Food v. service
This poll was inspired by Baltofoodie's earlier comment today. Somehow, though, he/she expressed it better than I did in the poll -- in other words, the answer isn't as clearcut. Here's what Baltofoodie said:
I went to Mike's recently - first time I had ever been there - and we had very nice crabs. Even better, though, was the server: a waitress who unobtrusively anticipated our every need, kept us informed about the progress of our order, brought the kids' meals out as soon as they were ready without being asked, kept the iced tea and beer pitchers refilled, etc.
I sometimes forget how pleasant it is to have a truly professional server, who treats his/her work as a craft and a career, rather than as a necessary annoyance to get a paycheck. Honestly, I can be very happy eating mediocre food with excellent service, but even excellent food doesn't make me happy if it comes with a side order of mediocre service. Your mileage may vary.
Posted by: Baltofoodie | September 1, 2009 2:01 PM
I went to Mike's recently - first time I had ever been there - and we had very nice crabs. Even better, though, was the server: a waitress who unobtrusively anticipated our every need, kept us informed about the progress of our order, brought the kids' meals out as soon as they were ready without being asked, kept the iced tea and beer pitchers refilled, etc.
I sometimes forget how pleasant it is to have a truly professional server, who treats his/her work as a craft and a career, rather than as a necessary annoyance to get a paycheck. Honestly, I can be very happy eating mediocre food with excellent service, but even excellent food doesn't make me happy if it comes with a side order of mediocre service. Your mileage may vary.
Posted by: Baltofoodie | September 1, 2009 2:01 PM
Comments
I agree about the food vs service issue. However, the math used for the poll has me baffled. If you have two options and one is zero percent the other has to be 100%. Maybe my wife can explain this to me since she has a BS in statistics. Obviously my two years of calculus in college has not prepared me for newspaper math.
Hey, I blame the newspaper for everything, but I don't think I can blame it for wonky software. EL
Posted by: Elite Elephant Lover | September 1, 2009 3:15 PM
servers aren't nearly as important as the food. further, decent servers are a dime a dozen while decent chefs are harder to come by. if service is mediocre, the tip will be mediocre. now stay tuned for another "servers are people too" post from the baltimoron
Posted by: unbelievaboh | September 1, 2009 3:19 PM
Hmmm ... those are some very mysterious numbers indeed. I will ask The Great Poll Wizard Dino about this when he gets back to his desk ... till then, everyone enjoy their excellent food with mediocre service! :)
Posted by: community coordinator Carla | September 1, 2009 4:12 PM
Both issues matter to me. If the food was good but the service was bad, I wouldn't go out of my way to make a return trip. If the food was bad, I wouldn't return at all.
Posted by: NotableM | September 1, 2009 5:23 PM
The question wasn't about bad food or service, but mediocre. For me, I lean towards the view of the commenter - the interaction with an excellent server can yield a great experience, even with average or mediocre food, but that a mediocre server tends to bring the whole experience down a notch, even with excellent food.
Posted by: Pokey | September 1, 2009 5:34 PM
Pokey - You're correct, sorry to offend.
Posted by: NotableM | September 1, 2009 7:50 PM
Hmmm, apparently voters prefer excellent food with mediocre service. I don't. Even mediocre food (which I interpret to mean decent, but not great) will taste better if the service is terrific. On the other hand, even fabulous food will taste indifferent if the service is indifferent. That's my two cents' worth.
Posted by: Dottie | September 1, 2009 10:17 PM
No way. I went to Morton's and got top notch service, 3-4 people waiting on us at all times. The steak was....... HORRIBLE. Outback's is 10x better. Never again. The food has got to be decent. No amount of service is making up for bad or mediocre food.
Posted by: Carey | September 2, 2009 6:56 AM
Every time I would choose, all other things being equal :
B service + B food
over
C service + A food
Posted by: The Sunsien Kid | September 2, 2009 4:42 PM
But I would choose
B service + A food
over
A service + B food
Posted by: The Sunshine Kid | September 2, 2009 4:44 PM