a bad hand.
I've talked about how people get down right offended that we don't have a kid's menu or french fries or root beer or Budweiser or blah blah blah, but this month I am speaking on controlling the position of the sun. If I hear one more person ask me if we could move their table out of the sun, put their table in the sun, provide part shade and part sun, and while I'm at it, align the stars or cross the Moon with Mars, I think I shall fall over in frustration.
When you ask a customer if they want inside or outside, almost always they say outside followed by (If it's a foggy day) "Don't you have anything in the sun?" Or my favorite (if it's a sunny day in SF which we cherish by the way) "Don't you have anything in the shade." It's like no one is ever happy with how things are and easy going. I mean, I don't go out to Half Moon Bay with anything less than 4 layers of clothing and a blanket because I know want to eat outside and there may be any number of weather conditions from sun to no sun.
Special requests come from our "special" customers all the time beyond just trying to key in the position of the sun for them.
At least no one asked me for a "steak knife" though.
Oh yes, a customer asked for a "steak knife" one evening.
The server said "I'm sorry, we don't have "steak knives."
"What do you mean you don't have a steak knife?"
"Mam what is it that you need a "steak knife" for?"
"I need to cut my sandwich (she had a crab melt sandwich). I never touch my food with my hands."
"Oh......"
"Would you like me to cut it into small bite size pieces for you in the kitchen?"
"Yes please......."
That was a first.
One early evening late afternoon a few weeks ago, I served 4 crab cakes to 4 different people. All but 1 loved it and became new members of our ever growing "clean plate club."
There was one "special" customer that said she wanted another glass of wine to which I responded and said "Sure, I'll get that for you. How's the crab cake?"
"Well to be honest......." This response is so difficult to hear because 70% of the time it will be followed by a complaint of some kind. Of course, it was and then she said, "You know all day long I have waited for this crab cake and I am sooooo disappointed. I mean it's chewy, rubbery, and dry. I can't believe it........... pause...........I mean, really I am just soooo upset."
I thought to myself, wow, I hope this is your biggest disappointment in life, because I don't think you could handle anything bigger.
"Well, that's strange I said because it's one of our most popular dishes and I served the same cake to 3 other tables and they all loved theirs." I'm sure I shouldn't have said that because I'm sure it put her on the defense.
"What would you like me to do? I could order another one, but I can guarantee it will be the same as this one so I think you should choose something else from our menu."
"Well, I'll just eat it but I just wish they would have cooked it properly. I mean I waited all day for this and on and on and on she went followed by "You know I never send food back (The people that send food back all the time, they always say that FYI)."
Followed by "I don't like a thing on the menu other than this crab cake and it's been ruined."
Then she started on another rant about her disappointment around the crab cake. It was like a broken record, that would not stop repeating the same lyric over and over and over again. I thought I was in the twilight zone. You know that feeling where you think is anybody else hearing this person the way I am? Or is it just me?
So I said, "Mam, I really find it hard to believe that you can't find another thing on our menu that you would like. I understand that you are disappointed with the crab cake, but we need to move on from that now and get you something that you like."
After a minute or so, she ordered a small crab louie salad.
I said, "Perfect. It will be up shortly." So I removed the source of her disappointment, the crab cake, and came back in 2 minutes to her with the salad. I said, "Enjoy!"
I returned a couple minutes later and passed her by to notice she had this look on her face like her best friend had just died. I came back and said, "Mam, how's the salad."
She said, "Well I tried to catch you before you placed the order, because I really wanted the crab tower. This is disgusting and I couldn't possibly eat this."
I said, "Mam, we sell 100's of this salad every week. It's not disgusting and I have yet to encounter one person who doesn't love it. Why don't you just try it?"
"No it's disgusting and what's that dressing supposed to be I mean it looks like Thousand Island, I can't eat that."
"It's Louie dressing Mam it's not as sweet as Thousand Island, but though it looks like Thousand Island, it's not. It's the traditional dressing served with this fish salad."
"I'm not going to eat it she said I just want a crab tower."
At this point, I just couldn't get her out of my tiny little world fast enough it was like she was just trying to torture me.
So I said, "Mam, I'm not going to prepare yet another dish for you. I'm going to buy your two glasses of wine for you. You should relax and finish your wine and choose to eat at any of the multitude of restaurants within the Ferry Building because I don't feel confident that we will be able to satisfy your taste."
So I picked up the salad, returned it to the kitchen and left her sulking like a 4 year old in front of her wine glass.
But wait there's more. Then, after all this drama, she get's up and walks away towards the Golden Gate Meat counter and takes our wine glass. I sent a busser after her and when she saw him, she took off running in the hall of the Ferry Building. I just died..... About an hour later she comes back, looks me square in the eye and says, "here's your glass back." I guess she needed to have the last word.
Sometimes people order things and then they just try to say there is something wrong with it before they even touch it.
A gentleman came in last week for dinner and our owner was talking to him about one of our specials, the albacore tuna sashimi which was sooooo yummy. I was telling people to order it as well because it's rare that we get that fish in and when we do, it just melts in your mouth.
He ordered the sashimi and when it arrived, he said, “I don’t eat raw fish.” The owner said, “The definition of Sashimi is raw fish,” and she removed it from him.
Then he ordered halibut which we always tell customers is baked in the oven, with a little salt and pepper and served with whatever the daily vegetable is a scoop of Japanese brown rice and a sliced orange or nectarine or seasonal vegetable. Simple clean fresh fish.
Then the Halibut arrives and he says, "That's not a fillet, it's frozen." So she got really offended especially since she brought it in just this morning and they were talking back and forth and she said "please leave." Everyone around him was astonished at the entire altercation.
