/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Skimping out on liquids.

Small coffee, small wine, small beer, and lack of attention to water levels.

Small menus. Lrn to cook more than 3 dishes, you no talent ass clowns.

>>5266396

I'd rather go somewhere that does 3 dishes really well than 50 dishes really terribly, but to each their own.

Servers checking on my table too much, or trying to be "friendly." Take our orders and leave. Refill drinks as needed. That's all you have to do.

>>5266400
Plenty of places do large menus very well. Stop thinking that ramsay ever knows what he's talking about, plz.

>>5266400

I'd rather argue with someone who can acknowledge a middle ground is possible instead of making up false dichotomies and insisting we choose between the two; fortunately for you though, I'm one of the former, so I realize even if you're too retarded to reach that standard I can expect a little more from you than a thoughtless shitpost like that.

Get it together chump.

>>5266400
I'd rather go to a place that serves 50 dishes really well.

Small menu to me spells trendy bullshit.
This small menu thing is a fad hammered home by tv chefs like ramsey.

The problem with large menus is that they end up using the same bases for everything so everything tastes more or less the same.

Yes, I agree with you 100% about having large menus that don't change. You bet your ass that 99% of their stuff comes in bags, canned, or frozen. Then again, I worked at a small plates restaurant where the menu was too big and while we prepared everything fresh, each dish sucked. It was a thrown together menu and each dish was inconsistent. Prep cooks could barely get anything done because the menu was so damn big.

When your menu changes too much, then you have an identity crisis. You need at least a couple solid dishes to keep people coming back/recommending the place.

Good servers are a rare thing. They are either over-attentive/too chatty while you're trying to eat or the ones who can't multi-task for shit and leave you without drinks or courses for 30 minutes.

Any restaurant that needs DJs/bands/dancers. You obviously wanted a night club, not a restaurant.

Bars that employ idiot bartenders and encourage them to do the least amount of work possible. If having a bar is where you make most of your money, for the love of god know how to make actual mixed drinks. Serving me a gin and sprite isn't a Tom Collins. It's a piece of shit drink I could have made at home. How hard is it to make simple syrup and have fresh fruit juice at your bar?

>>5266426
You won't find a restaurant that does this anyway. Typically the smaller a menu (to a certain point) creates higher quality.

>>5266369
A lot of restaurant have to cover all kinds of dishes though, which sucks. I'm all with you on the note that restaurants should have smaller menues to enable them to actually keep fresh foods - but from the restaurants view, people probably wont eat there as much if they can't choose EXACTLY what they want.

>>5266450
>You won't find a restaurant that does this anyway
Nah, just one on every block.
Small menus are a sure sign of a flash in the pan joint that cares more for current fads than actual good food.

>>5266369
>menu changes frequently
>ill order my favorite!
>sorry we don't have that anymore.


I slightly agree with some of your other points, and I do love variety... I would be sad if I couldn't order a favorite item, but I also like lots of new choices usually. like if the menu changed alot but I could still order my favorite even if it wasn't on the menu, and not get screwed with the price.

>>5266453
Yeah, but that's the kind of customer you don't want in your restaurant in the first place.

>>5266441
how do you know? assumption?

Basically your post OP.

I cannot remember how many Kitchen Nightmare episodes I've watched where Ramsay basically cut down the menu choices to a good page worth of simple, but powerful thematic dishes for the restaurant.

The pilot episode alone, of Dillons Lounge turned Purnima, had more things on the menu than qualified cooks in the kitchen. That's without their other problems.

For me another thing is efficient flow of service. If the various sections can't organize themselves or there's no leadership when shit gets backed up, patrons are going to be waiting forever for their food.

I'm there to eat, not to stay hungry.

>>5266453
No, restaurant owners don't HAVE to cover every single cuisine or dish known to people. I don't choose a restaurant because they have asian-fusion, nachos, and pizzas. I choose a restaurant because maybe it's a polish restaurant that has great housemade soups that are only offered on certain days. Maybe it's a Japanese restaurant that offers incredible high-quality fish. Maybe it's a Mexican restaurant that my Mexican friends said is the closest thing you'll get to authentic in the U.S.

Having a large menu means you are confused about your identity and you are trying too hard to please everyone instead of working on yourself.

>>5266471
I like to get what I want when I order something.

I suppose many restaurants out there offer certain things as is, the way they are. people pick one of those things and get it.

although this seems like no big deal, there are alot of moments where I have been in a restaurant and really wanted something slightly different than what was being offered, which would make the experience really good or really bad depending on if that change to the item could be made. I must say that I cook all my own food at home now, and I am happy with that.

