There are many restaurants of all kinds and types in this fair land of ours. Of course when we first moved here in 2000 most of them were elsewhere. There were very few restaurants in or around The Villages so we had to go to Ocala, Leesburg or elsewhere to find what we wanted. There are many things that I never wanted to do in my life and one of them was to own or run a restaurant.
The reason, of course, is that you have to deal with people. People can be very finicky about their food. My Dad owned a small hot dog, hamburger, milkshake type of place (he also sold magazines, cigarettes etc.) and even then people would find something about which to complain. He only lasted a year and went into another business.
The largest problem is that people can get really abusive if something isn’t cooked the way they think it should be. I have literally seen jerks throw food because it wasn’t “medium rare” as they defined the term. Personally the only time I ever send back food was when the restaurant put runny grits on my bacon and egg plate – and I hadn’t even ordered them. In fact, I didn’t even know what they were at the time. Everyone present did agree that I was within my rights. I took no chances in re-ordering and said that I just wanted a crispy waffle. When it came it was not crispy, but I was going to put syrup on it anyhow. Everyone knows that once you put syrup on a waffle no matter how crispy it is, you are going to end up with a soggy waffle.
Then there was the time a number of years ago in Minnesota that we took our daughter to a place that had a good reputation for pancakes. Our daughter has a disability and when you promise her something that sticks in her mind and one needs to be prepared to back up what you promised or otherwise there can be heck to pay. Thus, we went to this highly rated pancake emporium and ordered pancakes. We then waited, and waited and waited some more. We dared not leave as we had promised pancakes! Finally, the server came and indicated that she was sorry but they had a new cook and it was his first day. After the orders had come in – others as well as ours – they had found out that the cook could only make one dinner at a time.
Obviously, finding good help is another problem that those who run a restaurant have. In the above, we waited some more and the pancakes finally did come and were in pretty good order. In addition, they told us that we did not have to pay which was certainly nice. We did go back again and found that either they had another cook or the first cook figured out how to make more than one meal at a time. The Blonde in the house and I were reminded of this the other night as we were in a favorite restaurant (right here next to The Villages so no trips to distant cities) and ordered our favorite meal. We waited longer than usual and noted that others were also waiting. When the food did come, the Blonde noticed that it did not look quite the same as what we were used to. She asked if they had a new cook. They did, but it was obvious that he could cook for more than one person at a time – it just took him a little longer. We did not return anything and everybody was happy – including others who had waited.
I am certain that we all have seen or heard disturbances in restaurants caused by people (who else?). The owner or the manager has to grin and put up a nice front no matter who is right or wrong.
While it is recognized that the restaurant operation can be at fault, it is still one heck of a life trying to meet everyone’s requirements. Accordingly, it is suggested that a petition be signed asking Congress to pass a law declaring the third week in August as National Appreciate the Restaurant Owner Week. Heck, Congress might even agree on something and adopt it! Worth trying!!
Villager Barry Evans writes about Life in The Villages for Villages-News.com.