Trust me, we get all kinds. Of course that piece of halibut went back to the kitchen and we ate it and it was soooo good!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Bud Light, a National Obsession?
They must put something in Bud light…………
Because seriously people that drink Bud light take no substitutes. They are hardcore brand loyalists. I can’t think of any other beer that people literally can’t comprehend our restaurant doesn’t serve other than Bud light.
I mean no one looks down and says, “What do you mean you don’t have Pilsner?”
I wish people would think before they speak. I had a customer tell us that “we shouldn’t prepare our clams the way we do because that’s not how they have ever had them.” And my all time favorite, “Can’t you just do them like everybody else and not with ginger and soy? That’s ‘weird’.” I mean if we were talking about a clothing store for example, this is the person that would say, blue t-shirts are correct and black t-shirts are wrong and “weird.” So everyone should wear blue t-shirts. I just don’t think they get how ignorant they sound, but perhaps using the retail analogy, I could get them to understand.
I don’t think anyone means to be rude. Sometimes, they are starving and are short because they haven’t eaten in a while. Some people just move through the world in a direct, short and sweet way. In other words, “Why exchange pleasantries? I need to get back to work.” However, others still just act like they were raised in the wild by wolves and usually this customer carries with them an attitude and can’t possibly understand why anyone would do anything differently than the way they do it at home.
I shall now go into my case study of these types of customers:
The Bud Light Devotee
“Do you have Bud light?”
“No Sir, but we have Amstel light in a bottle or Sapporo. Sapporo is my favorite though; light beer with flavor.”
“Is that the only beer you have then on tap?”
“No Bud light then huh?”
“Do you know where I can get a Bud light?”
“In the Ferry Building? No Sir, I don’t. But good luck to you and enjoy the game.” (Giants were playing that night.)
I don’t think that any other beer drinker on the planet is that devoted. Now personally, I don’t indulge in Bud light, but seriously, these people will not drink beer unless it’s a Bud light. Nice job Budweiser!
The “I Only Eat What I Eat at Home” Customer
A group of 4 ladies came in on a Saturday a few weeks ago. I don’t know where they were from, but the first thing that they said after they scored in my opinion, the best table outside, was do we have fried prawns?
I said “No we don’t have anything fried in our restaurant actually.” I always say this with pride, because we try to be really tasty and super healthy; thanks to our owner.
“But we do have a crab cake that you would think was fried unless I told you it wasn’t.”
“The only seafood I like is fried prawns,” the woman said.
“Really? Wow, there is so much great seafood out there that’s unfortunate. Why don’t I get you some drinks while you ponder the menu?”
Another woman who was clearly just trying to get through the day said, “Yes, let’s get some drinks….. I’ll have a Sapporo, make that 2 said the other woman.”
It was clear at this point that it had been a trying day and that it was going to be a trying lunch, to say the least.
I brought back the drinks and the table ordered the following items:
The I-Only-Eat-Prawns Lady decided, with a whole discussion of multiple choices between the two of us, to go with a Prawn Caesar Salad. The Matriarch of the family ordered 6 oysters on the half shell and the other two women order sandwiches, as I recall.
I delivered all the food and to my surprise, everyone was happy except The Matriarch. She turned to me and said, “Aren’t you going to cook these oysters? They’re raw.”
I said, “No Ma’am, we don’t cook our oysters. That’s what ‘on the half shell’ means; raw.”
“Well, I’m not going to eat these” she said and quickly moved them into the air above the table wherein the two beer drinking women grabbed them quickly and said “Oh, um… We will.”
I said, “Something else for you then, Ma’am?”
From there we went into a 3 minute discussion about everything on the menu, and I think she finally settled on a crab sandwich.
At the end of the meal, the Prawn Caesar Eater said, “That was a really good salad” and she really enjoyed it. I was so elated that I changed her mind and now, she had 2 whole items in her repertoire of seafood, Fried Prawns and our very own Roasted Prawn Caesar.
But wait… Just when I thought we were best friends, she asked me for a “To Go Box.” I always tell folks, don’t go wandering about for hours because it’s seafood and therefore very perishable.”
She said, “What do you mean seafood? I ate all the roasted prawns already.”
I said “Well, there’s Anchovies in the dressing so I don’t want you wandering about too long.”
She turned to me and said, “You know I really liked that salad and now you’ve ruined it for me. I wish you hadn’t told me that.”
I said, “What? Told you what?”
“That there are Anchovies in the dressing. I don’t eat Anchovies and I’ll never touch the leftovers now so forget the box. We’ll just take our check.”
I was… well, stunned to say the least. I don’t have to tell you how alarming it is that, based on the principle that she doesn’t like any other seafood; and apparently especially not Anchovies, she won’t eat the rest of her salad because she knows there are Anchovies in the dressing. It’s like talking to a 5 year old, really.
My final case study is the I Don’t Need a Menu Because I Know Exactly What I Want Customer
This is the customer that sits down and says this to you before you can get even a greeting out to them or ask them if they want something to drink.
I made the unfortunate mistake thinking that this woman, who was from Colorado, knew what Smoked Salmon was. I mean, common, there is water in Colorado, which means there is fish in the state and I’m sure that smoked salmon gets imported there right? I don’t know, maybe I am the clueless one.
So she orders a cup of white Clam Chowder and a half of a Smoked Salmon sandwich and water.
The salmon sandwich arrives and literally, her life’s blood drains from her face and her inner 5 year old comes out and she carefully, peels back the rye bread only to look at the smoked lox style salmon and say, “What is that?”