My biggest problem is where the menu lists SOME of the things that go on the dish, but not all.

For example, I hate pickles, and almost every fucking sandwich at every restaurant ever puts a pickle somewhere on the plate.

Order a chicken sandwich with bacon and cheddar? Pickle wedge on the plate touching the bun making it soggy.

Order a corned beef sandwich with swiss? It comes out with a fucking pickle on the top of the fucking sandwich held in place with a toothpick, making the center of the bread soggy and taste like a pickle.

FUCK PICKLES.

Also I went to a sushi place in Hartsville, SC called Red Bowl. Their menu was a fucking disaster of discrepancies.

I ordered a roll to go for my wife and a roll for myself on my trip home. After waiting 20 minutes, they bring it out and the bag is hot. I wondered why the fuck my sushi was hot, so I opened the bag and the sushi was fried. I looked at the menu and it said nothing about being fried. It's not what she wanted, so I got her a different roll. My roll looked fine. I got home and hers was good, but mine had avocado in it. I don't like avocado. I looked at their to go menu they gave me, and it listed everything but avocado.

Seriously, fuck Red Bowl. Eat a fucking bucket of shit.

>>5266479
>I'm there to eat
>powerful thematic dishes

I don't give a fuck about how "powerful" the restaurant's "themes" are. It's a restaurant, not Literary Analysis 400.

>>5266486
>Pickle wedge on the plate touching the bun making it soggy.

>>5266487
I bet that retard is a big fan of chuck e cheese.

Lack of consistency.
>go to restaurant first time
>food is amazing!
>go second time
>food is okay
>go third time
>food is good, but not amazing
>go fourth time
>food is shit
>stop going

I'd rather eat at a place that is consistently meh than one that fluctuates in quality.

>>5266486
THIS!!!!!

>be 4 years old
>picky back then
>forced to go with parents to restaurant
>order pasta with tomato sauce from the kiddie section, most simple thing on the menu
>LE FANCY GARNISHED GREEN SPRINKLE OF GREEN LEAFY LE LE LE LE FANCY THINGS AND JUNK ALL OVER IT
>refuse to eat it, absolutely refused.

they really wanted me to eat it. made me mad.


I have a really important one:

>look at menu
>wait a moment, none of the prices are listed.
>uh... how much are these?
>how much is this?
>and this?
>and this?
>are you ready to order?
>no
>how much is this?

why do they hold back information? I wont order a bowl of pasta for 30$!!!

>>5266483
>I like to get what I want when I order something.

Then I recommend not eating at nice restaurants that have chefs creating a menu that displays their competence and years of culinary training. I think the restaurant you are looking for is called Bennigan's.

When does it come to the point that you've modified a dish so much that you've created something you could have done at home? These customers are the fucking worst.

>>5266501
>why do they hold back information?

because of idiots like this
>>5266479

who watch Gordon Ramsay and want "muh thematic experience".

>>5266508
not really what I meant, but when I order something -ingredient I really want an honest answer.

if the soup was made at the beginning of the day I understand and will pick something else, but if it's something that they make from scratch every time the customer orders I expect them to be nice about it for example, but it really depends. I like cooking at home anyway.

>>5266501

>so autistic you refuse to eat something because there's a piece of parsley or oregano or some shit on it

did this story take place two years ago?

>>5266514
you went full hue

>>5266501
>green sprinkles
>probably basil
>not putting basil in your pasta sauce

>For me, it is having too many things on the menu.

This exactly. Then they come up to you after like two seconds, meanwhile I'm still reading their fucking book of food.

Also, not making the seating private enough. If I'm going to a decent restaurant I don't want to feel like I'm a cafeteria.
At the same time, please don't make the lights so fucking dim I can't see.

>>5266516

may I ask you anon, why would a pasta and tomato sauce on a kids menu be so garnished? don't they know that most kids aren't impressed by that, or even don't like it?

thinking about it now, its probably there to impress the parents that ordered it, oooh aaaahh.... so nice, hey kiddo why aren't you eating it?

>>5266533
>kids menu
>pasta
>not simple

why?

at least mention it on the menu so the kid can ask for it without?

I love spices and seasonings today, used to be much more picky. I blame how hard everyone tried to push me to try new things when I wasn't ready.

>>5266536
THIS.

