New Year’s restaurant resolutions

2 January 2009

Restaurateurs making New Year’s resolutions could do a lot worse than look at The Good Food Guide readers’ top ten bugbears.

The restaurant guide has compiled the following list of things that really get up customers’ noses and can ruin a meal out:

> Double tipping. Being asked to add a tip when a service charge has already been added is a restaurant cardinal sin.

> Over-attentive waiters. Having your wine glass topped up every two minutes or being interrupted to be asked if everything’s all right can ruin conversations.

> Stealth charges. Make it absolutely clear if there is a cover charge or if there is a charge for bread, petits fours or indeed anything else.

> Small portions. Is there anything worse than leaving a restaurant still hungry?

> Turning tables. Asking diners to vacate their table before they’re ready to leave is a sure-fire way to annoy.

> Charging for tap water. Is it too much to offer the choice of bottled or free tap water?

> Bad table placement. Bunched-together tables can leave you feeling you’ve had the wrong sort of intimate evening.

> Out-of-season ingredients. Asparagus and strawberries are not native to the UK in January, so shouldn’t pop up on menus.

> Lost in translation. If your menu is in English, stick to English descriptions. Not everyone knows what sauce aigre-doux is (a sweet and sour sauce).

> Well-seasoned. Open salt and pepper bowls may be modish, but who knows whose fingers have been there?

Elizabeth Carter, Editor of The Good Food Guide, says:

“Dining out is usually an enjoyable experience, but sometimes a visit to a restaurant is memorable for the wrong reason, like an annoying waiter or a problem with the bill. Restaurateurs looking to raise their game this year could do a lot worse than listen to their customers’ pet hates. They’re often simple mistakes that can be rectified.”

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