I said, “It’s your smoked salmon sandwich Ma’am.”
“I thought it was going to be grilled, can you cook it for me?”
“Um… Cook your Smoked Salmon, Ma’am?’
“Yes, cook it.”
“Unfortunately, no Ma’am, I can’t. That would be… Unusual and it would probably stick to the pan, Ma’am.”
“Have you ever had Smoked Salmon before?”
“No, not like this.” (She still didn’t get it).
“Well, you should try it. It’s very popular and though it’s technically raw, it is still smoked; so it is not like Sushi, if that’s what you are concerned about. Why don’t you try it? After all, that’s what the whole Ferry Building is about, trying new things.”
“Alright”, she said with grave hesitation.
I checked back with her and she had eaten it. Once again, I thought, “Wow, another new experience and she actually liked it.” Nope… She hated it and left me the payment and whispered in my ear, “I don’t like raw… salmon.”
“Alrighty then”, I thought as I added on her tip into the computer and waited desperately for the day to be over.
I just wish so desperately that people would be more open minded, patient and, ultimately, have a sense of humor about new food, experiences and ideas. Unfortunately, these days I feel as though we could be in danger of sliding backward in our development. ‘Til next time.
Because seriously people that drink Bud light take no substitutes. They are hardcore brand loyalists. I can’t think of any other beer that people literally can’t comprehend our restaurant doesn’t serve other than Bud light.
I mean no one looks down and says, “What do you mean you don’t have Pilsner?”
I wish people would think before they speak. I had a customer tell us that “we shouldn’t prepare our clams the way we do because that’s not how they have ever had them.” And my all time favorite, “Can’t you just do them like everybody else and not with ginger and soy? That’s ‘weird’.” I mean if we were talking about a clothing store for example, this is the person that would say, blue t-shirts are correct and black t-shirts are wrong and “weird.” So everyone should wear blue t-shirts. I just don’t think they get how ignorant they sound, but perhaps using the retail analogy, I could get them to understand.
I don’t think anyone means to be rude. Sometimes, they are starving and are short because they haven’t eaten in a while. Some people just move through the world in a direct, short and sweet way. In other words, “Why exchange pleasantries? I need to get back to work.” However, others still just act like they were raised in the wild by wolves and usually this customer carries with them an attitude and can’t possibly understand why anyone would do anything differently than the way they do it at home.
I shall now go into my case study of these types of customers:
The Bud Light Devotee
“Do you have Bud light?”
“No Sir, but we have Amstel light in a bottle or Sapporo. Sapporo is my favorite though; light beer with flavor.”
“Is that the only beer you have then on tap?”
“No Bud light then huh?”
“Do you know where I can get a Bud light?”
“In the Ferry Building? No Sir, I don’t. But good luck to you and enjoy the game.” (Giants were playing that night.)
I don’t think that any other beer drinker on the planet is that devoted. Now personally, I don’t indulge in Bud light, but seriously, these people will not drink beer unless it’s a Bud light. Nice job Budweiser!
The “I Only Eat What I Eat at Home” Customer
A group of 4 ladies came in on a Saturday a few weeks ago. I don’t know where they were from, but the first thing that they said after they scored in my opinion, the best table outside, was do we have fried prawns?
I said “No we don’t have anything fried in our restaurant actually.” I always say this with pride, because we try to be really tasty and super healthy; thanks to our owner.
“But we do have a crab cake that you would think was fried unless I told you it wasn’t.”
“The only seafood I like is fried prawns,” the woman said.
“Really? Wow, there is so much great seafood out there that’s unfortunate. Why don’t I get you some drinks while you ponder the menu?”
Another woman who was clearly just trying to get through the day said, “Yes, let’s get some drinks….. I’ll have a Sapporo, make that 2 said the other woman.”
It was clear at this point that it had been a trying day and that it was going to be a trying lunch, to say the least.
I brought back the drinks and the table ordered the following items:
The I-Only-Eat-Prawns Lady decided, with a whole discussion of multiple choices between the two of us, to go with a Prawn Caesar Salad. The Matriarch of the family ordered 6 oysters on the half shell and the other two women order sandwiches, as I recall.
I delivered all the food and to my surprise, everyone was happy except The Matriarch. She turned to me and said, “Aren’t you going to cook these oysters? They’re raw.”
I said, “No Ma’am, we don’t cook our oysters. That’s what ‘on the half shell’ means; raw.”
“Well, I’m not going to eat these” she said and quickly moved them into the air above the table wherein the two beer drinking women grabbed them quickly and said “Oh, um… We will.”
I said, “Something else for you then, Ma’am?”
From there we went into a 3 minute discussion about everything on the menu, and I think she finally settled on a crab sandwich.
At the end of the meal, the Prawn Caesar Eater said, “That was a really good salad” and she really enjoyed it. I was so elated that I changed her mind and now, she had 2 whole items in her repertoire of seafood, Fried Prawns and our very own Roasted Prawn Caesar.
But wait… Just when I thought we were best friends, she asked me for a “To Go Box.” I always tell folks, don’t go wandering about for hours because it’s seafood and therefore very perishable.”
She said, “What do you mean seafood? I ate all the roasted prawns already.”
I said “Well, there’s Anchovies in the dressing so I don’t want you wandering about too long.”
She turned to me and said, “You know I really liked that salad and now you’ve ruined it for me. I wish you hadn’t told me that.”
I said, “What? Told you what?”
“That there are Anchovies in the dressing. I don’t eat Anchovies and I’ll never touch the leftovers now so forget the box. We’ll just take our check.”
