It's Waaaaay Not Gourmet Food

Gourmet food at Wendy's?

Almost seems like a joke right?

Earlier this week I drove past a local Wendy's and their sign out front proudly promoted: "Try our Gourmet Mushroom Swiss Burger". I was so entertained and confused I almost drove clear off of the road. I didn't have my camera with me, but I considered pulling over to take a picture of the sign because I thought it was a restaurant's desperate attempt to try and bring people in to try a new burger.

Later that same night I saw a commercial for Wendy's Gourmet Mushroom Swiss Burger. What the heck?

Here is the definition of Gourmet Food: food of the highest quality and flavor, prepared well and presented in an artful manner. A gourmet restaurant is: one considered to serve the highest quality food.

Wendy's give us Frosty's and Good Old Fashioned Burgers! You're not a gourmet restaurant!

More info about the Mushroom Swiss Burger here. (Let me know if you're brave enough to try this bad boy)

Thankful for Restaurants

Ah, Thanksgiving. Quite possibly one of the best Holidays of the entire year.

It's the only day we literally wake up and have only one goal: EAT. We then spend most of our day waiting for the glorious time to come when we finally get to chow down.

Interestingly enough, even though Thanksgiving is committed to food/eating almost every single restaurant is closed.

Today you couldn't get Starbucks, Chipotle, Panera, Olive Garden, or Chick-fil-A. Sure some local bars might have been open, but other than that you couldn't get any of your favorite foods/drinks.

I suppose on Thanksgiving it's not that big of a deal. After all, you're counting on your mom/grandma/spouse or crazy aunt to cook for you, and you spent all day sitting on your butt at home waiting for the food to come out.

But, can you imagine living tomorrow without any restaurants? Can you fathom not having restaurant service and food available to you? No coffee, no drinks, no burgers, no salads, no chicken sandwiches, no steak, no bagels. Maybe you would just eat leftovers from today, or maybe it would be the worst day of your entire life.

I think we take for granted what restaurants give us. We don't realize how involved in our lives they are. Every day they open their doors to us, welcome us in and want to give us all an amazing experience. The chefs/owners spend countless hours preparing everything perfectly just for us.

In many ways, restaurants are the heartbeat of America. Think about the life moments that happen over a restaurant table every single day: people get engaged, laugh, cry, fall in love, plan, get a job, get fired, have meetings, share stories, or gossip. You could sum it up by saying: restaurants provide human connection like nothing else in life. A day without restaurants wouldn't just be a day without food, but also a day without important connections.

Today, I'm thankful for restaurants. Thankful for the service they provide to us, grateful for the food they prepare, and most importantly thrilled that every day they gives us a place to talk, work, laugh and live.

Tick....Tick....Tick....

Your time, above anything else is the most precious thing you own.

Everyday you make important decisions on how to spend your time. Where you will go, who you will talk to, what you will read, what you watch on TV, and most importantly - where you eat.

Sometimes restaurants steal our time. They take advantage of it and don't respect it. Below are a few short stories of recent time robberies.

Eating Alone
When you're eating in a restaurant everyone's food should always come out at the same time. That means that if you're eating with your girlfriend, her dinner shouldn't come out 5 minutes before yours. So....why does this always happen?

At First Watch this weekend 3 of us got our food in a prompt amount of time. The last person however didn't get her scrambled eggs until I had shoved half my food down my throat. The worst part.....the other person got pancakes and they had a simple request: Heated Sugar Free Syrup. Not difficult.......but it was.

After the scrambled eggs came out and my plate was nearly cleaned. We asked for the syrup again. Their response, "Oh they're heating it up." About 2 minutes later we asked again,"It will be out in 1 second."

As I was cleaning my plate the syrup finally came out. The pancakes were cold.

You know what's awesome? Eating your food alone when everyone else at the table is done.

Food Delay
Christine writes in....

"I was at Blue Martini this weekend with some friends. We ordered a cheese plate and three small flat breads.....it took an HOUR just for the appetizers to come out.

When I started questioning what happened all I got was excuses.

'We get slammed during happy hour.'

'The bartender didn't put the order in.'

I was FURIOUS. There was no reason we should have to wait an hour for a cold cheese plate and some flat breads!! After I complained they compensated us by bringing out the largest cheese platter I have ever seen....but we never saw the Manager and we didn't get an apology.

