Check Please! And Hurry

Have you ever surveyed how much you spend eating out at a chain restaurant for an evening? Think about it. Have you surveyed how much you spend eating out at an independent restaurant, do you remember? Now, ask yourself this, is the amount you spend at an independent restaurant that much more than a chain? How much better was the food, the service and the wine/beer/spirits selection than your chain restaurant with their only national brand beverages available? Most independent restaurants offer very affordable small plates or even kids meals if you want to take the family.

Recently I went to dinner at a chain restaurant. I am embarrassed to admit it. Our waiter arrived at our table speaking into a wireless mouthpiece, communicating with the kitchen I suppose. I couldn’t tell if he was talking to me or not. He didn’t greet us and he started handing out menus while continuing to talk into his mouthpiece. When he finally finished he took our drink orders and disappeared for a very long time. When he came back he was interrupted and continued his conversation into his wireless mouthpiece. To top off our evening, the food was bland and the background music was so loud we couldn’t hold a conversation. The biggest surprise of the evening however was how incredibly busy this restaurant was. I had to wait 30 minutes for a table dodging small children and waiting at the bar for 20 of those minutes just to get a drink.

On another evening at a more exclusive chain I was treated to a 5 minute long over rehearsed speech about the evening’s menu. Our server was bored and sing sang her way through the entire presentation. Am I being overly sensitive or does anyone else think this kind of service is unacceptable?

There are so many small, independently owned restaurants in Denver that know how to deliver not only good service but also exceptional food and an atmosphere where it is a pleasure to dine and have good conversation. If there’s a restaurant out there that you love, visit it. Eat there. You may not be able to spend as much on dining out as you once did, but when you’re making a decision about where to spend your hard earned money don’t overlook our local restaurants. As foodies we need to support those restaurants especially during these economic times. Please humor me and go to Fruition, Table 6, Root Down, ZCuisine, Duo, Red Trolley, Bones, Mizuna, Luca D’Italia, Panzano or Vesta Dipping Grill. You won’t be embarrassed that you did.



(Written by Christine Lucas & Becky Creighton)