Take a recent outing where the waiter quickly moved himself into the annoying corner as he seemed to meet resistance with his every ploy. Sparkling water became a spigot that was never shut off. You know how I feel about the restaurant versions of still and sparkling without a cost to the consumer.

When the waiter moved to a more profitable part of the menu as he  tried to sell truffles a thousand ways, he lost everyone at the banquette. The group preferred a conversation rather than a lesson in pricing or slicing. He was unstoppable as he moved through menu gyrations with the almost musical tone, “we could just add a thin truffle slice to make the dish purr.” Seriously, uninterested and turned off by this overpowering display of in-your-face possibilities. Let us dine. Let us relax and chat and welcome our dining choice rather than secretly dread the restaurant decision.  Did he mention the cost? No need; there were no bites at the table. He quickly tried another approach, also an unsuccessful strategy as he encouraged additional courses. He asked, “Is that it?” Not smooth; not impressive, and not a winning tool.

Yes, dining out can be complicated and expensive with rising food costs and creative plating as chefs struggle with all matters of pricing.  Yet, the annoyingly, cloying waiter needs to remain a caricature and not make a visible presence tableside. Let the diners’ imaginations go wild and let them initiate as in, “could I have the truffle atop that salad, or…”.  You get the picture. Food is expensive enough at high-tiered restaurants without the nagging upsell that has again entered the market space.

Let’s all be hospitable and relax.

The major undertaking of a food exhibit, “What’s Cooking Uncle Sam,” a pop-up restaurant, American Eats Tavern, and a cookbook, Eating with Uncle Sam, has added a whole new chapter to the collections from the Archives and the Presidential libraries. Yes, food has played an important role in our history and much of what we do and comment on today within the universe of food has its earliest roots tied into a major document that has been preserved. Think of the current trendy chef movement toward the healthy concept of Meatless Mondays. It was during World War II that Americans were asked to have a meatless day (Tuesday) and such a tradition remained a strong staple of households many years after the War ended.

Touring the exhibit at the Archives gives one a bountiful repast of our history and how food evolved within the culture. Dining nearby at the Jose Andres restaurant (America Eats Tavern), lets one celebrate our history with a taste of the original recipes. After all how many types of Catsup have evolved over the years! A good way to test your palate. Now it all comes together with this new book.

One of the most discussed posters in the exhibit is entitled “Eat the Carp” which serves as an introduction to the fish chapter which includes a recipe for Paprikosh (1917-20) which today we might call a fish hash. Or try Lady Bird Johnson’s famous Shrimp Squash Casserole.

If sweets are more to your liking, there are plenty of recipes to try including Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipe of Fruit Cake. After all, we wonder how some recipes ever evolved! How about a recipe for Fondant with the accompanying 1917-19 poster “Sugar: Save It.”

These little tastes should help you set a table of historical recipes. If you can’t make it to the Archives before the exhibit closes in early January, then take a You Tube tour.

In the meantime, enjoy the history and the recipes as you recognize the importance of keeping records.

The Subway chain in Oregon and Texas offers gluten-free sandwiches. (The program was rolled out several months ago, but I recently observed the process firsthand–quite different from a press release!) This is a big deal being advertised with banners and in-store literature. Anecdotally, they are reporting an impressive amount of interest and orders.

If you enter a Subway that offers a G-F menu, then you have hit the quick-service, made-to-order sandwich line. Before you scoff and say how could such a large chain pull off the G-F experience, let me share what I witnessed. The staff has been well trained and recognize the contamination possibilities. The roll comes wrapped but never even makes it to the counter until the sandwich person scrubs down the counter, announces that a G-F sandwich is about to be made, does a complete hand wash, and grabs a new pair of gloves. Pretty impressive actually! For those who worry about the isolation preparation. you have an advantage: You watch the process rather than speculate that caution is being followed!

When all is set and ready to go, the G-F sandwich gets further isolated during the preparation selection and ends up in its own specialty bag. What’s the upcharge for this attention to detail? A dollar more for a G-F sandwich: A price that goes down easily.