How does this happen and no one seem to care?

Timing is Everything
I go to restaurants over and over and over again and it always takes forever or the timing is wrong: Free bread comes out before drinks. I get my soup after my entree. I'm halfway through dinner before I get a refill.

In an ideal world, this is what should happen:

1. Get greeted by the server within 30 seconds of sitting down
2. Have drinks in 2 minutes after the order is taken
3. If I order an appetizer get it at the table within 4-6min
4. My salad should come out 2-3 minutes after I'm done with the appetizer
5. Drink Refill
6. HOT entree goes down, salad plate comes up. It should by synchronous, seamless and perfect.
7. Refill
8. Give me my check and drink to go.

These steps take great chemistry, organization and execution from the kitchen and service staff.

However it's something we should demand as consumers. Our time is more important than anything else. After waiting 20 minutes for a table at a popular restaurant the last thing we want is slow, inconsiderate service with food that comes out at random times or doesn't come out at all...

Time is wasting! Next time you eat out - demand perfection!

Golden, Crispy, Greasy, Salty Addiction

Grrr....stupid McDonald's and their deliciously fattening french fries.

They're golden, crispy, greasy, salty and flippin fantastic.

For the past several weeks McDonald's has been running their Monopoly promotion. Frankly, I'm far too lazy to keep all of the game pieces they pass out and try to make them add up to anything.

However, every now and then my wife and I would win a Free Medium Fries. Actually, we won quite a bit (we drink iced tea a lot from McDonald's) and pretty soon every time we went to McDonald's to get an iced tea we could redeem a free medium fry as well.

As you might imagine this led to an........obsession. Unfortunately, the addicting McDonald's Monopoly promotion ended this week.....which means no more free medium fries.

It's a shame, and McDonald's did exactly what they wanted to do. They made me try their tasty fries and now every time I go to McDonald's I want fries. I know they're bad for me. I know they are just frozen fries in a bag in the back of the restaurant. But, I don't care.

AAAAAAAHHH!!!DAMN YOU MCDONALD'S!!!!!!

Favorite Restaurant

Does this restaurant look familiar?

In it's glory days, it was someone's favorite restaurant. But, then one day, guests stopped coming in. Why?

The restaurant didn't change. The service went downhill, the food quality was poor and the atmosphere was never updated. Finally...it turned into this...

The restaurant industry is now a full blown war for survival. The untimely fall of some is unfortunate, but the survivors must battle on.

Guests demand bold changes! Updated menus! Remarkable service! Memorable Experiences! Otherwise.....every restaurant will have the same fate as this one.

Here is our 10 steps to save them.

More Free Bread

Ah yes. The free bread at restaurants is one of the great joys in life.

I often find myself making a decision on where to go eat based on the free bread they offer. It's just so good. Most decent restaurants will bring you free bread at some point during the dining experience...and it's usually a highlight of the evening. How do you feel when it doesn't happen? You're left at your table quietly wondering, "Where the HECK is the free bread?!?!" If a restaurant doesn't offer free bread.....why even bother going?

We really don't take advantage of this sweet deal enough though. Think about it. When is the last time you asked for seconds on the free bread? Is it wrong? Is it improper? I say.....no. You came for the free bread anyway, you might as well get as much as you want.

Below is a list of the restaurants that I know offer free bread. I may have missed some, if so, comment and let me know.

LongHorn - Not a fan of their steak but they have dang good bread and butter. It's a homemade butter and the bread is warm, filling and is served on a bread board.

Red Lobster - Oh the famous Cheddar Biscuits. Ya....they're not bad.

Carrabba's Italian Grill - Warm bread served with olive oil and herbs in a dish. It's served steaming hot. However for a real treat pass on the olive oil and ask for homemade butter on the side.

Olive Garden - Bread sticks....yes people go crazy for these bad boys. Personally I think they are a bit overrated.

Outback - Honey wheat bread. It's good but only if it's served piping hot. For an added bonus ask for homemade honey butter on the side.

Cheesecake Factory - The serve a variety of breads in a basket (the portion is not nearly enough). They also leave you stranded at your table with a dish of evil frozen butter packets.

Bonefish Grill - Amazing bread...one of my favorites. They serve with olive oil and herbs as well. Here is the bad news, they only have butter packets.

Hops - Oh I miss Hops they had the most unbelievable biscuits with that sweet sauce on top.

