When you witness a restaurant stuck in place, when nothing is operating in a timely manner, you wonder who’s in charge. Anyone? Having just barely survived such a situation, I think it’s important to go over what happened and why it all could have been avoided. First, the good news: The restaurant was packed. Now the more critical piece of info: Orders were taken, but then little else happened. It was odd that dinner salads arrived before appetizers which were ordered almost immediately upon being seated.

The waitress performance began at that point. Are the appetizers in process, we asked? A grimace, a murmured “yes,” and a quick exit. Probably been a good time to seek out the manager. The troops were getting restless. Everyone. Should the manager be visible and notice a table’s frustration or should the meal go from bad to worse before a managerial introduction?

Only two people of a party of six ordered meals that had accompanying salads. Tick, tock, more time elapsed. Some sweet water server kept appearing and doing his job, but the slow-mo process had the apps arrive after about an additional 35 minutes. Nothing complicated; nothing that takes time to get off the line. Again, should have tracked down the manager.

This is where restaurant dining gets confusing. Had the manager stepped out from the bar area and surveyed the dining room, he might have saved a lot of money that evening. Only when our dinners arrived–did I mention they were cold–that we had the table meet and greet. When we finally were able to locate the waitress and tell her that the food was inedible, did she say anything. “I’ll get the manager,” was her response.

We were tired, cranky, and hungry. OK, frustrated, too, but it was now too late to want to put ourselves through another round of ordering. Time to leave. The manager’s visit included the sentence, “You were one of about 70 complaints I received this evening.” Costly, disappointing performance. I believe there were steps that could have been taken to have prevented the complete meltdown.

Comping dinners is an easy solution. The restaurant lost a lot of money the other night and gave guests little reason to consider returning. Talking to the kitchen staff the next day, of course, has some value, but being a visible manager could have saved a lot of confusion.

Let me revisit an important restaurant mantra: It all starts and stops with training. Training at every level. The wait staff was ill-prepared to deal with the disappointed guests, and the restaurant itself was better at pouring water than anything else. Time to start at Square One and make the experience operational.

Instead, we are looking at the latest reports that indicate consumers are not yet believing they are out of the woods on their finances. They exercise caution in their grocery shopping and their restaurant expenses.

Meal planning, according to the NPD Group study, will remain on the thrifty side. Consumers have learned how to make better meals with less and are not ready to jump from the calm ship and break out the foie gras. The study reports that consumers do not see their situation improving over the next 12 months and plan to continue strategies they employed during the earliest days of the Recession. This information is almost in direct contrast to several economic market indicators pointing in a more positive, upward trajectory.

Examples of thriftier behavior from the report include decreasing spending on groceries, using coupons for food and beverage items, and stocking up on foods when they are on sale. The list also includes shopping for less expensive brands and making use of online coupons.

These are all consumer behavioral strategies that grocers can address to make shopping a better, more positive experience. Matching coupons, doubling or tripling those from circulars, and offering good, solid sale prices on a large variety of products will keep customers loyal returnees. It sounds as if little has changed for the consumer no matter how hopeful everyone wants to remain.

Restaurants have a lot to learn from this report and from the Nielsen Company’s latest research. Some of these findings could spell doom for a number of restaurants that have been hanging on and waiting for customers to increase their dining out events and cash outlays. After surveying 7,500 alcohol beverage consumers, they found almost 60% reducing their trips to casual restaurants and a similar number reported they were going less frequently to more expensive restaurants (fine-dining). An additional find was that 47% said they frequent bars and clubs less often. This translates into changed behavior patterns across the age demographics. The report underlies the belief that consumers learned new ways of entertaining and continue to exhibit uncertainty about the extent of the recovery.

Another interesting tell-all concerns alcoholic beverage purchases. More than 75% of those interviewed said they have not changed their beverage purchases because of price, but 25% of those say they are making fewer purchases. So even in this category, consumers have adjusted their behavior, and they are more conscious of their decisions.

Yes, these reports do NOT put a smile on the face of anyone in the food and beverage universe. They give great pause and increase the likelihood of more promotions rather than assuming that the diner of yore, as in 2-3 years ago, is lining up to get in the door.

Free-wheeling dining and shopping has not returned, and it appears to be stuck in fear. Hopefully, someone is listening.

