A host/hostess to greet you . It's a good sign to see a happy, smiling, welcoming person who seems to like their job, the restaurant and you. Too much to ask? Should I just wait by the door until some harried waiter rushes me to a table and then promptly forgets I’m there? A manager is prese n t. And actually in the restaurant, not crunching numbers in the back office. Their job is to esnure the smooth running of the restaurant and ultimately ensure calm and order in what is a very hectic business. They should be checking to make sure your experience is going well – and fixing anything that aren’t. Fly in your soup? Instantly replaced and off the bill. A good manager or maitre’d is gold for a restaurant; he’ll run the ship like a savvy captain of the high seas, anticipating problems. Ever been “forgotten” after a big table comes in? A good maitre’d makes sure this never happens. A decent waiter/waitress who knows something about wine . I don’t demand that the waiter knows the best vintages of every region and county in France, but could he at least learn something about the wine list? I can’t count how many meals take a downward turn when I ask for a wine suggestion with my main dish and get an empty, confused stare for an answer. OK, a sommelier is a nice addition but they are largely confined to big hotels. Still, is learning the basics really too much to ask? No cooks outside the restaurant . I used to see the chef of a new restaurant out on the sidewalk, smoking, every night I went by. Shouldn’t he be in the kitchen? Prepping something or actually cooking food? If HE didn’t even want to be in the restaurant, it will come as no shock that a few weeks later it will be closed. If you see a cook listlessly hanging out in front of his restaurant looking forlorn and dejected, keep walking. The chef pays a visit . While I certainly don’t want to see him outside, I do want to see him in the restaurant, making at least one floor tour after the first rush. Chefs are usually larger than life characters and like getting feedback on what they just toiled mightily hard to create. Customers love it when the chef drops by to ask about the meal and answer any questions that have cropped up, like how he makes a certain dish. Plus: five tips on the warning signs of a bad restaurant, and how to get something out of it