Maybe other fast food, casual restaurants, and nationwide chains will figure out that offering a gluten-free option is not price prohibitive but rather financially advantageous.

Marketing mainstream reality.

When a diner asks if a piquillo pepper is hot, and the server says “nope.” (That’s true, the piquillo adds a sense of sweetness.) Should the server explain that the heat in the dish comes from chili paprika or just answer the initial question? If a guest asks about spiciness, then the guest either prefers food spicy or wants little heat. It is the server’s responsibility to do a follow-up as in clarifying that the dish itself is spicy. “If you do not like food that spicy, we can prepare the dish without the hot or if you like your meat spiced up, you’ll be quite happy.”

In the particular dish, the spice was overwhelming. Every part of the plate, including the roasted potatoes, was seeped in heavy-handed paprika chiles. No discernible flavor. Just spice.

Who is at fault? Let’s start at the beginning with management. Is there anything more important than service or training, especially when entrees are in the mid 20′s? I firmly believe that training and information are essential components of any sit-down restaurant meal, at any and every price point. After all restaurants depend on diner dollars and diners go out with an expectation of value and pleasure. No one benefits from sloppy or non-existent training.

Diners have certainly become more savvy over the years and have a better understanding of what they are looking for in a meal. A diner does not eat out to take a bite out of a dish, be hit with high intensity heat, and then discover that the dish is cold. Fixing it after the fact is hardly the solution. Solve the problem in the kitchen. In this example we are talking about two levels of heat: Both critical to the success of dinner.

Half answers are reminiscent of the classic “Pink Panther” scene, does your dog bite. To refresh your memory, here is a You Tube clip.

Dining out should be an enjoyable experience. Sure we all eat out sometimes out of necessity, as in “I’m too tired to cook. Let’s grab a bite.” Yet when you make a reservation and have an  image in mind, the establishment needs to come close. Losing business helps no one.

Tell the whole story.

Have you ever sat in a dining room and listened to table talk. I can almost guarantee that if you are in the axis of five tables and someone at each of the tables orders a house salad, not very many will accept it with the designated salad dressing, even with truffle oil! You’ll hear can I have it on the side, or, how about a different dressing. Who’s right? Who gets to make the decision? A significant part of that answer rests with price point. High-end chefs believe more fervently about their decisions.

Diners want some control, and chefs want to maintain head toque control. Last week the New York Times ran a front page article about chefs who absolutely, positively refuse to make adjustments. A few days later, the paper ran opinion responses. We’ve all been in the situation when dining out where we love what is described but have a small, wee, minor change we’d like to make. Not everyone is pleased with this strategy.

So who’s right? The issue is far greater than placing a simple order. There are ever so many people who either through preference or dietary restrictions want to dine at the best, the very latest, the top places. They want to experience what they have been reading about and do not want to be left out of the dining frenzy that is making all the headlines.  Not every chef welcomes the diner who needs adjustments or wants to tweak a dish. Should top restaurants be off limits to guests who want the experience but may be unable to have it as the chef envisions? Should chefs bend or diners skip?

Yes, it is the hospitality industry, and yes, diners have become particular about their flavors and specifics, but should top tier chefs have to accommodate everyone, of every dining ilk, health or otherwise? For many of these restaurants it is not about the customer is always right, but rather a fact of life: This is the way I create. Come to my temple and experience what I can do.

Sorry, many chefs say when they are unable or unwilling to accommodate. Is the ability to pay and to pay handsomely enough to be able to experience almost all the ingredients the chef envisions.

This is a complicated issue on both sides of the table.

The specifics are important. First of all they will stop selling (yes, first they have to finish their stock and commitment orders) the wild species they call at the greatest risk of being overfished. That list includes Atlantic cod and halibut, Chilean sea bass, halibut from Greenland, grouper, monkfish, orange roughy, redfish, shark, skates and rays, swordfish and bluefin tuna. They do not plan to reintroduce these fish into their lineup unless the sources are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The Council identifies itself as “the world’s leading certification  and ecolabelling program for sustainable seafood.”