Sure if we take young children to a restaurant, we can order from the regular menu and just fork over the additional funds to get our children to eat healthier meals. We can tell them this is a great restaurant with an expansive menu that has nothing like chicken pieces; go ahead–good luck with that approach!

Restaurant dining needs to mirror the healthy eating habits we incorporate into our regular, at-home meal regimen. We need restaurants to support our inroads and develop good-looking plates of foods that are not merely grease-soaked remnants from a large frozen food package. We deserve better options. Occasionally, we stumble across such an example: A restaurant that creates a platter of 3-4 sides, and I don’t mean French Fries, mashed potatoes, and macaroni! Or, a restaurant that offers a roasted chicken, child-sized portion instead of the dreaded fingers or tenders. An underlying issue is price. Little people should not be charged big-people prices. Give them less, but make it edible.

Of course, ethnic restaurants such as Asian, Mediterranean, and South/Central American solve the problem with so many acceptable family-style dishes that no one ever needs to consider a child’s menu. Sharing is the norm and helps make dining a familial adventure.

If you’re going to keep a children’s menu, make it palatable, affordable, and presentable. Children deserve the same high quality foods you want your adult guests to enjoy. If restaurants treat young guests well, they will quickly suggest a particular restaurant for the next family outing. Time to be smart business people. Young children hold the sway.

Sure the crayons and the draw-on placemats are nice, but we are really going out to eat as a family for a meal we cannot make at home or do not have the inclination this evening to prepare.We want to be wowed and enjoy ourselves and not get all frustrated by the high calorie count and the limited options. Skip the drawing options; upscale the sense of place.

C’mon restaurants, wow us and our younger diners! It can save all of us from increased, unnecessary calories. Maybe more restaurants need to eliminate the so-called, special children’s menus. Let dining out be the special treat!

NO, NO, and NO. Yes, we are eating in the equivalent of someone’s home when we dine out, but we need to be good guests, too. The definition of manners becomes eroded when guests make unreasonable demands or when managers overstep their boundaries and speak rudely to wait staff. Nothing far-fetched about these incidents; all occur. Holding everyone in check is really the responsibility of management and no one needs to know the secrets of training, just the end results: A smooth operation with everyone playing an appropriate part.

Let’s play out a recent situation. A four-top was finished with lunch. No one had stopped by from the time the plates were put down and the end of the meal. The server came to clear and saw that one guest had not eaten the protein in the center of the plate atop a field of salad greens. Shall I wrap that up she inquired? No, no thank you, was the reply; I did not care for it. Plates were cleared. Nothing further was said. Table conversation continued while awaiting the check.

Then the smart process went into play. Within minutes a sparklingly dressed young man, white shirt and tie, asked if he could join the table. He very calmly wanted to hear what was the problem with the dish. He immediately said the item had been removed from the check, although no one asked for that to happen, but he wanted to know what they had done wrong. Overcooked? Undercooked? Heavily seasoned? He was genuinely interested in discussing the process of preparation and the end result. Very smoothly handled.

Aha: Training at its best. The server knew what to do. The manager had the personality and skill to communicate, and the guests left impressed. This was not high-end dining but a casual, mid-tier chain that understands its part in the restaurant universe.

Not that difficult, but that important. Many could learn from this little one-act play. The lines are not that difficult to understand. A smooth operation means everyone knows his part.

Nothing rankles diners on surveys more than issues of service. What is most important to a restaurant experience: Service. Overwhelmingly it is the one memory that diners unequivocally share. Many cannot remember the meal details other than comment that the food was good or even terrific, but when you ask for a full accounting of the evening, many start and stop their interplay with some comment about service. No one likes to be treated less than special in someone’s home. A restaurant welcomes you into its home. That’s what the hospitality industry is all about!

So listen up: Do not fawn; nor ignore. Train your staff to recognize the cues from a diner, to read the guest. Training never stops; it is an ongoing restaurant responsibility that impacts significant impressions.

We don’t need a silver platter. We want a service-oriented experience that complements the chef’s creations.

Here are a few:

–Bread and butter do not just magically appear when you are seated. You are often asked if you would like to have bread and butter. Smart, cost-saving approach to running a restaurant. Not like we need to have bread and butter! Nor do they need to put a basket on the table and waste its contents.