Macaroni Grill - Another Italian bread favorite. Similar to Carrabba's with olive oil and herbs.

You have lots of great choices. But before you go practice saying, "Can I have more free bread?"

And if you really want to be Classy....ask for some take home with you.

Trashy Food

Don't you feel violated when you find stuff in your food that shouldn't be there?

This is a piece of plastic. It was in my wife's whole grain bagel this morning from Dunkin Donuts.

We went through the drive thru. Got our bagels and went on our way. About 10 minutes later when my wife was on her last couple bites she pulled out of the bagel this skinny piece of plastic covered in cream cheese.

There were several seconds of awkward silence as we both looked at it in shock and awe. We were innocent victims of a vicious attack on our morning breakfast.

Clearly it was plastic from the "seal" of the cream cheese container at Dunkin. How does this happen? Are the employees lazy? Are they serving food too fast?

The problem is, we almost expect this sort of experience. I mean, honestly....how many times have you heard of bugs being in Taco Bell tacos or crawling through Wendy's? How frequently do you find hair in your food at a casual dining restaurant? Are we shocked when there is a finger tip in chili?

So I guess this is the norm then. Service standards are plunging, we're finding trash in our food, yet we keep going back for more and spending money.

How much longer will we let this continue?

Sam's Club Pizza

I have always thought the people who eat inside Sam's Club, Target or Wal-Mart are a little....odd. (Like the people in this picture to the right. I don't know who they are, but they appear to be enjoying themselves.)

It's strange that these large stores have restaurants inside them in the first place. They aren't a mall, we don't spend all day there - why the heck do we need weird food there? My local Target has a Starbucks, Pizza Hut and their own branded food items in the store. Our local Sam's Club uses their own brand for everything.

Probably the most unusual thing of all is that some people go to these stores....just to eat at the "restaurant" inside. There is no atmosphere, no service, and the food is mediocre at best.

We are members at Sam's Club and every time after we pay and we're waiting for our receipt to be checked my wife turns to me and says, "We should get Sam's Club Pizza, it's really good."

In my brain I have always thought, "That sounds disgusting, there is no way in hell I'm eating pizza from Sam's Club." However, I usually say something along the lines of, "Oh, ya we should sometime" (very noncommittal).

Be warned, what I am about to tell you next may horrify and alarm you...

Finally one night she convinced me. I must have been dillusional....but she swore it was good.

I called up Sam's Club and placed our order for one large pizza. She told me it would be 15 minutes - what are they microwaving these things? Total cost: just over $9 (a deal for a large pizza).

About 15 minutes later, I made my way to Sam's Club and walked over to the "cafe" area which just so happens to be set up right by the exit doors and features beautiful concrete floors with chairs and tables bolted to the floor.

I pay the cashier and as I'm paying I ask, "Is this really good?" She said, "YES it is so good, we sell them all day long."

Whoa - a Sam's Club employee getting pumped up over their cheap pizza? Hmm....it must be good, otherwise how do they sell so many and have customers coming back to sit and eat pizza in front of the entire store?

Once I got home I did a deep "sniff" inspectation before taking a bite and it actually smelled pretty good. It looked cheesy enough....hmm...could this actually be amazing?

The pizza is thick (deep dish like) and the pieces are large. Meanwhile, my wife is thrilled and I cautiously take my first bite....

It's good....suddenly I'm freaked out. Logically thinking, pizza should not be good from Sam's Club.....clearly this is an anomaly.

I eat a couple of more bites....ok not only is this good, it's better than Pizza Hut and any other chain restaurant pizza I have tried before and for less than $10, you can't go wrong.

Ok so I'm a little embarrassed that I ate and enjoyed Sam's Club pizza...and you won't be seeing me eat in their "dining room" any time soon. But - one thing is for sure, when it comes to pizza Sam's Club knows how to do it right.

It's About How We Feel

The consumer's mind is an interesting place.

We make things up and confuse ourselves.

Sometimes its difficult. TV commercials tell us one thing, websites tell us another and finally the menu in a restaurant can say something entirely different. Not to mention that we're consuming an unlimited amount of information every single day.

Because of all these reasons sometimes it's hard to keep things straight. We exaggerate, fib, and blow things out of proportion.

This can be frustrating for servers, employees and managers of the restaurants we visit. They don't understand why we feel the way we do and we don't understand why they can't comprehend our point.

