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What would you do?

What would you do?
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  • What would you do?

    Post #1 - September 28th, 2022, 1:49 am
    Post #1 - September 28th, 2022, 1:49 am Post #1 - September 28th, 2022, 1:49 am
    I’m conflicted. We went to dinner last night, at a place that sounded good … on paper (or on screen, since that’s how things are done these days). Toward the end of the meal, when the server came by to ask how things were, I asked if she wanted me to frank. She said yes. So I told her, it was adequate, except for two things — the food and the drinks. (I could go into detail about all that was wrong, but I'm not doing that here.) When the bill came, they had comped us for almost all of the bill. So, do I reveal/review the restaurant, or let it go, because they comped us so generously?
  • Post #2 - September 28th, 2022, 5:59 am
    Post #2 - September 28th, 2022, 5:59 am Post #2 - September 28th, 2022, 5:59 am
    I always support posting your review/experience with all the details you feel relevant, and let the readers put into context how they see fit. I really dislike the habit of avoiding criticism. If it's a truthful retelling, why choose to protect businesses? Not only could the information save somebody else from a similarly disappointing experience, but in doing so another restaurant gets that opportunity. It's also possible readers see the act of comping as a professional response, indicative of more promise than your meal.
  • Post #3 - September 28th, 2022, 5:59 am
    Post #3 - September 28th, 2022, 5:59 am Post #3 - September 28th, 2022, 5:59 am
    What's wrong with posting your review? Let others decide whether or not the place is worth visiting.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #4 - September 28th, 2022, 8:23 am
    Post #4 - September 28th, 2022, 8:23 am Post #4 - September 28th, 2022, 8:23 am
    nr706 wrote:So I told her, it was adequate, except for two things — the food and the drinks.


    That is the best thing I've read in ages.
    We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.
    Pronoun: That fool over there
    Identifies as: A human that doesn't need to "identify as" something to try to somehow be interesting.
  • Post #5 - September 28th, 2022, 9:14 am
    Post #5 - September 28th, 2022, 9:14 am Post #5 - September 28th, 2022, 9:14 am
    Hi,

    Before you walked in, were you planning to write a review? I don't get the sense you write about everything you go out to eat for.

    Is it a new place still getting on their feet or someplace established?

    You've been in the PR game, is a mention good or bad, really a good thing in the long run?

    In addition to being comped, did they offer an apology for your experience?

    Early on I would write a bad review, though my response today is mostly never thinking about them again.

    I look forward to seeing what happens next, if anything.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #6 - September 28th, 2022, 10:03 am
    Post #6 - September 28th, 2022, 10:03 am Post #6 - September 28th, 2022, 10:03 am
    My 2 cents: Given that they basically comped you, and that you accepted the comping, an implicit "social contract" calls for you not to badmouth the place on social media.

    I've been in this situation before, and that's how I decided it. There is no clear right or wrong here, only competing rights. I can only tell you what has felt right to me.
    Pithy quote here.
  • Post #7 - September 28th, 2022, 10:12 am
    Post #7 - September 28th, 2022, 10:12 am Post #7 - September 28th, 2022, 10:12 am
    I talked about this issue with several people at the picnic, most of whom were of the same mind. These days, I don't want to be kicking places when they're down. It's hard enough already for them. I'm certainly not going to lie about a place, so if the experience is negative, I usually just don't post about it. If the experience is favorable, I generally can't wait to share it.

    I think the fact that you were largely comped is a red herring, especially if your goal is to constructively share your honest experience. I don't think unsolicited comps necessarily buy your silence.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #8 - September 28th, 2022, 10:21 am
    Post #8 - September 28th, 2022, 10:21 am Post #8 - September 28th, 2022, 10:21 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote:I talked about this issue with several people at the picnic, most of whom were of the same mind. These days, I don't want to be kicking places when they're down. It's hard enough already for them. I'm certainly not going to lie about a place, so if the experience is negative, I usually just don't post about it. If the experience is favorable, I generally can't wait to share it.

    I think the fact that you were largely comped is a red herring, especially if your goal is to constructively share your honest experience. I don't think unsolicited comps necessarily buy your silence.