–Sauces. Rather than just put cocktail sauce or tartar sauce, for example, on every fish or seafood plate, servers are checking to see if the diner wants either or both. If not, hey, the kitchen saves the money on either or both of the sauces. Lemon falls into that category. It is no longer just a natural plate adornment. More often than not, guests make the inquiry. It’s not an automatic slice or 1/8th.

–Water. Of course, in higher-end restaurants, the water question comes with numerous choices and dollar signs: Flat, fizzy, or tap. At multiple price points, water does not even come to the table unless you ask for it. With a worldwide water shortage, this is a logical, natural omission. Why serve something that’s just going to get poured out and wasted?

As consumers watch their dining out dollars, restaurateurs play the same game. Economic uncertainty still drives many businesses to close their doors. Recuperation is a slow process and little glimmers of hope do not mean we are out of the woods.

Little changes make a significant difference. We can support each other.

A quick look at restaurant reservations shows that lots of diners are already well organized for the breakfast, brunch, or dinner outing they’ve planned. This is the time to get to Open Table and see what’s still available in your city. Many restaurants offer special menus that enable them to handle larger crowds but still manage to fill up quickly. Unless you’re planning on finding a spot that does not take reservations and you don’t mind waiting around for a table, this is the week to finalize your plans.

There are plenty of families that shy away from restaurant outings at typically crowded times such as Mother’s Day. They try the more storybook approach with breakfast in bed or a barbecue event–anything that keeps Mom out of the kitchen is the philosophy behind this strategy.

Whatever route you think is best, remember it’s MOM you’re talking about so a little bit of planning is in order. OK, a lot of planning. Now. Don’t forget the card–selection starts waning a few days before the 9th!

Go for it.

Try the Standard Grill–that’s a joke. Its popularity preceded its opening, and now diners and hipsters are willing to wait it out or sit in the Biergarten and enjoy being in a large space with plenty of room to party. Dinner reservations in the restaurant itself are hard to get–try 3 weeks a but there’s always the oft chance that someone didn’t show or that you’ll be just as happy at the bar. Try it. Drinks, dining, and vibe: All winners here.

If its nearby Mexican cuisine you’re after then Los Dados stands ready to make your guacamole tableside so you can truly enjoy the fresh tastes and beautiful color of a perfectly ripe avocado. Don’t forget a selection from the Margarita menu which intrigues with its cucumber or blueberry options. Rumor has it that htis restaurant’s increased popularity is directly related to its location across the street from the beginning of the High Line! Makes sense to me.

Thai more your palate pleaser, then head to Sea Thai Restaurant for first-rate Pad Thai and a long list of luscious appetizers and numerous vegetarian options.

As the burger popularity spreads into every neighborhood, this area does not want to be excluded. The latest BR Guest enterprise, Bill’s Bar & Burger is a no-nonsense operation with the real McCoy and its accompanying toppings. Start with the milk shake, and you’ll want to be a regular. Good, immediate food vibe that gets you back into the neighborhood without undue delay.

As you walk off your meal, there are a few places to hop off and see life under the High Line. One major player is Chelsea Market. OK, I know the Market has numerous food selections including excellent sushi at The Lobster Place and unbelievable chocolate choices at Jacques Torres (the fresh Squeezed Lemon is an instant winner), but it’s also a fun place to walk through and explore the various food stalls and talk with the purveyors. A great take-home purchase stop, The Nut Box, will wow you with their delicious dried fruit tastes; try the kiwi, mango, or pineapple slices. You’ll be pleased.

Time to get back on the High Line.

This is a food blog so lots of foods to digest. Enjoy the walk.

Bon appetit!

No longer do you need to go to specialty stores to find the products as most major grocers have figured out the advantages of stocking G-F products. Some cleverly mark the shelves with a locator tag, and others devote whole aisles to these offerings. Either way the search has become easier and less convoluted.

Love when a restaurant has become dedicated to those who need to follow a G-F path. Take this one in Bethesda, MD, Lilit Cafe. They have an extensive menu of options for each meal period to please the G-F diner and non gluten-intolerant alike. Impressive. If you question taste, start with the homemade gelato! As for desserts, they found a partner in Baltimore’s Sweet Sin Bakery, an all-natural, G-F facility. This bakery now supplies numerous grocers that want to have G-F desserts available for their shoppers.