I was… well, stunned to say the least. I don’t have to tell you how alarming it is that, based on the principle that she doesn’t like any other seafood; and apparently especially not Anchovies, she won’t eat the rest of her salad because she knows there are Anchovies in the dressing. It’s like talking to a 5 year old, really.
My final case study is the I Don’t Need a Menu Because I Know Exactly What I Want Customer
This is the customer that sits down and says this to you before you can get even a greeting out to them or ask them if they want something to drink.
I made the unfortunate mistake thinking that this woman, who was from Colorado, knew what Smoked Salmon was. I mean, common, there is water in Colorado, which means there is fish in the state and I’m sure that smoked salmon gets imported there right? I don’t know, maybe I am the clueless one.
So she orders a cup of white Clam Chowder and a half of a Smoked Salmon sandwich and water.
The salmon sandwich arrives and literally, her life’s blood drains from her face and her inner 5 year old comes out and she carefully, peels back the rye bread only to look at the smoked lox style salmon and say, “What is that?”
I said, “It’s your smoked salmon sandwich Ma’am.”
“I thought it was going to be grilled, can you cook it for me?”
“Um… Cook your Smoked Salmon, Ma’am?’
“Yes, cook it.”
“Unfortunately, no Ma’am, I can’t. That would be… Unusual and it would probably stick to the pan, Ma’am.”
“Have you ever had Smoked Salmon before?”
“No, not like this.” (She still didn’t get it).
“Well, you should try it. It’s very popular and though it’s technically raw, it is still smoked; so it is not like Sushi, if that’s what you are concerned about. Why don’t you try it? After all, that’s what the whole Ferry Building is about, trying new things.”
“Alright”, she said with grave hesitation.
I checked back with her and she had eaten it. Once again, I thought, “Wow, another new experience and she actually liked it.” Nope… She hated it and left me the payment and whispered in my ear, “I don’t like raw… salmon.”
“Alrighty then”, I thought as I added on her tip into the computer and waited desperately for the day to be over.
I just wish so desperately that people would be more open minded, patient and, ultimately, have a sense of humor about new food, experiences and ideas. Unfortunately, these days I feel as though we could be in danger of sliding backward in our development. ‘Til next time.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Congratulations Chef Michael Tusk
We are so happy to show our support to Quince's Chef Michael Tusk Wins James Beard Award for Best Chef Pacific.
Don't forget to check out his other restaurant Cotogna for a more casual experience.
Don't forget to check out his other restaurant Cotogna for a more casual experience.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Why Don't People Read Signs Anymore?
I don’t know when it happened, but at some point folks stopped reading signage. Maybe it’s just that they choose to ignore the signage or perhaps they think they are special and that the signage doesn’t apply to them. It happens all the time. I always say part of my job as a server is to study human behavior. I talked with some women the other day and I realized that not only is it a study in human behavior, but there is something about food that brings out the best and the worst in people.
In any case, I noticed the other day that people don’t read the signs that are posted. I was looking for ways to improve our signage, but then I realized it’s not exclusive to the signage in our restaurant. I’ve seen people at Blue Bottle’s counter enjoying a whole meal not from Blue Bottle right next to the sign that reads “these seats are for Blue Bottle customers only.” The thing that get’s me is that the people that do that, ignore the fact that they are taking seats away from their customers, but I guess it’s obvious that they feel entitled to sit there anyway. I really wish that people could put themselves in other people’s shoes and imagine if they owned a little coffee place that they paid additional dollars per square foot to provide seating for their customers would they still sit inappropriately?
There are many rhetorical questions that could be avoided as well. This phenomenon is something odd. People will read a sign that says, “please wait to be seated” or more simply, “closed.” After they read the sign they come up and ask “is someone going to seat us outside?” or my personal favorite, “Are you closed?” Why do people do that?
The conversation usually goes like this:
“Is someone going to seat us outside?”
“Yes, if you just wait by the sign that says ‘please wait to be seated,’ someone will be with you in a moment.”
Oh, well there’s no one seating us…
Well, if you wait by the sign, someone will be with you as soon as they have a free moment.
So, we should just wait by the sign?
Yes, just wait by the sign. ………….
Half way through this conversation, I swear, I just want to shoot myself.
The other conversation usually goes like this:
Are you closed? (They always ask this right in front of the Closed sign)
Yes.
Oh, so you aren’t serving anymore?.......
No.
Oh. Not even a drink?
No.
Why do you close so early?
Then I go into why we close at the time we close……
Seriously, are we really having this conversation?
These rhetorical conversations happen constantly. Here’s another one we get all the time:
The menu says, oysters on a half shell. So people ask us are you oysters served raw?
“Yes.” (In my mind however, I’m thinking, that’s what on the half shell means)
OR
“I read on the menu that you charge for bread. Are you really going to charge us 50 cents for bread?”
“Yes, would you like some?”
“No, not at 50 cents per bread.”
Oh, yes and the other response is, “well, what does the bread look like?”
“Oh it’s a roll.”
“Yes. Would you like some?”
Sometimes it’s a “yes” after they examine how much 50 cent bread is worth and sometimes it’s a no “thank you.”
Oh yes, the other question I get around bread is as follows:
“I’d like the Salmon (for example)”
Followed by, “Now does that come with bread?”
“No, you have to order bread. Would you like some?” Then the conversation continues often as I shared above.
I know we get criticism for being “snarky,” “condescending” and or “deliberately trying to make people feel stupid.” The thing is, we don’t make up stories, but we do share with you what we are really thinking and most of all we do it with a sense of humor. I really hope that through our BLOG, people can learn to be a little more aware, a little less self absorbed and most importantly, that they can laugh about how silly we can all be. I guess it’s a good thing that the woman who just sent us a criticism using the above sorted adjectives, regarding our FAQ, didn’t read our BLOG, she would have really gone bonkers.
