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Mediocrity - Second to None... Every now and again, it is unequivocally proven to me that even venues that have long been high on my list of "gotta go to" places can fail in their attempts at providing the expected levels of food and service. Case in point: my old stomping grounds on the west coast. Recently I flew out on a business trip; finding a few extra days were available, I took a short jaunt back down to Carmel and Monterey to see some friends. I was disappointed -- anywhere from mildly to extremely -- at almost every stop in those two towns, including my stay at a large and very prominent, world-wide and well-known hotel chain. The names of the places are not particularly germane to the discussion here; my intent was not to review them... probably a good thing. What is important is a concept that every owner and manager of every dining, lodging and other venue that caters to the consumer and wants their hard-earned dollars in exchange for food and service needs to know and understand: it is absolutely critical that every person gets the very best an establishment is able to offer... on every occasion.
It really makes no difference whether the guest is a food critic about to write a review, a Hollywood star stopping in for a cocktail or well-deserved night's rest, a head-of-state stopping in for an unknown reason... or some average Joe-off-the-street just wanting a decent meal. This may be especially true during these tough economic times of late, but the circumstances really should make absolutely no difference. In hotels: toilets that don't flush properly, broken/improperly working appliances, fraudulently billed "extras", over-priced menu items and poor service are inexcusable. At dining venues: poorly prepared and plated, under- or over-cooked food, rushed/slow/poor service, poorly/sloppily-attired wait-staff, lack of consistency, lack of value, and ultimately a total disregard for the customer/client are just unacceptable. It is almost laughable that, oddly, all of the aforementioned specifics happened to me within a span of three days and a radius of no more than ten miles. What is truly sad is that when these things were brought to the attention of management, management seemed nonplussed; apologies were generally not offered; any sort of "can I offer something for the inconvenience?" was totally absent, and the mistakes, blunders and lack of attention to detail seemed to be the norm rather than the exception. Blame? There is plenty to go around. There are too often the managers who do not make certain that staff members -- no matter the location -- are properly trained (nor do they frequently check to insure training protocols are being followed). There are all too frequently those who would call themselves chefs but have not a clue as to how to assemble something as basic as Mother Sauce or a good beurre blanc; at best, they may have only a vague idea of how to properly prepare or serve anything beyond a well-done hamburger, let alone a well-plated gourmet dinner. There are countless employees who, in general, simply do not take any pride in themselves, let alone in the quality of service they provide. And then there are the patrons, those who are consistently willing to accept mediocrity and second-best solutions: like burned fish turned burned-side down so the mistake won't be seen, cold side-dishes because someone forgot to heat them, greasy food because the fryers were not set to the right temperature, cheap wine that costs three dollars per bottle but we pay eight-dollar-a-glass for it, wait-staff that forget about a table because they are not paying attention to their job, inadequately-cleaned hotel rooms because employees are doing a job "just to get it finished", billing mistakes because a desk clerk is not paying attention, and on and on ad nauseam. Why is it that most patrons generally fail to say or do anything about it? And why is that there are those who will never take the time or the trouble to politely and calmly inform management that something is wrong with a product, one’s accommodations, one’s food or service? In part, it is because we have become the United States of Mediocrity; we have learned to accept, as the standard of our existence, "second best" that is the result of but a modicum of sloppy effort. Of course everyone wants to get paid the highest salary for providing that paltry effort (many do get incredibly outrageous salaries for poor performance; take a look at Wall Street...). And if, by chance, we get called on our lack of effort or poor results, we prefer to fall back on a rather innate propensity to simply blame someone else for the transgression; apology is simply not in our vocabulary. When I personally tell someone that things should not be this way and could easily be, with some additional effort, far better -- whether at a hotel, restaurant, fast food place (does your purchased food ever look like the commercial on television depicts it?) -- they look at me like I have come from another planet, and simply dismiss what I say as being overly anal and picky. So what's the point of my rant, you might ask? Simply this: whether in California, Chicago, the Fox Valley or any other place, high-priced mediocrity and second-best effort are always available. Unfortunately, the number of places where these maladies are found seems to be increasing. So the question becomes whether or not one chooses to accept either one of them. When it comes to dining and lodging, make certain to call poor performance and lack of effort to the attention of management. Let someone in authority know about mediocre/second best/slipshod products. Because no matter the location or the situation, if things are to improve, we all need to be a more active part of the solution. Your Table is Waiting...  Ralph Pancetta reviews@ralphpancetta.com Photos courtesy Kurman Communications,
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