When a restaurant devotes itself to a G-F approach, so many diners who were unable to eat out can now enjoy a restaurant experience. The same for desserts. No matter how hard we try, the sweet tooth beckons. Here are two champions for those who need these products and for the growing number of individuals who feel healthier by reducing the gluten in their foods.

This is the kind of news we can all appreciate.

Most major cities have had a restaurant week promotion and a number of spots continued the concept well beyond a week. Yet before this time we have not had a two-month restaurant week promotion. The Palm announced a Restaurant Week menu (a starter and an entree that comes with at least one side for $39.95) until the end of May. That’s an impressive strategy that should heat up the restaurant wars a little.

So much attention of late has been focused on the mid-tier dining establishments, but now the big guys want to show their food stripes. This will be a major promotion that will prove inordinately successful or be a tell tale sign of limited strength in the industry. It will be worth watching to see how other competitors jump in for the challenge.

A little step forward and two back. We still need promotions and incentives.

With a major chef signing at the Ritz, this translates quickly into good news: Good for the restaurant community, for the metropolitan area, and for those who look for clues that the restaurant world is suffering less and climbing out from under the rocks of the economic debacle.

Let’s see what other little clues we can unearth:

Even though the BLT Restaurant Group has had its share of management changes, they are still expanding their brand and moving into the Italian mix with Casa Nonna expected to open this summer.

Another Italian offshoot will be gracing the DC landscape. Carmine’s, the famous family style restaurant in New York, has taken its show on the road with plans for a spring opening in the bustling Penn Quarter section of town. You’ve read enough about small plates; these are gigantic platters. Round up your friends.

New York City turned to chef Todd English to create a food hall at The Plaza Hotel, The Plaza Food Hall, which is scheduled to open this spring. The plan is to have cooking stations and a variety of foods, sort of in the European tradition. Definitely one to watch.

Lettuce Entertain You, the large restaurant corporation with Chicago headquarters, has just joined the burger crowd with their newest restaurant, M Burger. The M stands for Michigan Avenue and it tells you they want to be right at the action with the burger food trend that continues to grow.

No matter who does what, each of these openings casts a peek at expectation. A healthy nod.

Napkin, please.

Sometimes the latter shift is one of economics as when a top-tier, aka, multi-course, high-end specialist, decides there is another opportunity in the marketplace. Everyone gains as the second outreach may mean less expensive food but one that still maintains the high culinary standards of the top tier,  dollar-sized experience.

The two-tiered chef has become commonplace as in having established himself in a high-end restaurant which customers view as a destination for special occasions and then a less expensive dining spot, more of a bistro, that regulars enjoy for weekly or multi-month visits. That pattern has helped chefs such as Michel Richard and Thomas Keller, (to name a few) establish themselves at multiple price points, never ignoring their ability and talent to cook at all levels. Or there’s a master like Jose Andres who introduced small plates (Jaleo) to Washington, DC and expanded his empire upward to multiple concepts at multiple price points, think Bazaar in LA or MiniBar in DC.

Occasionally, you run into a chef like Andrew Evans who ran a successful high-end creative, gourmet restaurant. Circumstances dictated the end of that enterprise so he emerged as the master of Thai cuisine, and he again proved himself successful with a completely different worldview. The concept proved too limiting for the community so an about-face reinvention occurred.

Nothing could be more American than the new enterprise: BBQ. Before you scoff and think this to be a step down from someone as talented as Evans, remember that good BBQ does not just magically appear on the plate. It is a product of time and concentration. The sauces tell the story (he has the full range from sweet to killer). Anyway, how can you argue with hot out of the oven cornbread and wonderfully lean, slow-cooked brisket!  His new concept demonstrates talent.

Yes, you can be a multi-tiered master as long as you can cook. If you know what you are doing, it can work. Not everyone can switch concepts so seamlessly and create a business that spells success. For Evans, they’ve all been winners; this one’s a keeper!

In this stressed-out society with the economy still in neutral, we look for ways to entertain and dine out in fun, affordable ways. Sitting down to a tea event is one such way to take a break and breathe a sigh of reality relief. Check out your local, upper tier hotels, or one of the many tea stores that have literally popped up throughout the country for an elegant, fun afternoon.