Secondly, Costco has expanded its relationship with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a non-governmental organization that works closely on sustainable aquaculture issues. Costco has charged them with determining how well the Thailand-based companies that supply farmed shrimp are working to meet the defined standards for shrimp farming. That same approach is being studied with farmed Atlantic salmon. As any Costco shopper knows, Atlantic salmon is a majoone who visits a Costco knows is a major fish product for the company. Again Costco is working with suppliers and making certain that standards are being adhered.

What does this all mean for consumers? Maybe the first step is to applaud Costco’s decision (and other companies that are taking these bold steps) and follow that strategy into our own shopping, regardless of the marketplace. Similarly, when we dine out and find these overfished varietiess on menus, we need to question the establishment. Chefs have plenty of fish to work with that meet sustainability standards and can become beautiful center-of-the plate entrees.

Let’s applaud companies that have solid sustainability programs and likewise recognize restaurants that demonstrate responsible, sustainable performance.

We will all be better off with these actions!

Instead of shrugging me off or giving me the weirdo look, stop and listen. The old world word of choice was VEGAN, but through smart analysis the baggage that term carried with it was replaced with a phrase that seemed to have greater appeal. Yes, there are still plenty of items with the easily tagged V on the label, but the term getting much greater attention is that of plant-based. People who espoused vegetarianism for their whole life seem to have gradually moved in this direction. Anyway, many vegetarians defined their diet with different proteins as in “I’m a vegetarian, but I eat dairy and fish or sometimes, chicken.” It seemed personalized. That seems less true for those who follow the plant-based approach which eliminates dairy all together and strict adherents cut out all animal-based products. Yet, as with vegetarianism, there are numerous products that simulate taste for those who still, for example, want that cream cheese (tofu-based) on their morning bagel.

As we watched the product expansion in the G-F line, so will this particular food emergence continue to grow. When a small, non-chain restaurant readily understands you want your burrito without cheese and answers, “no problem, vegan, right,” you know the impact will spread. When you talk to former vegetarians who switched to the complete elimination of animal byproducts, the one sentence you hear repeatedly is “I feel healthier.” Anecdotal, for sure, but if it works, it works. 

Oprah ran a week of shows about eliminating all animal-based products from your diet. Those who follow what former President Bill Clinton is up to will note that his weight loss has been significant. It is about more than weight-loss that proves to be an attractive factor. The well-recognized book, The China Study spells it out as does research from numerous doctors and medical facilities in terms of helping people lower cholesterol, lessen the likelihood of various diseases,  and be able to live a healthier life.

Will you lose weight or generally be a healthier person without all the additives that regularly get added to food? A note of importance: As with all food selections, look for those with the purest, fewest ingredients. When you can, the rule of five–that’s a good ingredient maximum. No matter your approach, you know what the vitamin and mineral rituals you need to follow. President Clinton begins his day with a protein supplement. Know what you need.

In the meantime, watch the shelves fill with improved selections as plant-based living becomes this year’s G-F darling. No one denies that some diseases command G-F products or that health reasons dictate becoming a Vegan, but those who follow trends will notice an increase in shelf-space for those with a “V.”

Overall, a healthier society with the less is more approach.

Giving them away as an all-inclusive price does not necessarily succeed for a long-term, non restaurant week basis. Yet when a restaurant decides that they can adjust their prices by eliminating the “included” in favor of charging for sides, the diner is left with an important decision. The prior $24 meal with two sides now costs over $30. The restaurant benefits. The customer needs to decide. This side-no side entree scenario is becoming more commonplace in the mid-tier market. Restaurants feel the same food pinch that home chefs and families feel: Rising food costs. Making this type of menu shift where the diner decides about an additional plate item can especially benefit a mid-tier restaurant.

Other changes a customer might notice is the center of the plate concept. More restaurants are shifting to increased garnishes as in a larger handful of chopped lettuce so the plate does not sit empty. One tiny piece of parsley does not do the trick! We know how everyone can save some money: Skip the tomatoes until they are again tasty and bursting with flavor. Not now!

