Reservatation at Schwa

Do you think its possible to get a reservation at Schwa for two this Friday night - I have tried calling a couple of times and all I get is the mailbox is full

bisque wrote:Do you think its possible to get a reservation at Schwa for two this Friday night - I have tried calling a couple of times and all I get is the mailbox is full

I've had trouble getting reservations on short notice, but the only way to know is to talk to someone there -- have you tried calling during business hours?

bisque wrote:Do you think its possible to get a reservation at Schwa for two this Friday night - I have tried calling a couple of times and all I get is the mailbox is full

No. They are normally booked much further out than that.

I've had trouble getting reservations on short notice, but the only way to know is to talk to someone there -- have you tried calling during business hours?

I wish calling during business hours meant a hill of beans at Schwa. Sadly, my experience has been that they empty the mailbox when the feel like it, answer the phone when they feel like it, and respond to voicemails when, well, you get the idea.

I have had some sucess getting reservations on one days notice due to cancellations on two occasions. I never hurts to call and ask.

iblock9 wrote:... never hurts to call and ask.

My pain threshhold must be lower than yours.

Kennyz wrote:

iblock9 wrote:... never hurts to call and ask.

My pain threshhold must be lower than yours.

Totally. I've given up on even trying to eat at Schwa. I'll sacrafice the food experience for my sanity.

The difficult communication is a bit of a hassle. I have a reservation for May 31. I just found out that one of the attendees has a severe seafood allergy, which I didn't know about when Michael called about the reservation. I tried to call back for a week to ask them if they could accomodate the allergy, but continued to get the "mailbox full" stuff. I finally just wrote Michael a letter about it and asked him to call me. Of course, you know what happened next. He called me on my cell phone on Monday night while I was on a plane in the air. He left a message that he would call me back, but that hasn't happened yet.

We ate there last week on Thursday, and I had difficulty calling to confirm my reservation. I mentioned this to them. They said that they emptied out their mailbox on Wednesday at noon, by 4 pm on THE SAME Wednesday it was full up again.

As much as I have enjoyed my meals at Schwa, this is the one issue that I find really aggravating. I can see how it fits in with their DIY/punk rock ethos (as I see it, anyway), but... but, I mean, come on -- hire someone who can answer the phone! I'm sure there's someone out there who would work as a part-time receptionist. Hell, ask me on a bad day at work and I would do it.

I have a sneaking suspicion they do the being hard to reach thing to make you feel special when you get a reservation. If you do get a chance to leave a voicemail, I recommend babysitting your cell phone because you’ll only get one call back. Here’s an idea, or would it be rude to walk in at, say, 4:00 when they’re prepping, but before patrons are there and ask for a reservation (or maybe get lucky and take a cancellation’s spot for that night even).

I'm on the verge of walking in before service to try to catch up to them to get my allergies question answered. After more than a week of trying to return their call, I've sent yet another letter to them. A promised second call back has never happened. Since I'm in Naperville, it's not the most convenient place to get to. I'll be downtown tomorrow, so I'll probably walk in around 4 or so and see if I catch them. They may not care for it, but who's the customer here?

laikom wrote:Here’s an idea, or would it be rude to walk in at, say, 4:00 when they’re prepping, but before patrons are there and ask for a reservation...

I wouldn't worry about it being rude, because even if it is, it's no ruder than making one's business next-to-impossible to contact. Rudeness doesn't merit rudeness in response, but in some cases it might make it necessary.

Seems to me the situation bespeaks almost a passive-aggressive hostility toward customers on Schwa's part. Or a love-hate relationship. This may be not at all what they intend, or what they feel, but if it isn't, they should know that it is what they're communicating.

laikom wrote:Here’s an idea, or would it be rude to walk in at, say, 4:00 when they’re prepping, but before patrons are there and ask for a reservation (or maybe get lucky and take a cancellation’s spot for that night even).