You know what they say: love to hate us or hate to love us, at least you are talking about us so I guess that means our opinions are still, well, relevant.
Till next time………EAT MORE FISH!
In any case, I noticed the other day that people don’t read the signs that are posted. I was looking for ways to improve our signage, but then I realized it’s not exclusive to the signage in our restaurant. I’ve seen people at Blue Bottle’s counter enjoying a whole meal not from Blue Bottle right next to the sign that reads “these seats are for Blue Bottle customers only.” The thing that get’s me is that the people that do that, ignore the fact that they are taking seats away from their customers, but I guess it’s obvious that they feel entitled to sit there anyway. I really wish that people could put themselves in other people’s shoes and imagine if they owned a little coffee place that they paid additional dollars per square foot to provide seating for their customers would they still sit inappropriately?
There are many rhetorical questions that could be avoided as well. This phenomenon is something odd. People will read a sign that says, “please wait to be seated” or more simply, “closed.” After they read the sign they come up and ask “is someone going to seat us outside?” or my personal favorite, “Are you closed?” Why do people do that?
The conversation usually goes like this:
“Is someone going to seat us outside?”
“Yes, if you just wait by the sign that says ‘please wait to be seated,’ someone will be with you in a moment.”
Oh, well there’s no one seating us…
Well, if you wait by the sign, someone will be with you as soon as they have a free moment.
So, we should just wait by the sign?
Yes, just wait by the sign. ………….
Half way through this conversation, I swear, I just want to shoot myself.
The other conversation usually goes like this:
Are you closed? (They always ask this right in front of the Closed sign)
Yes.
Oh, so you aren’t serving anymore?.......
No.
Oh. Not even a drink?
No.
Why do you close so early?
Then I go into why we close at the time we close……
Seriously, are we really having this conversation?
These rhetorical conversations happen constantly. Here’s another one we get all the time:
The menu says, oysters on a half shell. So people ask us are you oysters served raw?
“Yes.” (In my mind however, I’m thinking, that’s what on the half shell means)
OR
“I read on the menu that you charge for bread. Are you really going to charge us 50 cents for bread?”
“Yes, would you like some?”
“No, not at 50 cents per bread.”
Oh, yes and the other response is, “well, what does the bread look like?”
“Oh it’s a roll.”
“Yes. Would you like some?”
Sometimes it’s a “yes” after they examine how much 50 cent bread is worth and sometimes it’s a no “thank you.”
Oh yes, the other question I get around bread is as follows:
“I’d like the Salmon (for example)”
Followed by, “Now does that come with bread?”
“No, you have to order bread. Would you like some?” Then the conversation continues often as I shared above.
I know we get criticism for being “snarky,” “condescending” and or “deliberately trying to make people feel stupid.” The thing is, we don’t make up stories, but we do share with you what we are really thinking and most of all we do it with a sense of humor. I really hope that through our BLOG, people can learn to be a little more aware, a little less self absorbed and most importantly, that they can laugh about how silly we can all be. I guess it’s a good thing that the woman who just sent us a criticism using the above sorted adjectives, regarding our FAQ, didn’t read our BLOG, she would have really gone bonkers.
You know what they say: love to hate us or hate to love us, at least you are talking about us so I guess that means our opinions are still, well, relevant.
Till next time………EAT MORE FISH!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tacky Ain’t Pretty and Other Stories of Customers Behaving Badly
I am truly amazed at human behavior: I think I’ve talked before about how being a server in a restaurant is not only serving food and drinks, there’s somehow more to it. It’s really a study in human behavior.
I have developed a sixth sense for cheap people, angry people, fun people, contrived foodies, real foodies and on and on. This sense helps me and many of my fellow servers stream line our approach to customers. Sometimes however, I still miss things that people do and find myself rolling my eyes and thinking, wow, not only would I never do “that,” it wouldn’t even occur to me to think about doing “that.”
For example, if someone orders a beer and in the middle of pouring it, the keg empties, I drop off the 2/3rds full beer and tell them it will be few minutes until we change our keg out, but please start on this and I will come back and top you off. That way, they don’t have to wait at all for the beer. Until this past Saturday, no one has ever taken this opportunity to “slam” the beer back so that when I return to “top it off,” it’s empty. Essentially the guy got his first 2/3rds of a beer for free. I came back and was thinking, Wow, you are so tacky! The funny part was after about 45 minutes, his companion said “is that your first beer still?” I didn’t pause to hear the answer, I just thought TACKY!
Another thing people like to do is, when you drop off a tea caddy, people will take two or 3 or 4 bags out of the tea caddy and put them in their personal belongings so that later, I guess at home, they can have a free cup of tea. I never thought of even doing that. Plus guess what folks the restaurant buys everything you are using. So just to clarify, that’s called stealing! Here’s how the social rule works, one tea bag per cup while you are in the restaurant, and no not one for later or for home or another restaurant where you are going to just ask for hot water. TACKY!
Did someone send out a memo that when you’re eating out, it’s no longer necessary to put your napkin in your lap like a proper person? Lately there has been a steam of patrons that unroll the cloth napkin with the silverware in it (we call it a rollup), simply pull out their fork and leave the napkin half unrolled with the rest of the silverware still in it on the table. Then they leave that in the center of the placemat, often at a diagonal, so when someone like me comes to drop off the food, I can’t put it down. To top it off, typically, I have to put all the plates down that I am carrying, move the rollup out of the way (no they don’t always move it for me to the side), then deliver the plate. So is this a big deal no, but here’s the part that kills me: Let’s say at a table of 4 people, 4 bread plates, 4 bread, butter, 4 water glasses, 4 wine or beer glasses, dressing, 4 main course plates, shell bowl and well, yes, and the rollup all precariously balanced on the table, you would think just for practicalities sake they would put that roll up on their lap, but no no, they leave it. TACKY!
