SoWal Restaurant Comment Etiquette

[hnooe]

I enjoy giving local restaurants very honest feed back on their restaurants, menus, etc. and it seems that public postings all stay in the realm of the 'positve," or very positive, as I think everyone wants our local SoWal restaurants to do well, especially in this economy.

If I have a 'negative" comment on anything about said retaurant, whether it was the noisy ceiling fans, the over-cooked fish, the poor service etc. I will usually ONLY PM that particular restaurant, in all fairness. I have personally seen many restaurants react positively to my PM comments!

Question: Is that the correct thing to do? I have noticed some people commenting "publically posting" on the food, the service etc., and I just know one person's experience may no be the experience of "the many."

 

[chrisv]

I think you're handling it perfectly. Often, negative dining experiences are isolated, unique events and are correctable via back-channels. Those that are repeatedly giving poor service or quality are outed in ways other than this board.

 

[Kurt]

You seem fair and reasonable. Most restaurant management would love to hear from a dissatisfied customer and have the chance to correct mistakes. There's nothing wrong with a negative review on this forum. However, reviewers have a little extra responsibility because of the nature of the medium. A negative (or positive) comment stays around a long time.
Personally, I prefer to accentuate the positive. And I feel there aren't any restaurants in SoWal that I feel would be an awful choice for someone. We do have some that are better than others and you will hear plenty about them here.
There's also something to be said about longevity and consistency. If a place has been open here longer than 10 years you can bet they are on most people's list of favorites.

 

[scooterbug44]

I think only posting positive comments doesn't give a fair review and doesn't present an accurate picture of the restaurant. Nothing more annoying than going somewhere that gets rave reviews and then being VERY disappointed - more negative for the establishment to build them up and ignore any flaws than to be honest so people know what to expect. Typically if you post something negative and it's an atypical experience people will rush to defend it and tell you to try it again.

That said, there's a big difference between an honest review w/ polite constructive criticism and a poorly punctuated hissy fit.

 

[greenroomsurfer]

Do your own research and don't listen to a soul that's part of the journey. Even if it is good or bad you will learn where to go and not to go. I find some of the best stories come out of a bad experience and you can't put a price tag on that. You can be at the crappiest place in the world and having good friends around will make you blind of your surroundings. -----------------breathe in----------- breath out---------------------

 

[Allifunn]

I usually won't comment on a restaurant unless it is good. I am a bit more picky than most. My biggest problem is when I can tell a restaurant does not use fresh ingredients (meaning they are taking a short cut to save $$) If you are going to charge top $$ then you better use top $$ ingredients!
As for wait staff...you can usually tell if it is a happy place to work by how the staff preforms.

I had lunch at Sweetie Pies (or maybe it was Sugar Pies?) the other day and, while it was not fancy, it was very good...a pressed paninni cuban sandwich.

If I have lunch or dinner somewhere and it is not good...I'll usually try it again and if the results are the same, I'll not go back.

 

[Matt J]

I think a PM is a very good first step. If you don't get a response then perhaps a little more public is the way to go. I know there are times that a retaurant owner/manager gets busy, but they should respond in a timely manner. Of course the best time to point out any short comings is while at the restaurant. Having worked/managed a restaurant nothing was more frustrating than the customer who ate, paid, and then called later to tell you what was wrong. Food is a right now experience and that is really the only time to correct any problems.

 

[Miss Kitty]

Two thumbs up for Afunn and swgb!

I, personally, only give good reviews on sowal.com. I think when restaurants
are not talked about here, it speaks volumes. I will almost always give a restaurant in sowal a second chance before I write it off. But, I do agree that any bad experience should be taken up at the restaurant...you then give them a chance to rectify the situation or see that they don't value your patronage.

 

[olive]

As a restaurant owner, I have to say that a PM describing the bad experience is always appreciated. We believe in going out of our way to make things right but we cannot do that unless we are aware of the problem. A really negative review especially about an isolated incident can really hurt a small business that is already swimmin' up stream.

And we always hope for a second chance. And we promise not to spit in your food!;-)

 

[SHELLY]

I think a PM is a very good first step. If you don't get a response then perhaps a little more public is the way to go. I know there are times that a retaurant owner/manager gets busy, but they should respond in a timely manner. Of course the best time to point out any short comings is while at the restaurant. Having worked/managed a restaurant nothing was more frustrating than the customer who ate, paid, and then called later to tell you what was wrong. Food is a right now experience and that is really the only time to correct any problems.

I agree that the best time to point out a problem is while you are dining.

If something isn't quite to your liking, call the waiter over immediately to get it fixed (the food is cold; the potato is undercooked; the steak is overcooked) so they have time to fix it. Most always (in the good places) the waiter, manager or owner will make a trip to your table during the evening and ask, "Is everything OK?" This is your second chance to speak up and give them an opportunity to make it right and send you away a satisfied customer. However, there are some things that can't be "fixed"--noisy atmosphere; cheaper ingredients; perpetually inferior service. In this case, and in the case that problems expressed to the waiter or manager weren't "fixed," I feel it's OK to post negative comments (with an explanation of why you feel this way).

Sometimes I find my worst experiences at restaurants yield my best recommendations based on how the staff and management responded to problems they encountered (i.e., a sincere apology for the noise or slow service with an credible explanation and an offer to mitigate the situation)...and only those places deserve a second chance.

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