I know a restaurant isn't a place where you go to be alone, yet it is so nice when you sit down and you feel the space you are sitting in is more quiet and private. I know restaurants can get noisy, but at least the area is meant for you only.

the lighting is important, its the worst when they hang a lamp from the ceiling directly over your table and the lightbulb is brighter than the sun, burning your eyes as you eat.

also, when the lights in the restaurant are overall too bright I get uncomfortable.

too dim, can't see the food well enough.

>>5266486
why the fuck would you eat sushi in hartsville sc you should have known you were making a mistake

>>5266554
why?

>>5266501
>being picky
Are you this person? http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hn_BjXzLY1k
How about "FUCK PICKY EATERS"
I'm sure you've all got hilarious stories of that one picky eater being autistic and ruining a mealtime.

>>5266514

How the fuck do those two things have anything to do with each other?

>>5266567
I couldn't even watch this. I gained 3 autisms just from viewing the first 3 seconds.

I agree with the OP

OP is not a faggot guys

>>5266546
oh, so you're saying that children can't enjoy these things? that restaurants should serve them spaghetti noodles, tomato paste, and dried garlic? nothing green?

maybe your parents were trying to teach you not to be an uncultured plebe like the rest of American children. it pisses me off to see parents feed their kids chicken tenders and fries 24/7, then wonder why the fuck they won't eat anything else.

There's a really popular restaurant downtown that has a fuck huge menu (plus a daily specials menu) and they do everything right. Smaller menus are better overall but nothing beats places that can handle quantity and quality.

>>5266486
Fuck pickles
You can't just take them off either, because the fucking pickle juice gets the bun soggy and coats everything else, so even without the pickle you still get the disgusting fuck pickle taste

The places I went to as a kid didn't even have kids menus.

Once we went to visit my aunt and she bought all pizzas and burgers for us and we wanted casserole and trifle liek the rest.

Another time we went to my dad's friend's house and they had delish food but put us kids separate and gave us poorly prepared breaded fried chicken. I was so insulted to be shovelled off to a separate table.

>>5266539
>basil
>so garnished

>>5266501
>>5266539
>>5266546

guys, Fatty McAutism is here

>>5266567
are you one of those nasty people who tricks their picky friends and family into eating foods they told you they were allergic too, or didn't like, because you can not respect their personal space?

you make me sick.

>>5266636
all I am saying is that I was upset that the menu didn't mention it. it said "pasta with tomato sauce"
the meal arrived different than what was specified and that is unprofessional.

>>5266690
I like basil now if you are wondering, yet I have no idea what it really was.

>>5266369
place has great food but shit service

>>5266703
>"pasta with tomato sauce"

what do you think goes into tomato sauce? tomato paste and water?

>>5266567
thank you for posting this. had a real good laugh oh man

>>5266486
literal autism

>>5266640
cheesecake factory viral marketer pls go

>>5266764
I doubt they're the only restaurant who does that.

>>5266758
>I pay for and eat things I don't want and didn't order
Keep being stepped on.

>>5266764
haha

>>5266369
>if its some greek diner at 3am when i'm drunk, having a 7 page menu is fine.

My favourite middle-of-the-night restaurant is a Greek place with a 7 page menu. Place is always packed at 4am.

There are always half a dozen cop cars there because the food is so good. Cops would rather eat something tasty than munch on doughnuts.

They can have such a large menu because many of the dishes share ingredients and because they enjoy high turnover.

Back on topic: I hate when shit-tier Chinese restaurants won't serve anything to drink except tea. Not even frikken water.

>>5266728
stop pretending that I am stupid, and stop pretending to be stupid.

>>5266369
I prefer small menus. Ideally one page where all the options are somewhere between good and excellent.

I also like the menu to be cohesive - if it looks like a mishmash I'm not interested. The style of food is part of the restaurant's identity. Burgers, pasta, salads, soup and sandwiches is not an identity.

Signature dishes: there ought to be a few menu items that people will specifically come to your restaurant to eat. Untouchable dishes that stay regardless of seasonal menu changes.

Specials had better be fucking special. If I'm already a fan of your regular menu I don't want to regret taking a chance on a special.

While it's probably a good idea to have a couple vegetarian friendly items on the menu there's no excuse for chicken, unless you specialize in it.

A decent wine list is a good moneymaker, but I'm not always going to drop $45+ on a bottle. I've worked in the wine business, I know what the markup is. Offer me a deal on something interesting and I'll greatly appreciate it.

I'm happy you have signature cocktails and desserts, but if I'm feeling splurgey I want some kind of interesting liquor to sip neat after the meal. Grappa, calvados, pear William, brandy - I don't care. Just have something of quality on hand.