Sometimes, rarely, I just can’t hold back and when my sixth sense goes on overload, I have to just let it rip! I do this so that as servers we will survive the service and as patrons, you can enjoy your meal in peace. Saturday a couple came in and sat down. We always ask that patrons don’t sit with a chair empty between them unless it’s slow because especially on Saturdays, it maximizes our seating capacity and when it’s raining as it was this past Saturday, there are people waiting for seats inside for quite while and well they are hungry! We did have to ask the woman to move down, but unfortunately the woman was really annoyed. My fellow server asked what they wanted to drink and they had a beer and an Arnold Palmer. Then the woman asked if we had any King Crab legs. He said no, but we have whole fresh Dungeness Crab or we have Dungeness Crab leg in both the Fish Stew and in the Cioppino. Unfortunately we didn’t have what she wanted so he asked for a few more minutes. (As a side note, the servers all work as one big team because as the restaurant is set up, it’s very difficult to divide it up into sections.) I came by and saw they were looking at the menu and asked if they were ready to order when the gentleman said “no, please just give us a few more minutes.” “OK,” I said.
I went through to the dish room where there’s a window and I turned around after dropping off some dishes and said to the server that they first talked to, “they aren’t happy, and she looks really cranky.” That’s when he told me about the King Crab Leg story. I said Oh, OK. I came back a few minutes later and she said “I’ll have the Cesar Salad.” I said “great!” Then she said, “does it have anchovies?” I said “Yes they are pureed in the dressing.” She said “Oh…… no, never mind, I’ll have a crab cocktail.” Then the gentleman said, “no, you know what, can you just give us a few minutes.” I said, “sure…..”
So another few minutes passed by and I said “listen you two seem like you are not finding what you want to eat. Please, don’t feel as though you have to stay and pick something you won’t be happy with. Why don’t you go out to the main hall, discuss amongst yourselves what you really want to do with no pressure, and if you come back we’d love to have you, but if not, that’s OK too and I’ll buy your drinks for you.” To this, the woman responded, “Well! Now I really don’t want to eat here!” and they left. The people next to them were laughing and laughing and we filled the seats in less than 2 minutes.
I know, I know, perhaps, I should have let them stay, but trust me, my sixth sense tells me, that they would have sent back something and it would have cost us a lot more than a beer and an Arnold Palmer. Plus, we would have had to deal with their odd interpersonal issues the whole time. Anyways, please dear reader, don’t be tacky in public it’s not attractive.
I have developed a sixth sense for cheap people, angry people, fun people, contrived foodies, real foodies and on and on. This sense helps me and many of my fellow servers stream line our approach to customers. Sometimes however, I still miss things that people do and find myself rolling my eyes and thinking, wow, not only would I never do “that,” it wouldn’t even occur to me to think about doing “that.”
For example, if someone orders a beer and in the middle of pouring it, the keg empties, I drop off the 2/3rds full beer and tell them it will be few minutes until we change our keg out, but please start on this and I will come back and top you off. That way, they don’t have to wait at all for the beer. Until this past Saturday, no one has ever taken this opportunity to “slam” the beer back so that when I return to “top it off,” it’s empty. Essentially the guy got his first 2/3rds of a beer for free. I came back and was thinking, Wow, you are so tacky! The funny part was after about 45 minutes, his companion said “is that your first beer still?” I didn’t pause to hear the answer, I just thought TACKY!
Another thing people like to do is, when you drop off a tea caddy, people will take two or 3 or 4 bags out of the tea caddy and put them in their personal belongings so that later, I guess at home, they can have a free cup of tea. I never thought of even doing that. Plus guess what folks the restaurant buys everything you are using. So just to clarify, that’s called stealing! Here’s how the social rule works, one tea bag per cup while you are in the restaurant, and no not one for later or for home or another restaurant where you are going to just ask for hot water. TACKY!
Did someone send out a memo that when you’re eating out, it’s no longer necessary to put your napkin in your lap like a proper person? Lately there has been a steam of patrons that unroll the cloth napkin with the silverware in it (we call it a rollup), simply pull out their fork and leave the napkin half unrolled with the rest of the silverware still in it on the table. Then they leave that in the center of the placemat, often at a diagonal, so when someone like me comes to drop off the food, I can’t put it down. To top it off, typically, I have to put all the plates down that I am carrying, move the rollup out of the way (no they don’t always move it for me to the side), then deliver the plate. So is this a big deal no, but here’s the part that kills me: Let’s say at a table of 4 people, 4 bread plates, 4 bread, butter, 4 water glasses, 4 wine or beer glasses, dressing, 4 main course plates, shell bowl and well, yes, and the rollup all precariously balanced on the table, you would think just for practicalities sake they would put that roll up on their lap, but no no, they leave it. TACKY!