The fact of the matter is, though, it doesn't matter what the manager or server or employee says. It only matters what we say - and more important what we think. Our perception of a restaurant experience, food and service is our reality.

Therefore, this comment below from an Anonymous reader who also happens to be a server at Red Lobster is interesting:

Anonymous said on Red Lobster's Robotic Service and Bland Food:

"I think this sh*t is extremely exagerated and I am a server at red lobster! Don't beleive everything you read in some cheap ass opionionated blog go and find out for yourself. I always give grade A service even to those stupid ass people who order sh*t like lobster pizza with no lobster! Just eat bread damn!"

November 11, 2008 1:40am

I don't need to give a detailed response to this outrageous attack, I have made my point about Red Lobster over and over again. Exaggerated or not it doesn't really matter.

What matters is what guests THINK about restaurants when they leave - true, false, made up, or exaggerated. Their feelings towards a restaurant drives their future decisions, and it plays the #1 role in determining if they will tell their friends.

A restaurant's (and all companies for that matter) job is to ensure that customers FEEL good when they leave. It's not about the customer always being right, it's about making sure you're doing everything you possibly can to make the customer feel good - according to their standards.

My experience at Red Lobster has generated quite a bit of response. All over a lousy, pathetic dinner. Maybe all of the servers who have written in are so angry because they know every word of my detailed account is true.

P.S.: Anonymous server, you want all of us to come in and "experience your service for ourselves". Yet, you're comments above probably don't make anyone feel really good about your "grade A" service. Thanks for proving my point.

Christmas in Your Mouth

The Christmas season seems to begin earlier and earlier every single year.

I was in Wal-Mart and Target the day after Halloween this year and the Christmas decor and products were already up. Actually - Target had their aisle of Christmas cards out towards the beginning of October.
Regardless if you're feeling "in the season" or not, Chick-Fil-A has a new product that needs your immediate attention.

First, let me caution you. Unless you're desperately in love with Peppermint flavored drinks and desserts you might have no interest in the rest of this story as I am about to profess my undying love for peppermint flavored treats.

Chick-Fil-A milkshakes are unbelievable. I don't need to go into great detail here. You know they are thick, and creamy and full flavored and delicious. Their core flavors are good, as well as the limited edition Coffee Caramel flavor.

On Monday however, Chick-Fil-A introduced a revolutionary flavor that you simply can't find anywhere else: Peppermint Chocolate Chip.

As soon as I found out about this - my mouth started watering. I wait ALL year for peppermint flavored seasonal favorites to come out....peppermint ice cream, peppermint blizzards, etc.

Before I even got a chance to go to Chick-Fil-A to get a taste I received an email from a reader who described the shake like this, "it's like Christmas swirling in your mouth."

That is a bold statement.....and even further solidified my desire to go get one.

Yesterday I had my chance. In the drive thru, after I ordered I asked the speaker Chick-Fil-A girl, "Is it good?" She said, "Yes."

When I got to the window and paid my $3.10, I asked the Manager who handed me the shake, "Is it good?" He said, "Eh....I guess if you like peppermint." WHAT! The manager can't even stand by the BEST flavor Chick-Fil-A has ever invented?

I was disappointed with his attitude, but I wasn't going to let it stop me from enjoying my peppermint shake from heaven.

I sucked the thick, sweet shake through the straw and as it hit my lips I flashed back to the reader's comment....it IS like Christmas in your mouth!

Rich, creamy, peppermint flavored goodness. The best part? The chopped up chocolate chips mixed in....not to mention the whipped cream and cherry on top.

This is a Christmas dessert classic. If you have ANY passion for peppermint flavored treats at all - this is a MUST have.

The days are numbered. In fact as of right now you only have 51 days left to get it.

Go now, consider it an early Christmas gift to yourself.

Ode to Cheesecake Factory

After my last visit to Cheesecake Factory, I found it difficult to write a normal blog post about our experience. Therefore, I decided to express myself in a different way. Please enjoy this Ode to Cheesecake Factory.

Ode Defined: A lyric poem of some length, usually of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style.