While you’re cupping and sipping, let’s add another health note to the mix. A lot has been written about green tea and its healthy antioxidants. Another study just demonstrated the power of this pour in staving off glaucoma. That’s a serious eye disease that seems to be lessened by drinking green tea.

A final tea caveat for today: Go for whole leaf teas when you purchase them. That’s the purest form of tea so any benefits one could derive would not be mitigated by a collection of chopped up tea that has lost its potency.

Enjoy the tea party.

Hospitality:

Yes, we understand about shutting off our ringers and plenty of menus say no cell phones, but what about texting or emailing? How do you like eating out with a dinner companion who can’t take his eye off the gadget and his finger from the button?

More often than not the texter or writer is a visible dinner companion. If you are dining alone, then quietly scrolling through emails may make a fine dinner companion. Returning calls or sending long tapping messages does not elevate the experience for anyone: Don’t.

Yes, if you are “ON Call” your situation is different, but for the rest of the universe, it’s time to soak up the hospitality and lose the gadgetry. Vibrate is no better. Hit off or quiet and settle in for a fine dining experience no matter the venue or the price point.

Relax.

Many higher-end establishments do not add the customary large-group 18-20% tip in the hopes that the serving staff will excel that expectation and earn what the diner/host believes is an appropriate amount. Those places are often right, and servers benefit from the customer doing the math. After all, good service deserves recognition, which in this case amounts to an appropriate monetary tip. There’s the rub: The definition of appropriate can vary considerably.

Let’s step back a moment. Tipping should be the customer’s decision and not merely an expectation. Slovenly service which often involves favoring one table over another or more simply stated, not working each table uniformly, often leads to an end-of-the-meal debate among the guests. There are those who tip, no matter what. They often tip the same amount in the belief that the wait staff needs and depends on the tip. That’s true.

It’s the guest who takes out his angst on the server for not getting his food to the table expeditiously or even correctly that often makes restaurants rethink the need to include a tip in the bill. Stories abound about angry diners who are harassed by wait staff for not leaving a tip and then they create their own tirade explaining away their reasoning. It often translates loudly in the dining room with words such as I ordered a hot breakfast, not cold eggs…

The tip dilemma will not end here, but diners need to remember that they are being served, waited on, and not all fault rests with the person who brings the food to the table.

Remember the economy and the work force and consider your decision accordingly.

It is about the service.

We’ve noticed an increase in Mediterranean-type dishes whether you call them tapas, mezzes, or street food, the small plate revolution is thriving. Look at how many Indian restaurants, which have thrived well with lunch hour buffets, are now changing their menu to include common, Indian snacks, street food. The concept clearly has legs and crosses all dining borders.

California Pizza Kitchen has even figured out how to join the trend. They just introduced the Small Cravings menu with affordable ($4-7) pricing and a full range of menu options including dips, and the trend I see taking over menus: The Wedge. The company wants to fill the (small) plate and create a little buzz so they also have a new wine craving menu of half glasses for $5 and less.

Small plates and happy hours: Two trends that seem to have large, happy followings throughout the country.

Let’s just put a little squeeze on that to match the other time-starved notion: One-handed food on the go.

If it’s just a splash of a condiment, Heinz believes they have the solution: The new Dip & Squeeze Ketchup container. This should help them win over restaurants that do brand wavering! You can peel back the lid to dip or tear it off to squeeze: Double usage possibilities without excess packaging. A green approach to eat-and-go! BTW, the company is increasing its available sizes for the sugar, non high fructose corn syrup bottles.

Keep your eye on the prize: You’ll enjoy dining out more at this more affordable and fun price point!

All good news.

It does not take rocket science to analyze what food establishments whether they be cafes, full-service restaurants, quick shops, or grocers are doing to capture our attention and our food dollars. We have to eat, and it seems we continue to figure out ways to economize the approach.

Restaurants have special dining out nights and chains, even those with just a few locations in a city, have frequent diner cards. Sometimes those benefits get extended into doubling or tripling their value on certain slow nights, that used to be translated as Mondays but midweek is starting to look a lot like a Monday! All this in an attempt to reward the faithful and expand the inner circle of loyalists.

These are just like frequent shopper cards which offer a reduced price on set items to the loyalists. Just scan and save is their mantra.