Sometimes, rarely, I just can’t hold back and when my sixth sense goes on overload, I have to just let it rip! I do this so that as servers we will survive the service and as patrons, you can enjoy your meal in peace. Saturday a couple came in and sat down. We always ask that patrons don’t sit with a chair empty between them unless it’s slow because especially on Saturdays, it maximizes our seating capacity and when it’s raining as it was this past Saturday, there are people waiting for seats inside for quite while and well they are hungry! We did have to ask the woman to move down, but unfortunately the woman was really annoyed. My fellow server asked what they wanted to drink and they had a beer and an Arnold Palmer. Then the woman asked if we had any King Crab legs. He said no, but we have whole fresh Dungeness Crab or we have Dungeness Crab leg in both the Fish Stew and in the Cioppino. Unfortunately we didn’t have what she wanted so he asked for a few more minutes. (As a side note, the servers all work as one big team because as the restaurant is set up, it’s very difficult to divide it up into sections.) I came by and saw they were looking at the menu and asked if they were ready to order when the gentleman said “no, please just give us a few more minutes.” “OK,” I said.
I went through to the dish room where there’s a window and I turned around after dropping off some dishes and said to the server that they first talked to, “they aren’t happy, and she looks really cranky.” That’s when he told me about the King Crab Leg story. I said Oh, OK. I came back a few minutes later and she said “I’ll have the Cesar Salad.” I said “great!” Then she said, “does it have anchovies?” I said “Yes they are pureed in the dressing.” She said “Oh…… no, never mind, I’ll have a crab cocktail.” Then the gentleman said, “no, you know what, can you just give us a few minutes.” I said, “sure…..”
So another few minutes passed by and I said “listen you two seem like you are not finding what you want to eat. Please, don’t feel as though you have to stay and pick something you won’t be happy with. Why don’t you go out to the main hall, discuss amongst yourselves what you really want to do with no pressure, and if you come back we’d love to have you, but if not, that’s OK too and I’ll buy your drinks for you.” To this, the woman responded, “Well! Now I really don’t want to eat here!” and they left. The people next to them were laughing and laughing and we filled the seats in less than 2 minutes.
I know, I know, perhaps, I should have let them stay, but trust me, my sixth sense tells me, that they would have sent back something and it would have cost us a lot more than a beer and an Arnold Palmer. Plus, we would have had to deal with their odd interpersonal issues the whole time. Anyways, please dear reader, don’t be tacky in public it’s not attractive.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Give Me a Break!
So did you know that the Caesar salad isn't Italian at all?
A few weeks ago we had a customer ask for an”Italian style Caesar salad.” Well, in doing some research I learned that the beloved, sometimes bastardized version of the salad was actually first made in Mexico. Yes, Tijuana, Mexico but, the salad was created by an Italian -born Mexican, Caesar Cardini (which is probably why there is the Italian association). The salad was born out necessity when according to Wikipedia, "His daughter Rosa recounted that her father invented the dish when a Fourth of July 1924 rush depleted the kitchen's supplies. Cardini made do with what he had adding the dramatic flair of the table side tossing."
Interestingly, the original recipe does not include anchovies or parmesan cheese.....
Chilled romaine lettuce, croutons, lemon juice, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper.
Well the month wouldn’t be complete unless I told at least one customer encounter story.
Two women came in for a snack a few weeks ago. The first part of the conversation was about wine tasting. For some reason, even though we have 2 different size pours of wine, a tasting size and a full glass, occasionally we have customer try to get us to give them “a taste.” In their mind, “a taste” is not the same as a “tasting.” Yes, I’m serious I have this conversation with people fairly often. This dialogue goes on for a minute or so and of course, they typically give in and have a tasting. After we got through this, the woman tasted her friend’s tasting, and decided she didn’t care for it so she got a full glass of something else from a different server. I asked how her wine was and she said “she thought the glass she was about to have would be better than the tasting.”
By this point you know I’m thinking oh lord here we go……..
Next question was, “what kind of oysters do you have today?” I said we have two from Washington State. Now I think sometimes I’ve seen it all, but literally, she leaned back in her chair, rolled her eyes toward the back of her head, and said “Oh.” I was so taken back, that I said, “I’m sorry is there something wrong with Washington State?” She said “No, no, I just, well, I don’t eat oysters from there.” I said “Oh, well that’s unfortunate, they are quite lovely and people have been enjoying them all day.” So off I went leaving her and her companion with a cup of soup and bread.
Oh, yes she loved the bread and soup….. I mean luuuved the bread and soup.
Later, our owner came by to check on them and she told me the woman asked if she could buy half of a crab cake. I started laughing……. Then our owner was laughing and then I was thinking to myself who does that? “I said what did you say?” She said, “I said, no so they ordered a shrimp quesadilla.”
Anyway, another day another dollar as they say, but I guess this is one of those John Stossel moments, who I think came up with the phrase, “Give me a Break!”
A few weeks ago we had a customer ask for an”Italian style Caesar salad.” Well, in doing some research I learned that the beloved, sometimes bastardized version of the salad was actually first made in Mexico. Yes, Tijuana, Mexico but, the salad was created by an Italian -born Mexican, Caesar Cardini (which is probably why there is the Italian association). The salad was born out necessity when according to Wikipedia, "His daughter Rosa recounted that her father invented the dish when a Fourth of July 1924 rush depleted the kitchen's supplies. Cardini made do with what he had adding the dramatic flair of the table side tossing."
Interestingly, the original recipe does not include anchovies or parmesan cheese.....
Chilled romaine lettuce, croutons, lemon juice, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper.
Well the month wouldn’t be complete unless I told at least one customer encounter story.
Two women came in for a snack a few weeks ago. The first part of the conversation was about wine tasting. For some reason, even though we have 2 different size pours of wine, a tasting size and a full glass, occasionally we have customer try to get us to give them “a taste.” In their mind, “a taste” is not the same as a “tasting.” Yes, I’m serious I have this conversation with people fairly often. This dialogue goes on for a minute or so and of course, they typically give in and have a tasting. After we got through this, the woman tasted her friend’s tasting, and decided she didn’t care for it so she got a full glass of something else from a different server. I asked how her wine was and she said “she thought the glass she was about to have would be better than the tasting.”
