Kate Hopkins at the Accidental Hedonist posted recently about A Diner’s Bill of Rights and a reciprocal, Restaurateur’s Bill of Rights. I like both and, of course, have comments about them.
Leslie Kelly, a writer for the Seattle Post Intelligencer, compiled the Diner’s Bill of Rights below:
• Diners deserve to be treated courteously, to be greeted warmly at the door and thanked on the way out.
• Diners deserve to be waited on by a properly trained staff working in a properly staffed dining room.
• Diners deserve to hear the list of specials with the price included. Don't make us ask.
• Diners deserve to be addressed as anything other than the generic "guys," as in "What can I bring you guys?" to a table full of women. Ladies and gentlemen is fine. Ma'am and sir may seem retro-stiff, but let's bring it back.
• Diners deserve to be treated as guests, not as if they're burdens. No water glass should go dry, nor dirty dish be left long after the last bite has been taken. No diner's butchered pronunciation of a dish should be corrected. Eyes definitely should not be rolled.
• Single diners deserve a prime table, too, not a spot in Siberia.
• Diners deserve to be satisfied with their meals. When a member of the waitstaff asks "Is everything tasting wonderful?" and it's not, the diner has the right to say so and have that complaint addressed promptly. It's important that a restaurant be given the chance to make it right.
• Diners deserve to determine the pace of the meal. If you'd like to linger over appetizers before ordering entrees, say so. Don't bring the main course while I'm in the middle of my salad. If diners are pressed for time, trying to make a play or a concert and they let the wait staff know in advance, the guests shouldn't have to go hunting for the server to deliver the bill.
The only one I really disagree with is "Diners deserve to be treated as guests, not as if they're burdens. No water glass should go dry, nor dirty dish be left long after the last bite has been taken. No diner's butchered pronunciation of a dish should be corrected. Eyes definitely should not be rolled."
Please, don't take my dish quickly or hover over me waiting for me to be finished. Please, don't take my companion's dish before I'm finished. Both make me feel rushed. Please wait until all the diners at the table are finished with the course and then take our dishes. You may politely, tactfully, correct my mispronunciation. A roll of your eyes will decimate your tip.
Kate, the Accidental Hedonist, responded with the Restaurateur’s Bill of Rights:
• A restaurant has the right to expect that a person who makes a reservation, will be on time for that reservation, and not show up twenty minutes early or twenty minutes late and still expect to be seated.
• A restaurant has the right to expect the customers to not steal napkins, silverware, salt and pepper shakers or anything else that does not belong to the customer.
• A restaurant has the right to expect the customers are respectful of other eaters on the premises.
• A restaurant has the right to question anyone who has eaten over half of a meal and then send it back saying they don't like it and they won't pay for it.
• A restaurant has the right to question anyone who demands a seat on a busy Saturday by claiming they know the chef or owner of the restaurant.
• A restaurant has the right to refuse service to anyone who orders something that is not on the menu. This includes making "chicken fingers" for little Johnny.
I completely agree with Kate's Bill of Rights, especially customers being respectful of other customers. Recently, DO and I ate at a restaurant where we had to raise our voices significantly to hear one another. We were seated rather closely. It was, supposedly, a nicer restaurant.
Kate’s full article can be found at The Accidental Hedonist.
I am behind on several blog posts of my own and hope to have several for you next week, including the two from my Coming Attractions post.