If you have an espresso machine please make sure you buy good coffee and train your employees on how to use it. A mediocre coffee can break the spell of an otherwise magic meal.

If your restaurant is loud, expensive, trendy and beautifully decorated I'm coming in a little more critical than usual. I'll feel abused if the food isn't up to par with everything else.

>>5267193
>The style of food is part of the restaurant's identity. Burgers, pasta, salads, soup and sandwiches is not an identity.

I don't go to a restaurant to eat a fucking identity.

Are you this retard?
>>5266479

Please go watch Gordon Ramsay and blow smoke up your own ass somewhere else, the rest of us are trying to have a nice meal without worrying about the "thematic cohesion" of what's on our fucking plate.

Do all the things I'm presently eating go together well? Yes? Good. Does the menu at large establish a strong restaurant identity? I literally could not give even one single fuck.

>>5266539
>don't they know that most kids aren't impressed by that, or even don't like it?

Not all children are picky eaters. Your parents should have warned the staff.

>>5267595
>Are you this retard?
nope.avi
>Does the menu at large establish a strong restaurant identity? I literally could not give even one single fuck.
Enjoy your burgers at the Olive Garden.

>>5266653
i used to be like this, but then I had a burger from hardees and they didnt take it off. It was very delicious all of a sudden

>>5267618
no anon, the menu should have been clear and honest.

>>5267038
you're not pretending, I dont even fucking know what your problem is? what kind of self satisfied smug fucktard thinks they wherent an idiot when they where a kid? apperantly this fucking guy.

>>5266486
There's a Red Bowl in Lexington, SC as well. I fucking hate it. it was originally called something else Asian Fusion or something. It was fine then, but when the Red Bowl people bought it, and we went back everything was just mediocre. Then again the town of Lexington and Columbia are rife with Asian restaurants in general, so I can take my pick.

>>5266369
>Sure if its some greek diner at 3am when i'm drunk, having a 7 page menu is fine
i fucking hate shit like this. the last thing my drunkass needs is choice. i just end up being even more indecisive.

>>5268003
Have you ever been to the flight deck in lexington? what were your opinions?

>>5268060
I've been once. It was good. It made me think of a mix between Cracker Barrel and IHOP's lunch/dinner offerings. I had the country fried steak dinner and it was as good as any I've had around the state. I'd probably go back, but I only get an hour for lunch and traffic in that part of Lexington is horrid.

>>5268070
I feel ya. I was asking cause thats my familys restaurant. Ive never been that fond of most of the food, but I wanted to see if it was just me having it too much

>>5268079
Ha, holy shit. That could do it though. I do love the decor though, I've always been an aircraft fan.

>>5268080
Its a really cool theme. I just feel the food is a bit subpar. Maybe because its run by a bunch of greeks and has like one greek dish. Its a shame

>>5268089
...seriously? Damn, finding Greek food for a decent price is a bitch in this county as far as I know. The only other place I know of is House of Pizza in South Congaree. Nick's on Bush River (or is that St. Andrews? I'm terrible with that area).

>>5266369
Either being rude to my girlfriend because the waitress is jealous or some shit in which case I'll a penny at best as a tip or having a hair in my food in which case I'll heave up a good load of puke on the floor there.

Having insects strutting around is fucking disgusting as well.

Another thing is not being on time when I've made a reservation. I don't really like standing in line, a lot of new yorkers, people who didn't grow up here like that because their the LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME types. I have other things to do than stand in some line because they get their reservestions proper.

Plus a lot of restaurants in NYC do that shit on purpose to make themselves look edgy and bring in others because morons standing in line brings in business.

Another thing is them not being on time when I've made a reservation. I don't really like standing in line, a lot of new yorkers, people who didn't grow up here like that because they're the LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME types.

I have other things to do than stand in some line because they can't get their reservestions proper.

Plus a lot of restaurants in NYC do that shit on purpose to make themselves look edgy to bring in others because morons standing in line brings in business.

It's like mutual puke. One person pukes then others do as well, same with NYC morons who stand in line a lot. They stand in line for the sake of standing in line and being seen standing in line.

>>5266853
What the fuck kind of place doesn't serve water?

They should have menu's on cheap tablet's now and it's better for the costumer since they can see the actual images. Other day ran into the same problem as OP and they didn't have any images to the products they offered

>>5268147
No it's not, I don't want to touch some dirty fucking tablet that the NSA has bugged to tracking everyones clicks and movements. Plus it's a fuck way to interject annoying advertisements into a "dining experience."

