May 13th, 2021

What’s New is our forum to share GT info and our musings on our restaurant life with you.
After a recent experience I wanted to share my thoughts on restaurant reviews via social media. Restaurants and small businesses rely heavily, unfortunately too heavily, on those social media platforms and their ratings. I hate our reliance on those darn stars. I have never personally left a bad review even when one was more than warranted. Why? Most of you already understand this, but why leave that bad or nasty review? Maybe they made an honest mistake, maybe they need to learn to do better, maybe they had the wrong person answer the phone, or the chef was out sick, or the fish delivery didn’t come, or the grill broke, or the take out is so heavy at a given moment that the kitchen just can’t handle anymore, or or or... The reasons for mess ups are many and varied, including that maybe they truly do serve bad food, or they really don’t care; but why not give them a chance to be better? The act of leaving a bad review hurts that business and it’s employees. Who of us doesn’t look at the stars a restaurant has? I do, but then I read the reviews, are there some 1 star ratings just cause someone was venting? Not reviewing the food or service but just mad, they drove 1/2 hour and the restaurant was closed, no one answered the phone, they didn’t have reservations and couldn’t get in. Those 1 star rating hurt what a business might have spent years trying to build.
When I said I never left a bad review I didn’t say I hadn’t given a bad review, but I have contacted the restaurant directly, especially if it is a place I frequent. I either send a snail mail, call or private message, I almost always get a thankful response. I gave them an opportunity to learn something about their business that perhaps they didn’t know. I give them a chance to do better. I have in the past reached out to people who have given us a bad review online and thanked them for giving me the opportunity to do better. But if someone reaches me personally, via mail, phone or private message I will gladly give them a gift certificate and an opportunity to have a better experience. I am grateful for the chance to make it up to them. Our job is to serve and to make your time with us the best it can be, it’s what we strive to do everyday. I wish people would just stop, think twice, breathe, count to 10, reach out personally to that business, give them a chance to do right by you before leaving a rating that could hurt what they have undoubtedly worked hard to build and maintain.


 Everyone makes mistakes. To all those people who we have made mistakes with and have written a bad review, I am sorry, but before you jump on yelp, or google, etc etc, give me a call. And of course, to those of you who leave great reviews for us and others, thank you.
Lisa
’the cure for anything
is salt water..sweat, tears or the sea’ isak dinesen