Went to nice restaurant last night with wife and daughter to celebrate Mother's Day. Long story short, after staring at 2 empty wine glasses for 20 minutes and no waters after ordering both, then waiting over an hour for our food we watched at least 25 to 30 to go orders get picked up. Bar patrons also came, ate and left during our wait.

Management comped most of our meal, but what really gets me is that the manager said they were overwhelmed with online orders and couldn't turn them off. Said they were quoting 3+ hour waits for to go orders. Not really my problem, I made my dine in reservation several weeks in advance. Can't really blame the delay on the waitstaff when management and the kitchen put the priority on to go orders over the dine in customer.

The Rona business model of take out over dine in has got to stop. Especially on holidays when lots of folks want to go out and have a real sit down dinner in a nice restaurant.

We've cut down dining out but that was happening pre-d'rona anyway, don't see to go ordering slowing down, places are just going to have to adapt.

We do holidays at home, grill, pool, tv, family stuff, dining out pre-holiday so we miss the crowds and mess.

Vote with your dollars. Don't go there any more.

The food and service are poor on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
The food and service are poor on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday.

That depends on where you go. At your typical chain restaurant, sure; but at a nicer place I’ve experienced some of my best dining experiences on these holidays.

Was this a chain restaurant? Just wondering because they said they couldn't turn off online orders.

There is a locally owned restaurant that announced limited hours for online ordering because of staff shortages, and it was effecting the quality of in house dining.

quote:

That depends on where you go. At your typical chain restaurant, sure; but at a nicer place I’ve experienced some of my best dining experiences on these holidays.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
These are the nicer restaurants. I avoid chains. Maybe it is a regional thing. They have some extra staff but not enough. I can celebrate any day if I want to.

They can't turn off online orders or they don't WANT to? Online/To-go is WAAAAY more profitable for them now.

We got stuck waiting and waiting and waiting for a table at Outback some months back, had a Christmas gift card to use up. Kept getting told "15 minutes", and after over an hour we left in disgust when we realized they were filling to-go/online orders and could not GIVE A DAMN about the people wanting to go there to sit and eat.

As we walked out to our cars, I saw the pickup line for to-go was AT LEAST 30 cars deep.

Another fucking thing Covid ruined.

I was visiting Zion a few years ago. They did it right to my distress. 21:00 and every place i went was too busy. No seating, no waiting list, no take out. Seated dine in was priority.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Vote with your dollars. Don't go there any more.

That. I think a lot of places have discovered they can make as much or more with less effort (i.e., less staff) by focusing on take-out orders. Find the places that provide the flavor of service you prefer, and support them instead.

I know people who always order take out or delivery take out, then later bitch and whine about their order bring screwed up.

This is interesting, because most of the restaurants in our area do the reverse. They want butts in chairs to sell the booze.

We had dinner at a Texas Roadhouse in Hot Springs last night. After a 45 minute wait we were seated in a packed house. Saw some carryout activity. Our waitress was amazingly fast, polite and earned a generous gratuity. My first trip to a Texas Roadhouse. Food was good.

From what I've Googled, restaurants are giving a 20 to 25% cut to Uber Eats and Door Dash. I can't imagine waiter salaries are that percentage of a meal.

In other words, it still seems like they'd make more off dine in customers and treat them like gold.

Like at a retail store or business - the potential customer on the phone is more important that the actual customer standing in front of them.

Restaurant was part of a high end regional chain in the SE and midwest. Steaks run $42-48, fish entrees in the $30s, $20 sandwiches, salads $12-20 and $8 sides. Not quite Ruth's Chris but a fair bit swankier than an Outback or Texas Roadhouse type place.

We'd been there several times before the Rona and it used to be very good. The Rona and our over reaction to it has killed a lot of restaurants all over the country. Its a shame.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sigfan Roy,

I do not exaggerate when I tell this story. In December I went inside a Starbucks because the drivethru was packed; there appeared to be no one in the dining room.

I placed my order for a tall flat while and watched for 20 minutes, yes 20 minutes, while the drivethru continued to move and drink after drink of “order ahead” coffees were completed and setup.

The company obviously has little regard for customers who take the time to come inside their business; likely they don’t want me. They’d prefer I drive-thru or just order and pay ahead so that they do not have to interact with me.

That happened to me twice in December.

Prior to that I was good for easily hundreds of dollars a month in coffee/beans/etc from Starbucks; have not been back since.

Found a fantastic shop nearby that makes the best Cortados I’ve ever had; I can’t get the Starbucks barista to even attempt on. (2oz steamed milk over 2oz espresso).