If I'm paying a place to eat out at in the first place, I don't want to see some stupid ass fucking advertisements and that's exactly how it'll be used if that becomes mainstream.

>>5268091
zorbas is owned by real greeks, but other than that idk. The family is like straight from greece. Ive been getting my grandmas secret greek recipes for years that i have never seen anywhere else. its all going to waste not at the restaurant

>>5267595
Actually you're the one coming off sounding like a hotheaded hambeast here. You've clearly little to no experience dining anywhere that doesn't serve food wrapped in paper sheets, so kindly stfu and refrain from commenting further.

>>5267193
With you on most of this, though I'm still sceptical of a place that can pull off having a huge menu, probably just cause I haven't found a place that I've found can pull it off

>>5268190
Neat. I'll give them a shot next time I'm in Irmo. And hey, you could always post recipes here. I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd love them.

>>5268343
I would, but they are greek family secrets and I am the only person my grandma has given the recipes to. They are much too precious to give to any stranger. She wont even let me tell my own mother the recipes.

>>5266369
I agree with a small list of meals but not so much about constantly changing them all. What about the kind of people that go to their favourite restaurant every week who one day find their favourite meals are not there? Think about those feely feels.

>>5267193
>While it's probably a good idea to have a couple vegetarian friendly items on the menu there's no excuse for chicken, unless you specialize in it.

WAT

IMO menus look much cleaner when they use whole integers instead of that $7.99 bullshit

>>5268633
The .99 added to whatever whole number confuses people so it's used by scumbag idiots with marketing and or advertising degrees who think that people are easily confused by them and we don't realize what they're up to.

>>5268633
It's really not about the menu being clean, it's about getting people to order more, if tacking on 99 cents to a whole number does that then it works for the business. That's called something like, getting people to buy more through confusion and most people are confused by simple math.

>>5268496
Chicken is not in any way special anymore. It's become America's default cheap protein for home cooking. And fast food. No one goes out to a good restaurant thinking, "I'm really in the mood for chicken tonight." Because people in the mood for chicken got to KFC if they're poor, or they pick up a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket (or Boston Market) otherwise. Even when they're not in the mood for it they're still eating it at home.

The only reason to have chicken on the menu at a good restaurant would be chef's laziness or capitulation to unsophisticated clientele.

>>5266369
not much bothers me once i like a place

what does bother me is change in general flavor of standard dishes over time ....... that is the saddest thing places I once quite enjoyed losing that touch they once had. Usually after a short time when cooks leave or someone else steps in to help =/

then i stop going as often and then ever again

>>5269289
>that is the saddest thing places I once quite enjoyed losing that touch they once had. Usually after a short time when cooks leave or someone else steps in to help
I've seen this. A place I like has seen plenty of changes over the years. It started out with a genius (but very temperamental) chef who made a name for it. You'd catch chefs from other restaurants there late at night. The genius left after a year or so, and the place coasted for a while with a less talented fill-in. And the food suffered for it. The owner realized what was going on, braving poor Yelp reviews while searching for a decent replacement. After working with the genius the owner had a clear vision of what he needed, but it took him a while to find someone who could deliver the goods. Eventually he did. Today the place is on track. Is it as good as when it first opened? No. But the food is good again, and the vibe is similar. Only thing the place has going against it is that it's a little pricey. But it's in a trendy neighborhood, so being a little pricey is not out of line.

>>5268633
>>5269068
>>5269077
.99 reeks of fast food to me. If I go to a nice place, I don't want to see them trying to squeeze an extra 20 cents out of every menu item, I want to see a price like '38'. No dollar signs, no cents.

>>5269271
what

>>5269271
>because many places serve basic, shit chicken, means nobody can do it right and they are lazy.
What the fuck? Now, when a place charges prices for chicken that they do of much more expensive meat, I get mad then.

>>5269315
>what
Come on. A decade ago you could maybe pass off brick chicken with truffle oil mashed potatoes in a bistro, but those days are gone.

With the exception of Pok Pok I can't think of anyone doing anything serious with chicken today.

1. skimping on decor and seating
holy fuck do I not care what your food tastes like if I feel like I'm in prison and I can hear every conversation in the whole place.

just make it match your theme. If I'm paying $12 pp at a BBQ place, yeah you can have plastic benches. If I'm paying $35 pp at an italian place I want a high-backed booth. To name a chain that does this well (just for an example which many will recognize)- Bucca Di Beppo. The whole restaurant is twisted hallways and intimate rooms. You never have more than 2 other parties in your vicinity. It also doesn't feel like the waitstaff is just standing around staring at you.