By this point you know I’m thinking oh lord here we go……..
Next question was, “what kind of oysters do you have today?” I said we have two from Washington State. Now I think sometimes I’ve seen it all, but literally, she leaned back in her chair, rolled her eyes toward the back of her head, and said “Oh.” I was so taken back, that I said, “I’m sorry is there something wrong with Washington State?” She said “No, no, I just, well, I don’t eat oysters from there.” I said “Oh, well that’s unfortunate, they are quite lovely and people have been enjoying them all day.” So off I went leaving her and her companion with a cup of soup and bread.
Oh, yes she loved the bread and soup….. I mean luuuved the bread and soup.
Later, our owner came by to check on them and she told me the woman asked if she could buy half of a crab cake. I started laughing……. Then our owner was laughing and then I was thinking to myself who does that? “I said what did you say?” She said, “I said, no so they ordered a shrimp quesadilla.”
Anyway, another day another dollar as they say, but I guess this is one of those John Stossel moments, who I think came up with the phrase, “Give me a Break!”
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Go Green!
Looking for the familiar is a typical American past time.
In our world at the Ferry Building, for the most part, there is a balance between the exotic and the local. We have a variety of folks that both live and work in San Francisco mixed with tourists literally from all over the nation and the world. In general, I’ve found that most of the American tourists have a very unusual, but predictable approach to food when they visit our restaurant and the Ferry Building. For example, while the average American tourist will not blink an eye at an exotic pairing of chocolate with bacon, salt, and caramel, God forbid they should try fish that is anything other than blackened, broiled, grilled or fried. It’s sort of like, they can’t wrap their brain around a restaurant that doesn’t have Bud or Coors, and yet they will pay extra for some kind of exotic beef they haven’t tried before.
This is on my mind lately, because so many people order a simple ½ a sandwich and a cup of soup. I feel like they are missing out on so many amazing, healthy dishes we offer. Maybe it’s because when it comes to ordering a whole meal, the fear that something may arrive at the table that is too exotic and therefore unrecognizable and of course therefore uneatable, is too much for them to handle. On the other hand there are customers that thrill me when they say, “What do you recommend?” Followed by, “why don’t you just put a few things together for us to try?” If people knew how much joy they bring me when they say those magic words, they would be really surprised. I can honestly say that over the years at our restaurant, I didn’t have one customer not care for a single dish I asked them to try that’s outside their comfort zone.
The next time you go out with friends or your family and your Uncle says, “They don’t have Bud.” You should say, “yes, but let’s see what they have that’s similar it’ll be fun to try something you haven’t had before.” Your Aunt says, “What do you mean they don’t serve Fish and Chips?” You should say, “yes, but I've heard they are know for their quality of freshness. You know what, have you ever had sautéed fresh calamari, you rarely see it on the menu. Why don’t you try that?” It’s all a matter of perception really. “Going Green” is such a buzz phrase right now, it’s so over used, but I am going to challenge folks as they get about town this next year, get your family to “Go Green.” Think of eating out as an adventure not as a meal you don’t have to cook tonight. Find something new and give it a try. How can we understand that buying a hybrid car or changing our building materials is exactly the same thing as trying new food, cooked in a simple way, with local fresh ingredients? It’s actually even easier and less expensive.
In our world at the Ferry Building, for the most part, there is a balance between the exotic and the local. We have a variety of folks that both live and work in San Francisco mixed with tourists literally from all over the nation and the world. In general, I’ve found that most of the American tourists have a very unusual, but predictable approach to food when they visit our restaurant and the Ferry Building. For example, while the average American tourist will not blink an eye at an exotic pairing of chocolate with bacon, salt, and caramel, God forbid they should try fish that is anything other than blackened, broiled, grilled or fried. It’s sort of like, they can’t wrap their brain around a restaurant that doesn’t have Bud or Coors, and yet they will pay extra for some kind of exotic beef they haven’t tried before.
This is on my mind lately, because so many people order a simple ½ a sandwich and a cup of soup. I feel like they are missing out on so many amazing, healthy dishes we offer. Maybe it’s because when it comes to ordering a whole meal, the fear that something may arrive at the table that is too exotic and therefore unrecognizable and of course therefore uneatable, is too much for them to handle. On the other hand there are customers that thrill me when they say, “What do you recommend?” Followed by, “why don’t you just put a few things together for us to try?” If people knew how much joy they bring me when they say those magic words, they would be really surprised. I can honestly say that over the years at our restaurant, I didn’t have one customer not care for a single dish I asked them to try that’s outside their comfort zone.
The next time you go out with friends or your family and your Uncle says, “They don’t have Bud.” You should say, “yes, but let’s see what they have that’s similar it’ll be fun to try something you haven’t had before.” Your Aunt says, “What do you mean they don’t serve Fish and Chips?” You should say, “yes, but I've heard they are know for their quality of freshness. You know what, have you ever had sautéed fresh calamari, you rarely see it on the menu. Why don’t you try that?” It’s all a matter of perception really. “Going Green” is such a buzz phrase right now, it’s so over used, but I am going to challenge folks as they get about town this next year, get your family to “Go Green.” Think of eating out as an adventure not as a meal you don’t have to cook tonight. Find something new and give it a try. How can we understand that buying a hybrid car or changing our building materials is exactly the same thing as trying new food, cooked in a simple way, with local fresh ingredients? It’s actually even easier and less expensive.
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