Eliminating included sides or salads, increasing garnishes, and switching cuts of meat are three strategies becoming more prevalent in the current restaurant climate. The meat industry has plenty of so-called lesser cuts that work as well in maintaining price. We are seeing more hanger and flat iron steaks, for instance, for nightly dinner specials as they can be made juicy and tasty with the right cooking technique but save the restaurant and the diner an appreciable amount of money.

All these trends are at work almost simultaneously as the diner continues to watch his dining out dollars and restaurants find themselves struggling with spiraling food costs and potential waste.

The improved dining out scene still faces tumultuous times. We can survive together.

Yes, few people will notice the difference between a 5 or a 6 oz serving of a chicken breast, but will notice that the plate is filled with an assortment of other foods so the main protein does not look so lonely. A handful of lettuce, although its price has gone up handsomely, too, is still less expensive for a restaurant than sticking with the larger ounced protein.

Portion sizes are not the only items shrinking. At the grocery store, many companies have left a product’s price the same, but reduced its size. Tricky, eh! Add 10 minutes for additional label-reading.

Maybe food delivery services will continue to thrive (Amazon is planning a major new national program roll-out) as consumers  feel more secure trying to make that $4 a gallon gas last longer and take advantage of delivery specials! The program worked in Washington state so why not Washington, DC? The East Coast awaits.

Some of the obvious jumps are in foods from Florida or California and the end result, as in orange juice. Way up. Grain prices are way up so bread costs are higher which means your favorite sandwich will be a more precious commodity.

Every business is struggling to figure out how to make money and not raise prices too much. It’s kind of a good news-bad news scenario. As in hotels which have been holding prices down and offering lots of sales, but now that consumers are traveling more again, you guessed it: Prices are up.

The consumer is at the other end of the equation trying to figure out what to buy and what needs to be shelved. This equation has few easy answers. As some would say, time will tell or it’s time to make lemonade!

In the meantime, watch how the price of gas, the cost of products, and the sheer energy involved in production affect our bottom line! Not pretty.

One hotel brand is not sitting by and waiting for guests to fill their dining room. That would be Marriott’s Courtyard brand. Not one to do commercials for a property or a restaurant, I still need to applaud the new bistro concept. The re-energized approach has solved a number of problems, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

As an aside it should be noted that I have eaten in a broad-range of hotel restaurants run by famous chefs and those that exist merely to service guests. Not all are destination restaurants and many hotel chains have gone out of their way to dismiss the dining experience at hotels.

What used to be pro forma for a Courtyard has changed. All new properties are designed with an open feel and dining is no longer the boring breakfast buffet, but a bistro-type experience that extends its offerings into all meal parts. Staffing needs are minimal depending on the time of day, and guest requests are easily served.

The breakfast restaurant/buffet concept has been replaced by a much more user-friendly approach that incorporates a grab-n-go philosophy with a limited hot order menu. Another plus is that service is available through the three meal parts, and tables are ready with free coffee urns ready to make any wait a more pleasant experience.

How about several computer stations adjacent to the table space and a more casual adjacent living room! All pluses and major improvements over the older format.

Why does this work? First off, the food options are manageable in terms of execution and price. If you want a cup of fruit or yogurt, that’s an option just as a scrambler breakfast choice. For those who have special coffee needs, ahem, me, they can make a Starbucks espresso or cappuccino, or your favorite combination. No need to take your money out of house!

Concepts are only as good as the times. The times have changed. More travelers are on limited travel budgets with greater receipt scrutiny. The Courtyard’s open environment makes such an adjustment a pleasant one.

Now if they would only change all of their older properties into this new, more welcoming approach with its accessible food option, then the words hotel and restaurant would not be approached with a scowl.

This proves it can work, and the traveling public has an affordable food-friendly option.

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.