2. having just 1 iteration of some major theme. E.g. ONLY minestrone soup. Just don't carry soup then! Or ONLY a spinach salad. Just skip it! Either have 2 versions (cream and clear, dark greens and iceberg/romaine) or have nothing and focus on some other area.

This is controversial... but I'd apply that to nearly every part of the menu. Whatever you want to make, just make THAT. Don't bother with 1 burger, 1 sandwich, 1 pasta, 1 chicken dish, 1 steak..... etc. Fuck that. Do 5 burgers and 3 steaks. That's your menu. Or 6 pastas and 4 salads. That's your menu. I went to your restaurant because I want to eat THERE. Something drew me to it. You don't have to please 100% of the population, just your customers.

Also, doing the menu like that cuts your kitchen confusion.

>>5267651
>WAAAAAAH! THE RESTAURANT IS NOT CATERING SPECIFICALLY TO ME!!!

>>5269398
>having just 1 iteration of some major theme
I mostly agree with you on this, but not when it comes to soup. Offering one soup of the day is fine. Either have soup or don't. It's not an issue.

But I'm with you on the token burger, salad or pasta dish being a bad sign. If burgers, pasta or salads are your restaurant's thing the go for it. But token "trying to please everybody" menu items are a sign that the menu is unfocused, and the food is likely to be unfocused. Generic. I don't go out for a generic experience.

That drives me crazy in LA. There are many upscale places with totally boring salad, sandwich, burger type menus. These places get by solely on the fact that the location and decor attract a "nice" clientele. Because the menus just seem fucking random, and none of the food is remarkable. Drives me nuts when friends want to eat at places like this, when not far away are more focused joints serving better food for less money. I understand people aren't always in the mood for Thai noodles or fish tacos, but paying $12 for a generic burger or salad is beyond me.

I like restaurants sharply defined. This is a sushi joint, that is a noodle joint, there's a tapas place, there's a burger joint, a taqueria and a Middle Eastern place. I go to each one to scratch a specific itch. I have no interest in places that try to cater to everybody's taste, because that results in dumbed-down food. I don't want to pay for dumbed-down food.

All I can say is that I'm glad I'll never be forced to open a restaurant in the Murrica and have to cater to the whims of all the fatty spoilt crybabbies that inhabit it.

Not having prices on the menu.

Not specifying what's in a dish. I don't like cheese and I fucking hate it when I order an anodyne pasta dish that has a massive pile of parmesan on top. Please warn me if you're gonna do that. Even beyond being a picky eater, what if I was allergic to an ingredient you put in a dish that I expect not to be there?

When waiters aren't more attentive to when I want to pay the bill. Don't keep me waiting for fifteen minutes after I've already signalled to you a bunch of times that I want the cheque. I have places to be and it's in the restaurant's interest to take my money and make room for future patrons.

Pretentious words like artisanal and pizzaiolo. Also when using a semi-exotic ingredient like quinoa or tzatziki purely to show off rather than to add anything to the dish.

I agree about consistency in food quality. I used to work at a place that would phone up to ask which chef was working as one was far more capable than the other at cooking.

>biggest mistakes a restaurant can make?
Not having burgers on the menu

>>5266569
Shhh, he's trying to troll with shitpost, just act really angry and call a le epic troll or else you'll hurt his feelings.

>>5266703
>"pasta with tomato sauce"
I don't know of a single tomato sauce recipe that doesn't include basil, except for that canned shit, even ragu has it.

>>5268164
>implying a tablet is any cleaner than a filthy menu

Video Game theme bars and their candy flavored cocktails and lack of food inspired by in game items. But candy cocktails where they rim it with rock candy and filler deserves a special place in culinary hell.

>>5271046
B-but what if I'm a regular at a video game themed bar and their burger patty tastes really good. Not to mention I only drink one cocktail from that place that lacks pop-rocks and rest are shots.

>Japanese sushi restaurant
>Owned by Koreans

>Italian pizza joint
>Owned by Indians

>Order Coke
>Get Pepsi

When I order iced tea and it's non-sweetened.

>>5266463
Depends upon the community. I know a chef that goes to market every morning and bases the menu on what the best ingredients are. He never offers more than 5 or so entrees.

>>5266501
In belgium it is still very common for two printed menus, one with prices and one without. They give the priceless menus to women.

>>5266466
Yeah, I feel you. I can only understand it if it's something meant to be seasonal, like berries.

Actual mistakes or stuff they do to appeal to a wider audience? I do know of a few restaurants around here that served authentic middle-eastern food. They had to "fix" it pretty soon.