Does it work? Does it fill the tables? Depends who you ask and the price point of activity. The dollar:value equation becomes the heart of the analysis. Most people like a deal.

As for newspaper inserts, some weeks the number of coupon books weighing down the delivery is astounding, as in 4-5 different coupon catalogs. So it should come as no surprise that we ended the decade with increased coupon usage. The question always remains: Will the consumer trade up to a brand with a cents-off incentive and a doubling-off strategy from the market or stay with the new shopper’s friend, the house brand?

Then there’s the whole social media approach to couponing regardless if it’s for a restaurant or a grocer. If you become a Facebook fan, give over your email, or join their special mobile coupon connection, you will be inundated with money-saving offers. You name the service or the business, they want your fan loyalty and in turn, you will be rewarded, or turned off. You decide.

Clipping still has its friends, but new strategies are making more immediate inroads.

Smart eating has an infinite fan base.

Sometimes the news comes via an awning. Not every new enterprise has the money or feels the necessity to cover up the old tenant’s signature so the awning sends the message; this is especially true when a sibling is about to emerge across town. With burgers, the news seems to be most eagerly anticipated. As we’ve noted, the burger concept is alive and well and seems to have little difficulty welcoming the latest entrant. In this case, burgers are just a part of a rather extensive menu!

The number 5 seems to be a magical information conveyance. After all The Five Guys chain took over the Washington DC region before rolling out nationally. Not everyone favors the same 5 toppings so they offer free peanuts while you wait for their cooked-to-order menu. The strategy of filling cooking time seems to work if you judge the space by the crowds!

Plenty of big name chefs have found a second life in the burger business (let’s add to that list Michael Landrum, Marcus Samuelsson, Michael Mina, Hubert Keller, and…the list is long). Why not? After all we’re talking about one of the country’s most hyped food groups. Not everyone serves just the beef variety; there’s the lobster, the lamb, the turkey, the veg, and the house specialty, whatever that is. The price seems to go from reasonable to stratospheric. Plenty in the middle!

No reason not to be a participant in this trendy space. Bring on the toppings.

Following on the heels of the just concluded 35th Winter Fancy Food Show in SF, some of the trends that emerged from the large show with over 80,000 products are nothing new to readers of this blog:

–Gluten-Free, exotic citrus, coconut, good-for-you foods, and nostalgic foods. These are all topics and categories (check the search part of the site) we have seen evolve over the past year. Good to know we are on the right track!

The National Restaurant Association just released its Industry Forecast which has a more upbeat tone than last year with an anticipated increase of  2.5 percent in sales spending. Everyone in the industry has his fingers crossed for that to occur. Some other items of interest include:

–A greater emphasis on locally sourced food, sustainability, health, and nutrition will be the top trends on restaurant menus this year. Individuals say they are more focused on eating healthy in restaurants than they were even two years ago.

–More restaurants are stepping up their efforts to go green and 4 in 10 consumers say they choose restaurants based on their conservation practices.

–Ethnic cuisines and flavors continue as a hot menu trend including regional ethnic cuisine and fusion cuisine. Interesting to watch the fusion idea which has come and gone any number of times! As for ethnic menus, they may also qualify as a more affordable price decision. I believe, price and value will continue to permeate much of our decision-making.

No matter which trend list jumps to the top of the pile, the most important takeaway is that diners are more savvy in terms of what they look for when dining out. Many arrive at restaurants after they have read reviews and studied the menu.

Expectations are high. The diner wants value and the restaurants need to focus.

That’s how tables get full and the buzz stays positive.

–The Palm has paired a 9 oz filet with a 1-1/4 lb crab stuffed lobster, accompanied by asparagus. Good until the end of March ($47.95)

–The Capital Grille has a 4-course menu (appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert). Good until the end of February ($49).

–P. F. Chang’s makes every afternoon (3-6 P) a happy time with reduced priced liquids and solids ($3-$6). That’s simple pricing easy to remember!

–Chili’s offers 3 courses (a starter, 2 entrees, and a dessert) for $20. The entree choice includes the new mini taco menu. Remember this is really a $20 deal for 2 people to share.

These are just a few of the national players getting in on enticing menus with early seasonal specials. The list can easily be updated regularly.

Don’t forget the smaller guys: The sandwich places, the local happy hours, and the numerous choices for lunch deals.

Time to take a break and dine out.