By A. Williams, ContributorIT'S DIFFICULT to find a good quality restaurant in Jamaica. I admit that there are a few good restaurant concepts out there, but the menus fail to match or follow through on their themes.
It has reached a point where patrons are best suited to call ahead to find out if there is anything else on the menu beside chicken or fish. Not withstanding, the prices in a few restaurants have skyrocketed, while the menu variety still huddles around chicken in some kind of cream sauce, and fish in a butter and garlic mixture.
These simplistic dishes are usually lumped beside or topped with carrots and string- beans for a whopping $880 each. Any restaurant critic would argue that the restaurant must have some distinct social value to warrant those prices.
POOR FACILITIES
However, let me tell you, the creaking ceiling fans and dusty standing fans that play host and hostess at the door, coupled with chipped and cracked tableware, only scream 'Facade!' Is this what Jamaican restaurants are really? A facade with simple dishes, poor and crude service, high prices and cracked dishware?
Vegetarians, people with diabetes and high blood pressure, I advise you all to cook at home. The high fat and cholesterol content in Jamaican restaurant-type food is astronomical. These restaurants have little vegetarian options. It shows that they are not tracking trends and adapting their menus to the customers' preferences.
Three basic signs of good restaurant service:
1. Someone greets you as you enter.
2. Someone seats you.
3. Someone thanks you for coming when you are leaving.
If the three basics aren't there, please, do not leave a tip. A chef in the Bahamas once told me that the product can be excellent but if the service is poor, the entire experience is ruined.
WHAT DO TO DO WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE POOR SERVICE
Ask if there is a comment card to fill out. A good restaurant will have comment cards. If it doesn't, this is a true sign that management does not care about your dining experience.
If a comment card is not available, ask to speak to the manager or supervisor. Remember, you are paying
a good sum for your meal
and you should let management know whether it
was satisfactory.
If management refuses to meet with you, write a letter to your local newspaper and or post a commentary on-line. You may be saving someone from a bad experience as well as a few bucks as well.
ADVICE TO RESTAURATEURS
Cutting costs does not mean skimping on the quality of the product or service.
Jamaican people can prepare good dishes at home, give them a reason to dine out.
Try serving an experience.
A. Williams is a trained chef and restaurant manager in Coral Gables, Miami, Florida.
