A post last week by the Insatiable Critic brought to mind the fable of The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey. For those not up to date on their Aesop’s Fables, the moral of the tale was that you can’t please everyone all of the time. For an industry that is betrothed to hospitality and satisfaction, the aforementioned is reluctantly accepted as general knowledge. In the Insatiable Critic’s post, Peeved: I do not Enjoy, she put out the welcome mat for grievances, allowing those inclined to rant about their favorite dining peeves.
Although one or two comments could be construed as arbitrary—evidently there are those out there who carry heavy disdain for flavored butters—most were valid. Several of the gripes patterned around intrusive service. Too much service was stranded on the same island as inadequate service for the reason that both equated to bad service.
Contributors wrote in about longwinded food descriptions impeding dinner, over zealous bottled water distribution and a particular favorite: anxious wine service.
One contributor commented:
Servers refill your wine glass after you’ve only taken 2 sips! I always tell the server I will pour my own wine.
While another stated:
I hate the over pouring of wine… We’ve stopped that by telling the server that we’ll pour our own wine and it works.
Ouch. How dangerous would it be if all patrons insisted on pouring their own wine? Stay tuned for a list of some fabulous dry cleaners.