Why A Lack Of Attention To Detail Baffles And Frustrates Me
Little things can turn into big things at bars and restaurants. When a place fails at the most basic elements of customer service and attention to detail, I notice. And sometimes I write a column about it.
I am a stickler for paying attention to detail. It is important in reporting and it has served me well in my public relations career.
So when I see something that lacks attention, it gets my attention. When I see it in bars and restaurants, I scratch my head and wonder first, how the place stays in business and second, how could management be so blind to it? My best guess on the latter is that they are so close to it that obvious things are not so obvious to them. They can’t see the forest for the trees. Then again, maybe they either don’t care or are not just good at their job. Who’s to say?
I bring this up because of an experience I had at a pricey seafood restaurant in San Diego. It’s a popular place but I had never been to it so when my friend and I settled down at its bar for a couple of drinks and some food before going to the Luke Bryan concert, I was kind of excited because I like experiencing new places. But right off the bat I could spot its shortcomings. I don’t mind giving you the name of the place because I want people to know and want management to see it. The restaurant is Water Grill in the Gaslamp Quarter/East Village.
Upon sitting at the bar, it took several minutes to get the attention of a bartender and several more to get our drinks. Yes, it was a busy scene because of the concert but the place was well staffed with four to five people behind the bar. Dressed in vests and long-sleeve white shirts, the all-male bartenders would take a quick look at a customer and if you didn’t order something right then, would turn away. It was like trying to get the attention of waiter in a Paris cafe by Notre Dame. When my friend inquired about what steaks they have – again, this is a high-end place – the bartender pushed a menu toward him, opened it to a page, pointed to the steaks and said “these.” He then looked up at the ceiling as if to say “well hurry up, will ya!?”
When he came to me, I figured I had exactly three seconds to order. I wasn’t all that hungry so I asked if they have clam chowder. “Okay, clam chowder” the bartender said, yanking the menu out from in front of me. As he was pulling away I asked for a water. When none arrived after about five minutes I had to ask again when he made a rare appearance in my area. Later, a gentleman sat next to me, ordered (eventually) a glass of wine, waited a loooong time for it and watched the bartender pour a glass from a bottle that was not the brand he ordered. The bartender then put that glass in front of him and started to back away. Attention to detail! When the guy pointed out it was wrong wine, the bartender seemed irritated.
My chowder, a bowl of which cost $15, was just mediocre. And if a restaurant can’t make a decent bowl of chowder, what does that say about the rest of the kitchen? My friend said his steak was good but he was really hungry and that could have clouded his opinion.
So in my one visit to this place, my impression was that the bartenders at Water Grill seemed to think they were more important than the customers. I felt like telling them that we were the ones sitting down, but instead I just began to think about how some bars and restaurants just don’t have, and pardon my word here, their shit together.
I see a lot of this, with unwiped countertops, bartenders that get agitated if a customer doesn’t order the very second he or she approaches them, a table that has not been cleared for several minutes, bathrooms that lack soap or paper towels and a myriad of other items that lack attention to detail. One of my pet peeves is a sign out front for a special or Happy Hour that the bar or restaurant does not honor. “Oh, Happy Hour ended an hour ago,” a bartender once told me. “We just haven’t brought in the sign.” That’s on the manager. Attention to detail!
Yes, I’m venting a bit here but sometimes The Nightlife Blogger needs to point out shortcomings in places. Otherwise, those places will always have shortcomings.
The Nightlife Blogger is the bar columnist for PubClub.com, An award-winning journalist, Kevin Wilkerson has spent more than two decades covering bars, nightlife, destinations and events around the world, always searching for the stories and experiences most travelers overlook.
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