Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Ask George: What do you look for when you evaluate a restaurant? Joe B, St. Louis
Restaurant evaluation is a beast with many arms, but generally, I look at the same three parameters that other folks do: food, service, and atmosphere. But my criteria within each category may be different than the average Joe.
As with most diners, is the most important parameter is what’s on the plate. Here, I am looking for five things:
The basics (like bread service)
Classic dishes within the concept/cuisine (like guacamole and margaritas in a Mexican place)
Dishes unique to the restaurant (which includes chef’s specials)
Proper food temps (hot foods must be hot, cold foods cold)
Variety (across the entire menu)
To be deemed superior, a restaurant must do all five well.
A diner’s expectations generally rise with menu prices, but to excel, service should always exceed the standards of the genre. Service is elusive, however—it can be the deal maker or a deal breaker. How many times has a superior server overcome an otherwise mediocre meal, or on the flip side, how often does lousy service ruin a chef’s best intentions? Many times, when asking why a customer’s meal was unsatisfactory, I discovered it was the service that was at fault, not the food. Poor timing alone can ruin an otherwise perfect meal.
For me, atmosphere is the least important parameter. I’m like Frank Underwood visiting Freddy’s BBQ Joint in the TV show House of Cards: I’ll put up with a hard wooden booth, cheap silverware, and blank walls for a succulent slab of barbeque ribs. That kind of atmosphere can provide as memorable a dining experience as cushy chairs, romantic lighting, and the finest napery. Often better.