The palace sits up on a hill
You walk up excited about a thrill
As you pass through the gates
You're stopped and told, "There's a wait!"
"How long?" you say
She hands you a pager and shouts, "Two days"
Turn, and push back through the masses
You need to sit and rest your (asses)
The wait begins and you think
"All this just for some cheesecake?"
Your wife turns and says, "It's fine"
But you know better, this place isn't worth a dime
The girls up front who sit on their thrown
Control your destiny and won't throw you a bone
Tick, tick, tick the time slips by
Now famish sets in and you almost die
Doom seems near, it's been three days
Your baby's crying, your wife's in a daze
It's unbearable, you've reached your max
You walk to the thrown with an axe
"How much longer!" you demand
She smiles and reaches out a hand...
I'll take your pager sir, we have a table ready
Relieved you go back, feeling steady
They walk you slowly to your seat
You sit down abruptly, "I want to eat!"
Eventually the server greets you
Dressed like an angel in white from head to floor
"Welcome to Cheesecake Factory,
have you been here before?

Lunch in Hawaii (kinda)

Do you know what's remarkable?

Getting served by a server who knows what you want before you even want it.

It's a fairly incredible feat. To be so good at your job, so well trained, and so committed that you are 37 steps ahead of the guests you are waiting on.

In all honesty, this style of service has never happened to me before....until last week at Roy's.

Many of you may not be familiar with Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine. Roy's restaurant opened 20 years ago by Chef Roy Yamaguchi in Hawaii, Chef Roy was the innovator of "Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine. Since then it has expanded to several states with numerous locations in FL. You can find your local Roy's here.

The local Roy's in Tampa, FL opened for lunch on Monday (11/3). I was lucky enough to get invited in for lunch last week for a special sneak peak of the new menu.

As I walked up, the door was opened for me and I was greeted with, "Aloha" from a friendly host. I asked for a table and a sever took me to the far back corner. He set the silverware out in front of me, handed me my napkin and explained my server, Adam, would be right with me.

Already impressed, I browsed the menu.

This was my first time at Roy's and from everything I have ever heard - it's suppose to have amazing food (unfortunately, the price doesn't always allow you to visit on an everyday basis). With the new lunch menu that has all changed. The prices were no more than any other restaurant for lunch (in the $10 range).

Adam, my server greeted me and his amazing work began. Everything was flawless. My glass of tea was full and over flowing. He was educated, understood the cooking methods and could speak open and comfortably about the food on the menu.

With all of the amazing options I truly had a hard time deciding. As you can imagine....I'm not a huge fan of sushi (one of Roy's specialties). However, after Adam insisting that I needed to order some for my appetizer, I finally went with the Lakanilau Roll (seared Kobe beef wrapped around snow crab, tempura asparagus and avocado)

Before the appetizer came out I had to use the restroom so I set my napkin on my chair and got up. When I came back.....my napkin was on the table.

What? How did this happen? Are the servers that awesome that they picked up my napkin after me?

Shortly after the Lakanilau sushi came out and it was........unbelievable. It was the best sushi I ever had (please note this was only the second time I had ever tried it).

I ordered the Short Rib Cheese Steak (like a premium philly cheese) served with Sweet Potato Fries.

Let's talk plates for a brief moment. Plates are so often overlooked - not to mention the way the food is plated on the plate. These important details though add up for a memorable experience. The way food "looks" when it comes out of the kitchen is almost just as important as the food itself.

The food at Roy's looks luxurious on the plate.

Not to mention, the Short Rib Cheese Steak was fantastic and the Sweet Potato Fries were tasty, crispy and fresh. I gobbled it up pretty quickly and dessert was next......where do I begin? The Creme Brulee is phenomenal..

Let's keep this simple: Roy's servers are at least 2 steps ahead of you. The food is fresh, flavorful and ignites your taste buds. The atmosphere is clean and crisp.

AND they're open for lunch. Which means now for the first time ever you can walk out of there not spending more than $30 for a truly extraordinary experience.

McCafe Brews False Hopes

Leave the romance at the door.

I was extremely excited over the past couple weeks when my local McDonald's had "McCafe Coming Soon" signs in their windows.

McCafe is McDonald's attempt to finally take over the world and put Starbucks out of business. It's not a separate concept completely, rather it's a small build out inside of a current McDonald's location. They offer a limited number of espresso drink choices: Cappuccino, Latte and Mocha at significantly lower prices than their competitors. (Read more about McCafe here)

The concept sounds revolutionary. Starbucks quality coffee at basically half the price. Right? McDonald's Premium Coffee and Iced Coffee are awesome, so I figured that their espresso drinks would follow the same standard.

