Slow service? Maybe it’s you, not them

During a research outing not that long ago we were going through our usual checklist:

• What did the wine list look like?

• Did we like the host and waitperson?

• Did the place look clean?

• What wine were we going to order?

During that time we barely noticed when a couple with a young child was seated next to us. When we looked up we were struck by the fact the two adults had their heads tilted to their cellphones, ignoring the child and menus.

That definitely prompted a short, critical conversation among us old folks.

That reminded us of the restaurant owner we chatted with last year who told us about the time he walked up to check on a table with four young adults – they didn’t know he was there because all four were busy with their cellphones.

The owner wandered off without acknowledgement to greet other customers and when he passed by the table a bit later, the four noses were still down, though the waiter had done his job up to that point.

We put those two things together after we found an online story about a popular New York City restaurant that was getting hammered in online reviews for long waits and slow service.

Fingers initially pointed at the staff until they compared security tapes from 10 years apart.

The reasons for the slower service? Customers who were:

• Playing with their cellphones before looking at menus,

• Asking the wait staff to take pictures of the group, and

• Complaining about food not being hot enough after taking pictures with their cellphones to post on social media and responding during the meal.

It also added up to the discovery that a sitting went from an hour and five minutes to just shy of two hours for (the above) obvious reasons.

This is where it gets sticky for the restaurant. You don’t want to rush customers, but restaurants survive by moving people through in an efficient manner.

If the peak eating time is 6 to 9 p.m., you can tell in the old days they would have three sittings per table. That has now dropped to two.

It doesn’t take a math major to figure out the issues.

We are definitely having growing pains dealing with a technological society and how it relates to social manners. When cars first hit the road, there weren’t speed limits. What sort of rules are there in the future for cellphones in a restaurant?

When a restaurant is established – heck, even a business plan for an eatery – the expectation is for selling a certain number of meals a day, the price loosely set to pay the bills. Just check the price of the beer in the Peacock Lounge vs. Dave’s Tavern, which sells more beer and is paying less rent.

If daily covers go down because people are taking that much longer to turn their table over, then prices simply have to go up to cover the set costs.

We have to admit, that was us once. Visiting a new hot spot downtown for a special occasion, we got a little carried away in our conversation. Well after we were done eating, with the bill paid, we tarried over our last bit of wine. We looked up to see a decent crowd waiting for tables. The restaurateur was horrified and didn’t hold back in getting us out of there.

No matter how welcome a staff makes you feel – and that is very important to us in our dining decisions – don’t lose sight of the fact that your relationship with them is business, and if you enjoy the relationship and want it to continue, you have to do your part. Enjoy a leisurely meal, but as you wrap up, be aware of people waiting to spend their money.

Now, for a long overdue recommendation

There is a place here that if you don’t visit it would be like living in San Francisco and never walking the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a terrific blend of scenery, music, food, our wonderful summer evenings and good wine: Arbor Crest, on a hill overlooking Spokane Valley.

For a nominal fee, you can picnic or buy food there (from Beacon Hill Catering), listen to a wide variety of local music and enjoy a glass of good wine, while reveling in the beauty we are blessed with. At times there are craft fairs or car shows.

This has become so popular that the Sunday night routine is being repeated during the week with no charge. The great thing about it is it can be a spur-of-the-moment decision, depending on the weather.

It is a great, relaxing way to end a weekend.