So.

>#1
>Being based in a shitty town where people want to eat shit.

When the waitress sits down at my table.

My job requires me to occasionally travel out of town, so I'll have dinner by myself sometimes. Every so often the waitress will sit at my table, usually only in mid-to-low-level chains like Chilis or Applebee's.

It drives me insane. Have some sense of professionalism. Just because I am eating alone does not give you license to sit at my table to take my order. I usually tell them to stand up.

Also, this isn't something restaurants do, but rather something I've learned when I worked at restaurants: Never go to a restaurant on a weekend or a "dining out" holiday (Valentine's Day, Father's Day, etc).

The best nights to go out to eat are Thursdays.

>Less crowded
>Kitchen isn't as busy, ensuring better care of your order
>People working during the week actually have to work for a living, as opposed to the college kids just waiting tables to buy more beer and weed, so they tend to be more professional
>Sometimes they'll have better specials because they're clearing things out before the weekend.

Thursday nights, man. Best night to eat out.

the shit that makes me rage is the tiny details. like a chip in a plate. once a plate chips, it will chip again.

when it does that piece of glass is going to end up somewhere.

in someones food?

in someones mouth?

dont you fucking care?

AND WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS BLACK MARKER ON THE MENU?!

REMOVED A MENU ITEM?
FINE. PRINT NEW FUCKING MENUS ITS NOT THAT EXPENSIVE.

unless its a total hole in the wall, kind of place that would use those free menus printed by a soda distributor or something, if i see items blacked out with marker i just assume the restaurant will be closed soon. its a surprisingly accurate indicator.

all that ranting aside, i dont think there is a "single biggest" mistake. just a million to choose from.

if i had to pick, maybe
>"Hey, i have never worked in the service industry and have no culinary background, but i'm going to open a restaurant because it sounds like a fun job"

>>5271123
holy shit
thats fucking cold

>>5271162
>the shit that makes me rage is the tiny details. like a chip in a plate. once a plate chips, it will chip again.

Claim you're a jew. Get a better plate.

>>5271094
I know quite a few places which are somehow "sponsored"(or another word?) by Pepsi, the servers were kind enough to tell me when I ordered it.

On topic, I dislike cheap restaurants trying too hard on garnishing. Parsley on side of plates annoy me to no end. Also restaurants which uses shitty entertainers to mask the bad food. There's this sushi restaurant near my place, westernized of course which has a bunch of people singing happy birthday at random and telling lame ass jokes. My friends love going there, but the sushi tastes like ass.

>>5271168
Belgians have the snobbiest food culture on the planet. They put france to shame.

In America many fine dining restaurants will print priceless menus if you request them when making a reservation. I usually do so when taking out family members.

>>5266444
Agreed on all counts.

If they're an italian/etc restaurant, having all the item names in italian so you sound like a fucking retard trying to pronounce them.

I'm sure they do this for a laugh.

Also if they don't immediately bring over a bottle of water and glasses to your table.

>great ambiance
>great menu choices
>great seating
>loud music

I can understand some understated music to fill the silences in a room, but playing bob marley on repeat is not fucking trendy of cool.

>>5266712
What?

>>5271200
>loud music
>great ambiance
Pick one

>>5266853
Um, what? Where the hell were you eating?

>>5271103
Isn't that the norm in the US? Come to Canada buddy.

>>5271225
>loud music
>great seating
>great menu choices
>what would have been great ambiance if the music wasn't so loud

Happy now, autist?

>>5271094
What the fuck does the ethnicity of the owners matter if the food is legit? The best overall (as in not brutally expensive) sushi restaurant in my area is owned by a Chinese man who trained in Japan for over 10 years.
The best Vietnamese place I know of is owned by an Italian because he couldn't compete with the dozens of other Italian restaurants within 15 minutes of his. He hired a bunch of new Vietnamese immigrants to teach him how to make good food and it is AMAZING!
My point: If they learn how to make it properly, it doesn't matter.

>>5271284
I totally agree with you. That guy is the same kind of person that gets butthurt over beans in chili.

loud music, inattentive waiter/ress, not taking dishes away that are obviously finished, leaning over to hand someone a dish instead of going behind them, 5000 specials of the day, dirty bathrooms - especially no paper towels, Gordon Ramsey yelling too loud in the background.

Sit down and the waitress asks you "have you dined with us before?"
omfg... here comes the corporate speech of appreciation shitstorm if anyone says no.
This alone probably annoys repeat customers the most.

