Most of our customers have heard our line about in-cafe WIFI. "We don't have WIFI. We're about conversation." Too many times we've watched (at other dining establishments) families eating with each member texting/searching/watching away. Apparently that's where you find answers to the questions "how was your day?" "what do you think about whatever in the news today?" and so on.
Often the theme in these blog posts is "finding something to eat" and that was the challenge last night. After debating which Asian restaurant had the best noodle salad and deciding that the closer (and less appealing salads) was not an option we headed to White Bear Lake to one of our favorite establishments. This review is not going to mention the name because every once in a while everything goes wrong on the business side and that's what happened.
They offer a remote "get in line" application. John had recently updated the operating system (IOS for your geeks) on his iPhone and thought that to be the problem with the app not working. We pulled over and did an application update. It worked fine, took our name and party size (2) and special requests (none) and then said our request could not be processed but told us the wait was 15-30 minutes. Getting in line remotely is cool but it failed and we decided to go the old fashioned way and just go get in line.
At the restaurant the first clue was two people at the reception desk with iPads (or comparable tablets) trying to figure our what was going on. The simple approach to seating is a map of seating options, a wax pen and a list of people waiting. Unfortunately we were witnessing a tablet/paper system meltdown. Text messages were being sent, hostesses were walking around with slips of paper looking for people in line, empty tables remained empty and vacated tables remained uncleaned.
As owners we recognized a meltdown in process and should have just left but we sat and waited our turn, watching the bonfire. Finally seated amid numerous empty uncleaned tables we waited extensively for our watron and noted that no food was coming out of the kitchen. Of course patrons and off-duty workers were joking and talking with the kitchen staff in the open air kitchen. It should be noted that these people had their drinks above the food prep area (food preparation violation #1).
Apparently the watron who stopped at our table was not our watron. We appeared to be 'off the grid' of the establishments iPad service system. It should be noted that by this time the manager was walking around with his iPad looking at tables and poking at the iPad, not talking to his staff or patrons. It reminded us of the families dining with their iPhones and not talking. We were witnessing a manager not talking to his staff and providing directions but sending messages and looking at tablet icons. He may have been legitimately working to change whatever icons he had from one color to another but talking might have been a good first step.
We ordered drinks and dinner. John's beverage did not arrive for fifteen minutes. Actually after fifteen minutes the watron showed up and said they no longer carried that beverage (it was a primary reason for the visit). Ordering the salad to share and side dish we waited. The uncleaned tables around us remained uncleaned for 45 minutes. John, frequently on the 'clean the tables' task at Marianne's Kitchen, kept looking around for cleaning supplies. The manager walked through three or four times with his iPad, poking away, probably sending messages to the absent busboy to clean the tables. Maybe too many people were watching movies and their bandwidth was staturated.
The salad was overdressed by a factor of three. Linda ended up with a pool of dressing on her plate, far more oil than what would be needed to cook the next meal or dress the next three or four salads. The bread was under-baked, a real dough ball and the peppers and onions of the peppers, onions and sausage, a real delight in previous visits had spent enough time over a flame that they were without flavor, mushy (that's a technical food term) and indistinguishable.
The watron did stop and ask how we like the salad and food. We responded that it was not up to their standards. She did correctly offer to bring another salad and another dish but when a meltdown is in process what is the point. We asked for the check.
Openly visible kitchen space is fun. You get to watch preparation and cooking and presentation and the dynamics of a fine-tuned staff...sometimes. Waiting for our check we noted that the two people doing salads were doing it bare-handed. You will never see us do bare-handed food preparation and Marianne's Kitchen. The food guideline is that you cannot touch food barehanded that is not going to be cooked before it gets to the consumer and obviously you cannot touch it after it is cooked either. We all wear gloves when touching your food.
We stood up and went to the hostess desk since our bill was not appearing. On the verge of leaving the manager finally showed up and said "I understand there was a problem with your meal." We responded affirmatively and then pointed out the two salad guys were were bare-handing the ingredients and alternately whiping their hands on their aprons. The manager responded that that was fine and that they washed their hands between each operation. We noted that that had not happened during our hour there. The manager turned and walked away. This was an opportunity for him to say "I'm sorry we did not meet your expectations. Here's your card back. Please come join us again another night." He just walked away. After a few more minutes the watron showed up. We paid and left.
It's difficult to find staff and sometimes you are short of help, you run out of food and supplies, equipment falters, etc., but as managers and owners you have the opportunity to communicate with people waiting in line, customers waiting for their food, check in with those eating and personally thank them for coming. It's all about communication, just as sitting in that West St. Paul kitchen of Linda's aunt was all about talking. "Dinner will be done in a few minutes." "How do you like the soup?" "Let me help!" We don't have any iPad service applications at Marianne's Kitchen and other than a register application we never will.
As always, we'll ask what you want, make recommendations, check-in during your meal and personally thank you for coming.
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