“Have you dined with us before?”
June 23rd, 2008 by Besha Rodell in Food & Life, RestaurantsOur good friend and “Cheap Eats” writer Jennifer Zyman (aka the Blissful Glutton) pointed out this excellent “rant” in the Chicago Tribune. I couldn’t concur more. The question is now so ubiquitous it’s become a staple of almost every new restaurant’s service that I’ve encountered. The problem is the basic premise — that if you haven’t eaten here already you must need instruction. I eat out a lot obviously, and I haven’t ever encountered a menu who’s “small plates” page sent me into fits of confusion, nor have I come across a style of cuisine that I thought warranted an explanatory speech. There’s also an implied accusation — like last year when I took a friend to Trois. When she responded “no” to the “Is this your first time dining with us?” question, the waitress said “Well, what’s wrong with you?!” I guess she was trying to be cute, but she revealed a snobbish aspect to the question that is inherent even when unspoken. They might was well be saying, “May I initiate you into our interesting and complex club?” It’s just a restaurant, just a menu. If we need help, we’ll surely ask. Please, restaurant managers of the world, don’t force your poor servers to ask this. It makes me mad at them before we’ve even begun.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:20 am
Last year I had dinner with a friend who responded to the question with:
“No, but I have eaten in restaurants before.”
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 am
I usually respond with:
“No, but I have been in your bathroom before.”