Bad Service America: Diner for Schmucks
Channel: David Michael Cantor
Date: 2011-09-02

http://dmcantor.com/blog Today's topic starts with an article in the current issue of GQ and food critic Alan Richman's latest review. The title and opening illustration give you a hint that this review is not going to be a good one. Alan describes going to M. Wells on a few occasions. the first two were unannounced and simply to eat. By the third visit he had spoken with the owners to get an offsite interview and let them know he had already made plans to dine there in a few days. The food part of the review is pretty fair and would probably tempt a number of people to go for dinner. Then Alan's story takes a turn for the worse. The service takes an already ho-hum reputation and nose dives into what one of his compatriots describes as "the worst restaurant experience I've ever had."
In the review Alan comments about how the waitstaff was innatentive and careless. This has unfortunately become a bit of the norm in the US dining establishments and the workplace in general. At the third dinner they wait 45 minutes and finally wave down another waitress who seemed less than happy to be taking their order. He leaves and gets an email the next day from the co-owner blaming him for having a bad dining experience and then the fireworks go off: he is accused of sexual assaulting the waitress. Needless to say Alan is pretty shocked and replies back asking to meet his accuser.
The article is really well written and we recommend picking up the latest issue and reading it for yourself.
In David's video his recaps these events but then goes a little further regarding the poor service and some of Alan's thoughts on the "Too Cool to Care" attitude. The hipster mentality may be going too far or too ironically for many of Americans to appreciate any longer.
What do you think?