Ask George: Is there one question a customer should avoid asking at a full-service restaurant?

Is there one question a customer should avoid asking at a full-service restaurant? —Jack W., Wrightsville Beach, NC 

First, never query a server about “the best thing on the menu.” It’s too vague of a question. It’s like asking a dining editor about “the best restaurant in town.” There’s not enough context. Tighten the focus to “your favorite appetizer,” the “chef’s favorite entrée,” “any award-winning dishes,” etc. We’re not even averse to asking the server to pick between items A or B, because they’re more familiar with both.

Here’s how a few local industry professionals answered as well:

Travis Howard, Retreat Gastropub, Yellowbelly, Lazy Tiger: “Will you change the music? In each of our places, we purposefully choose the music to create a different ambiance and vibe. That choice is not going to always be the customer’s personal preference. They have to keep that in mind. Our playlist will not always align with their playlist.”

Bernie Lee, akar: “In reference to a menu item, how about, But is it really good? Or since we have a patio, Do you think it’s going to be cold outside tonight?”

Logan Ely, The Lucky Accomplice, Press: “For me, questions are always OK. Demanding things or being rude and hostile are not.”

Qui Tran, Mai Lee, Nudo House: “At Mai Lee, I swear I get some version of this one a couple of times a night: Do you think you’ll be busy at 7 o’clock tonight?, and I say, I surely hope so, and then I say, And I hope you’re a part of us being busy at 7 o’clock tonight, and go on to say that we turn tables very quickly and to just come on in. It may not be exactly what they want to hear, but it’s honest and it’s effective.”

Natasha Bahrami, Salve Osteria, The Gin Room: “Honestly, I think our place encourages guests to ask questions, that we are an education-focused spot. That said, asking to change the restaurant’s music volume or style can sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth.” 

Geoffrey Dill, The Capital Grille: “Oh, man, so many: May I have my steak medium rare plus? Do we get free refills? Are we keeping you? Is the salmon fishy? Can you make it like you used to? Don’t you know who I am?! I come there all the time.”

Natsaha Kwan, Frida’s, Diego’s Cantina, Station No. 3, Bonito Bar: “Here’s a tricky one: What are all of the ingredients in the dish? First, we have to ask if someone has a sensitivity, allergy, or just doesn’t like a certain ingredient. If the answer to all of those is no, then we joke around and say that we can’t give up our secrets.”

Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Café, Peacemaker Lobster & Crab: “So I’m not naming the publication, but it said one of the best tables in St. Louis is table 30 at Sidney Street. It happens to be a table for two, but we still get large parties asking for that table. They say name-dropping is bad, but nothing makes me happier than people name-dropping table 30.”

John Iovaldi, Pietro’s: “If you’ve been in the business long enough, every once in a while you get some real head scratchers, like, Can I have a Tito’s and vodka? or What’s the difference between the 6-ounce and 12-ounce steak?  These types of questions are usually asked innocently enough, so having a good sense of humor goes a long way. All of the good operators in town will bend over backwards to accommodate a special request, if asked politely, so ask away. If we can do it, we will.”

Pepe Kehm, Peno: “After being seated, when a deuce asks, Can I sit at that table over there? pointing to a 4-top, it can be an issue because the evening’s seating chart gets laid out ahead of time, and we’ve likely got 4 people at that table soon.  Other guests request specific tables and still others request specific servers, but we can’t get into all that and customers don’t want to hear all that. When we can accommodate, we do, but our place is small. Larger places have more flexibility.”

Bryan Carr, avenue: “It’s odd when I recommend something and a guest asks, Is it good?  Do they imagine me responding, No, now that you ask, it is not good, but you should have it anyway?“

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