It was not that long ago that the slogan, “It’s the Economy, Stupid,” carried an election. Maybe the current restaurant malaise and burger elevation should help bring back that mantra. When you see the growth of a local DC area hamburger chain into one of the largest franchised companies in the country, you know what’s talking. Money and burgers are the winning order at Five Guys–you don’t need that much  money to get a decent, never frozen burger, Maybe the fact that they sell over 250,000 a day should convince you of that ratio! If you’re looking for the old-fashioned burger spot where you can cool your heels with a scoop of peanuts, you’re part of the restaurant’s growing popularity. Who would have figured their slow nationwide roll out would have such a positive, long-term effect? Maybe not me. They did!

High-end burger spots are just as common and dot many a commercial corridor. Bobby Flay, of Food Network fame and Laurent Tourondel, better known for his earlier BLT steakhouses have happily joined the burger brigade. The irony is that the basic fast food burger is still there, but when you study their lines, you hear customers selecting a wide variety of foods.  Plenty of homegrown chefs and restaurant owners have keyed in on the possibilities and find the translation does nicely in the cash register. The basic burger can easily be upscaled for a lot less money.

It’s the Burger, Silly that tells us the economy is still the pivotal point of dining out.

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.

First of all, not everyone accesses email all day long. Secondly, advanced and agreed upon details should not give a restaurant carte blanche, sorry couldn’t help myself, permission to make significant changes. When a group has been told that lunch hour is extremely busy but they can be accommodated if they preselect an agreed upon menu, then no further discussion is necessary. Certainly, the host should not arrive at the restaurant and be told that last-minute changes were made via email does not guarantee a positive experience. Email has its limitations. Phones still are preferable, but last minute changes cannot be a one-sided proposition: Two parties need to concur.

Remember the old adage: The customer is always right. The corollary, not in this case, just leaves a bad taste and results in diners or guests at the table deciding the restaurant does not deserve future business. Word-of-mouth may help or harm an establishment. A bad call is a bad call! Baseball demonstrated better manners than this!

The mild confrontation ended with the restaurant being over-solicitous to everyone at the table, to the point of their being too present. If the service model continues to rankle more diners than any other question on food surveys, then there is a lot to learn from such a poor display of restaurant strategy.

The economy is far from a solid investment at the moment, and restaurants should be thrilled to have group business. They need to show their appreciation and not confuse an otherwise fortuitous venture.

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.

Now the Maryland chef has company in Virginia as Craig Hartman with his fine dining pedigree does double duty. As the executive chef  at the Orient-Express property (Keswick Hall) in Keswick, VA and its fine dining approach to guest pleasure at its fine dining Fossett’s Restaurant, he has one type of demanding clientele. When he shifts gears, he heads to the smoker with his own restaurant that tests the mettle for real Southerners: Bar BQ. The recently opened BarBQ Exchange in Gordonsville, VA shows a talented chef can simultaneously be master of several cuisines as disparate as these two. OK, it helps if your wife is ready to run the Exchange and you have time to be the top toque at a demanding restaurant. Then such a juggle gives true fulfillment.

What Evans and Hartman demonstrate is an understanding of foods and the ability to conceptualize, cook, and execute. Hartman is the first to admit that you just don’t put the meat in an oven and wait for it to pop out as barbq. Time plays the fool as this slow-cooking process needs fine-tuning attention and has to meet the demands of an audience as critical in many ways as the one for fine dining.

Maybe the BBQ crowd proves even more demanding as everyone plays the connoisseur’s hand and discusses the merits of the meats and the sauces. Think of some of the great festivals that extol the ritual: Memphis in May ranks near the top of the list. Let’s see who comes out as a champion this year! Name a BBQ city such as Kansas City and you’ll understand partisan dialogue from the Gates to Arthur Bryant’s crowd and to some of the other player’s such as Jack Stack. One city; so many opinions and options!

Restaurants can’t even agree on the spelling of the food, so how can there be just a single barbecue style? No way.

Whatever fence you straddle, one fact remains: Talent is talent and smoked brisket doesn’t lie. Just slice it correctly!

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.