>items on the menu no one is able to pronounce

>>5266369
Not cooking it how I like it
Not swapping something out (unless it's a real fancy place)
Bad service - waiting tables is an easy ducking job and trees no excuse for it

Bringing ONE persons meal where there are multiple diners. OMG this drives me nuts

>>5271319
>any music

>>5266486
am... am i the only person that likes pickles? I can see why people hate Del for being too salty and the sweet pickles for being too.. well sweet but I fucking love the things.

it allwayse confused me why people hated pickles and going 'UGH EW DISGUSTING' when I went '..wtf is wrong with you people this is awesome!'

Or I can just be a dirty stinking polock and i know nothing of food at all since for the longest time I hated onions and tomatoes till I stoped being a faggot and actualy enjoyed them both.

>>5269500
If it's soup of the day or some other specialty, I must agree with you. I'm fine with that. But just having minestrone or "chicken" is really annoying. Like if it's a crab place and their only soup is cream of crab- cool.

>>5271441
Nah, I love pickles of all kinds, too. A burger or sandwich just isn't right for me unless it has some form of pickles on it. (it can be traditional cucumber pickles, or pickled peppers, or other pickled veg, but there needs to be SOME on there. I always have a large variety of pickles in my house.

>>5271441
I'm half kike and I like pickles too.

>>5271073
what the fuck, why would you be a regular at a theme bar? What?

>>5271441
I don't like pickles because I don't like the taste of vinegar. Everyone around me loves or doesn't mind pickles though so I feel in the minority.

>>5271511
Because the burgers (especially the patties) are delicious.

>>5266415
> Take our orders and leave.

I had a waitress come to me and start asking me how the food is while I had a mouthful of food 3 times in the same meal. Manager was on the floor the whole time maybe she felt she had too but that was excruciatingly annoying. If the meal was "good" 5 minutes ago, what in the fuck is going to change about it 5 minutes later?

>>5266369
There was this guy who owned a tiny little restaurant in a supermarket I frequented.

He didn't get many customers, but I went in for breakfast one day and he made the most delicious pancake I've ever eaten.

Then I came in more, told some friends about it. On thursdays, he made incredible pasta. Dude was from Italy.

Anyway, it actually gained some speed, and he hired an employee so it could be open more often.

Naturally, the employee fucked everything up. I think employees are the inherent problem with restaurants.

>>5271527
pic related, the pancakes

>>5271532

those are crepes, not pancakes

>>5266463

you don't know anything about the history of restaurant cuisine

>>5271634

is dis bait

>>5271140
>When the waitress sits down at my table.

wtf who does that?

>>5271073
>B-but what if I'm a regular at a video game themed bar and their burger patty tastes really good. Not to mention I only drink one cocktail from that place that lacks pop-rocks and rest are shots.

Well it could at least take some inspiration from in game food items.

>>5271643
Those at strip clubs and Hooters locations.

>>5271374
>Bad service - waiting tables is an easy ducking job

Stop swearing, Donald!

>>5266369
Small ass sodas with too much ice

bad lighting

boring decor

it sounds gay but when i go out to eat, i dont want to feel like im at a cafeteria.

>>5269077
How do people fall for such things? Whenever I see a price that is over the 50 cent mark I just raise it to the next dollar point in my mind. Especially so with 99 cent things.

>Go to Elmers
>Want Eggs Benedict
>See that it has a diet option, which I figured meant they used egg beaters and switched the hollandaise sauce with something else
>Order it
>The meal is same fucking thing as the regular Eggs Benedict, but only half of the stuff.
>mfw
>Ended up paying nearly full price (it was $1 less than the regular Eggs Benedict) for literally half of the fucking meal
>Went home hungry, fuck Elmers

>>5272445
>Ordered something that says diet without asking them what was diet about it
>Or the menu not stating it either

>>5272453

While I should have asked, it's still bullshit to give you half of a meal for a tiny reduction in price.

>>5272082
What are you going to Hooters for if not to interact with the waitresses, Fatty McAutism?

>>5272464
Apart from food cost, your meal used the ssme resources as a full portion.

Biggest restaurant mistake? Making prices so low and/or portion sizes so high that they attract coloreds.

Pic related.

>>5271140
"If you sit here, I consider you my date. Pucker up, bitch!"

>>5272804
so this

>>5266419
I love you

Out of curiosity, in your guy's opinion how many menu items (lets say entrees) constitutes a small menu?

>>5271162
Nah bro the plate that chipped is immune. the plate that didn't chip is _due_. I only eat from pre-chipped plates.

>>5272492
Fried pickles