‘Less art, more FOOD!’
Following the recent local controversy involving anonymous restaurant bloggers (Blog Bashers Face Wrath, Mercury 15/3/2010; http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/03/14/133805_food-wine.html) we thought we’d take a peek at what was being said about us in cyberspace. It didn’t take long to uncover this piece, posted on the Mercury website some time ago and highlighting another extreme of dissatisfied diner:
‘I went to Meadowbank for lunch last weekend and was disgusted with the food (if you can call it that). Spent $120 and had to call into maccca’s[sic] on the way home 
Simon West, how about putting some actual FOOD on the plates, there is absolutely nothing on the menu that is hearty or satisfying, and the wines I tried were very ordinary. Less art, more FOOD!’
Posted by: Never again! of Meadowbank
Unlike “Bill”, on his now very well documented recent night out (“I then laid the palms of both my hands on the food in the paella dish”) , “Never again!” and his party dined and departed without a word of complaint and we were totally unaware of his disappointment until an extremely aggitated phone call later that afternoon, not wanting to ‘make a scene’ in the restaurant.
While behaviour such as Bill’s is unlikely to elicit the sympathy of our wait staff, we would like to stress that there is often a happy medium to be found between causing a scene on the one hand, and not wanting to cause one on the other.
Firstly, if there’s a problem let us know. Remember though that politeness goes a long way; while the theoretical uber-waiter will remain cool, calm, and collected regardless of what is thrown at them, we are all human. Even the most experienced professional will on occasion falter when confronted by a prickly patron with their back out of joint, and the younger ones can be absolutely terrified by over-assertive diners. Happy waiters are better waiters, and a few soft strokes will get you everywhere. And if you’re prone to ego fuelled fits of food theatre like “Bill” then stay at home and seek some therapy.
This is by no means a magical cure-all to all of life’s culinary concerns. We’ve all had disappointing nights out where the service and/or the food was just plain bad, and have rightfully felt short changed by the experience. Just remember that waiters aren’t robots or mind readers (though some can come close) and leaping on the offensive or suffering in silence doesn’t do anyone any good.
And regarding Never again!’s parting demand for ‘less art, more FOOD!’, all we can say is that McDonalds may well be more his thing. While our new head chef may in time choose to make some changes to the entree style format of our menu, it most certainly will not be at the expense of his art – we have no immediate plans to replace the Meadowbank ‘M’ with a pair of golden arches.