    =R=


    I agree with all of this and only add that to me, the comp isn’t really a “comp”—it’s just not charging for what the restaurant failed to provide to you (acceptable food & bev). So I don’t think that should factor in at all. But I also rarely post negative reviews these days.
    "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
  • Post #9 - September 28th, 2022, 10:49 am
    Post #9 - September 28th, 2022, 10:49 am Post #9 - September 28th, 2022, 10:49 am
    I know this ultimately does a disservice to the restaurant, but I never say anything to the staff if I receive a lousy meal. I know this probably sounds crazy, but I hate being comped for bad food. If the staff wants to provide a free dish or meal as a treat, that's great. But I don't want them to oblige me with a comp bc the food wasn't good or I didn't like it.

    Btw, this isn't meant to be a knock on the OP. You definitely did what you should have! I just personally don't.
  • Post #10 - September 28th, 2022, 12:49 pm
    Post #10 - September 28th, 2022, 12:49 pm Post #10 - September 28th, 2022, 12:49 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:These days, I don't want to be kicking places when they're down. It's hard enough already for them. I'm certainly not going to lie about a place, so if the experience is negative, I usually just don't post about it. If the experience is favorable, I generally can't wait to share it.
    I pretty much disagree with this frame of thought completely. If it's tough for restaurants right now, then that applies to the competition as well. Providing accurate information both good and bad is a way of protecting the field. There are places working just as hard that might not get business because you withhold relevant information about a place that disappointed. What good does that do? Get good accurate information out into the open so people can make the most informed decisions possible.
  • Post #11 - September 28th, 2022, 12:57 pm
    Post #11 - September 28th, 2022, 12:57 pm Post #11 - September 28th, 2022, 12:57 pm
    bweiny wrote:
    ronnie_suburban wrote:These days, I don't want to be kicking places when they're down. It's hard enough already for them. I'm certainly not going to lie about a place, so if the experience is negative, I usually just don't post about it. If the experience is favorable, I generally can't wait to share it.
    I pretty much disagree with this frame of thought completely. If it's tough for restaurants right now, then that applies to the competition as well. Providing accurate information both good and bad is a way of protecting the field. There are places working just as hard that might not get business because you withhold relevant information about a place that disappointed. What good does that do? Get good accurate information out into the open so people can make the most informed decisions possible.

    Yeah, I just can't be that guy right now (though, I have been in the past). If I have constructive criticism to offer, I share it with the owner (and I have). I cannot justify broadcasting it in any way, especially in the current climate. If someone goes somewhere I failed to post about and has a lousy meal there, oh well. The cost for them is relatively low, and it's finite. But a negative post lives forever, even if the issues presented therein are subsequently resolved.

    If I have something positive to post, I do it. For me, that's doing enough. It's not my responsibility to help a business by posting negative accounts about its competitors.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #12 - September 28th, 2022, 1:30 pm
    Post #12 - September 28th, 2022, 1:30 pm Post #12 - September 28th, 2022, 1:30 pm
    FWIW, this rather large place seemed reasonably busy for a Tuesday night. It's possible, I suppose, we just ordered wrong, although I usually expect a dish to have more than only a little semblance to the way it's described on the menu — especially when it happens with each of two entrees and one appetizer. We did get a "we're sorry you didn't like your dinner," but not an apology admitting they did anything wrong. We don't eat out that often (we're both more into home cooking). but this was a birthday dinner, which I was looking forward to. When we do venture out for a meal, I like to share on social media when something's particularly good, and/or propose it as a venue for Evanston Lunch Group™ or Small Household Food Exchange. I might post something negative if it's egregious, but in this case I thought it was more an instance of incompetence — again, maybe because it was a Tuesday night, and the B team might have been in the kitchen. I did appreciate them comping most of the meal (we declined taking home leftovers, which would normally do under other circumstances), but I've decided it's not worth it to go into the details of the food or the specific venue.
  • Post #13 - September 28th, 2022, 2:05 pm
    Post #13 - September 28th, 2022, 2:05 pm Post #13 - September 28th, 2022, 2:05 pm
    One point that I would make is that it is may be different to post a review here versus reviewing on yelp or something. While the review on yelp might get lost in the sheer number of reviews, it could potentially be read by a lot more people. Here there are presumably fewer readers, though might have more of an impact on them. Actually some of the people here might go try it just to see if it is really that bad! Also if your review mentions that you think that it might just have been a bad night, it would allow others who have eaten there to add their thoughts. If it happens to be a place with its own thread already, it would presumably add to the discussion. Personally I would not let the comping of the meal impact my decision.

    -Will

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