I arrive at McDonald's with the McCafe expecting a total make over of a section of the restaurant.....however it wasn't quite what I expected. All they did was take 1/4 of the front teal counter and make it brown, extending it about 1 foot out in front of the rest of the counter. A menu is above the brown section with the drink selections.

Hmmmm....ok, I'm already a little disappointed. Yes I was wrong for thinking that it would be some indulgent experience - after all I was at McDonald's. However, if you look at the picture above it appears that McCafe is some remarkable enchanting experience - shame on me for believing in it.

I place my order, pay and the McD employee asks my name, which he ever so delicately wrote on the top of my receipt. I went poking around the high brown counter trying to see the magic happen. As you might imagine - everything is automated. There are espresso beans on the top of the machine - but I didn't hear any beans grind. I saw the employee pour milk in my cup - but didn't hear the milk steam. I saw the espresso come out, but couldn't see it as it went right into my cup.

Before I knew it, my name was called and I was handed my McCafe Mocha. Unlike the picture, no whipped cream on top. I took my sip.....hmmmm tastes like hot chocolate, kinda. Did I order hot chocolate or does McDonald's not have any idea what they're doing? I drink some more....yes, yes I can taste the chocolate but I can't taste the coffee. So - it's good, but it's a Mocha that has been transformed by McDonald's. They have taken a beautifully romantic experience and made it into a process with no emotion. Soon, Americans everywhere (not that they aren't already) will be walking around drinking their McCafe Mochas thinking they are so cultured (especially when a small is just over $2).

Starbucks started it by handing every 11 year old Frappuchinos. McDonald's is finishing it by giving every McDonald's eating American a reason to love espresso.

Espresso is about romance, taste, indulgance, passion and a heart warming experience. It's not about automated machines, the smell of cheeseburgers, and poor quality taste. Espresso doesn't belong in McDonalds and french fries don't belong in Starbucks.

(Check ClassyEater.com HERE for Sweet Election Day Deals)

3 Steps to Better Service

As you already know, the service you experience when eating out is far more important than the food.

Here's the problem: sometimes the service isn't any good. In fact sometimes it's pathetic and irritating. You know it's really bad when you spend more time talking with your date/friend/lover about the server over dinner than anything else.

In times like these when you're "selectively" going out more than ever before, you can't afford to have a bad experience. It's a waste of your money and your time.

Below are 3 simple steps you can take to make sure you have amazing service every time you go out.

1. Anticipate: Before you visit any restaurant - set your expectations. You're expectations might change depending on whether you're visiting a fast food restaurant, fast casual or a casual dining restaurant like Olive Garden. Here, your expectation is that you will have prompt, friendly service, and your order will come out right. You also have to anticipate when the best time to visit a restaurant is. It's likely that you will get better service at 5:30pm on a Saturday night than at 7:30pm (when they're on an hour wait and the servers are as busy as mad men.). The opposite is true for some place like Panera. You're going to get far better service at 1:30pm in the afternoon than you would at 11:55am when the line is out the door. So, anticipate the best time to go and you're already one step ahead.

2. Communicate: The server's job isn't to read your mind. You have to tell them what you want, how you want it and when you want it....Communicate your Expectations! I have found that by involving the server in the over all dining experience it's likely they will pay more attention to you, listen to your requests and deliver. By communicating with them and empowering them, no longer are they just an innocent by stander who happens to be taking your order - now they are a part of your meal and they care about your experience. It begins though, with communicating what you want. Don't be afraid! If you want EXTRA ice with your tea - TELL THEM! If you want a drink to go - TELL THEM! If you want no lettuce, tomato, and extra cheese on your burger - TELL THEM. Clearly explaining what you want is half the battle.

3. Appreciate: No one likes working an 8 hour shift with no appreciation. If your server meets your expectations, thank them. If they go beyond what you asked for, thank them even more. Not only will they appreciate you doing this - it also further binds them into your dining experience.

That's it: Anticipate, Communicate and Appreciate. Easy to say, easy to remember, easy to do - and it delivers powerful results.

Next time you go out Anticipate how you want the experience to go and plan accordingly. Once you arrive, Communicate to the server clearly what you're expecting and what you want (in a nice way of course). Appreciate and thank the server while engaging them in the overall experience.

These three things combined will give you Amazing Service each and every time.

Guaranteed.