It may not be rude, but it's useless. I tried this twice and they politely (if that's possible) told me to get out. They said the only way to reserve is to call. When I explained that I'd been trying that method, they (again politely) apologized and suggested - in the nicest possible way - that I try harder. I'm done with Schwa.

laikom wrote:I have a sneaking suspicion they do the being hard to reach thing to make you feel special when you get a reservation

I sincerely doubt this. I believe the problem is simply that they have ridiculous call volume, like some of the megahot fine dining establishments (see above, where I believe it's mentioned that when they clear it out, their VM is full again within a couple of hours... less time, I wager, than it takes to actually respond to a full VM's worth of calls), but they don't have the sophisticated phone system and dedicated staff to handle it. The guys answering the phones are the guys running the kitchen, and they've gotta cook. Same thing with walk-ups. If word gets around that you can walk in to get a reservation, suddenly their chefs are constantly being pulled out to take reservations when they're trying to get their prep work done for the evening.

The argument that they should just hire somebody on the cheap to take care of the phone makes sense, but I think the suggestion that they're doing this because of some kind of deep-seated passive aggressive contempt for their customers overlooks the kind of hours they work, the kind of time involved in answering all of the phone calls, and the huge call volume they get. If, due to the unusual nature of the place, you feel the inconvenience of getting in and getting a hold of them for questions overshadows the enjoyment of going, don't go, absolutely, but I don't see why it has to be taken as a personal affront.

I think to some extent it is a personal affront, but on a grand scale. There's nothing more personal than being in a service business. If you make it hard to do business with you, it only says that you have little regard for your customers. I'm very interested in trying Schwa, but let's face it. There's a dozen places in town doing food at their level with much better front office capabilities.

I actually think that it's hard to get a reservation at Schwa because the Illuminati desire to consolidate their power by creating a sense of need and urgency in our population. By denying people an immediate reservation, Chef Carlson is working towards the government's goal of creating a virtual panopticon, enslaving us in our desires.

Schwa is obviously a step in towards the creation of the New World Order, and I would not be surprised if there was some Freemason or Rosicrucian ownership behind the scenes.

Or maybe it's just a really, really small restaurant that's really, really popular.

Best
Michael

John Danza wrote:I think to some extent it is a personal affront, but on a grand scale. There's nothing more personal than being in a service business. If you make it hard to do business with you, it only says that you have little regard for your customers. I'm very interested in trying Schwa, but let's face it. There's a dozen places in town doing food at their level with much better front office capabilities.

It's like playing hard to get in the dating game..."alluring" to some people. Annoying to most.

John Danza wrote:I think to some extent it is a personal affront, but on a grand scale. There's nothing more personal than being in a service business. If you make it hard to do business with you, it only says that you have little regard for your customers. I'm very interested in trying Schwa, but let's face it. There's a dozen places in town doing food at their level with much better front office capabilities.

And if they expanded to meet demand, put in a new phone system and hired a front-of-house staff, then they'd BE those other twelve places rather than the uniquely refreshing place they are.

eatchicago wrote:I actually think that it's hard to get a reservation at Schwa because.....................................

Mike Sula is their reservation clerk.

"The voice-mail box has been full since the day the unpublished phone number for Crib went active in late February. If the call is coming from a local area code, he doesn’t even bother answering."

Yes, it's frustrating (we just waited a good week, at least, before having our call returned). But I am much more frustrated by places like Frontera Grill and Hop Leaf that have ridiculously long waits because they don't take reservations.* There is nothing more frustrating than having to plan the whole evening around the uncertainty about when you'll be seated.

*Frontera takes reservations for groups of 6 and perhaps makes other exceptions.

I think people seem to forget that before Schwa, this space was Lovitt, which had a very similar set-up: the chef, a prep guy, a dishwasher, and the chef's wife who ran front of the house. But the whole experience was different- everytime I made a reservation at Lovitt, I got someone, I was politely told what dates were available, plus I got a confirmation call prior to the day. The one time I tried to get a reservation at Schwa (this was more than a year ago, before this over-hyped second coming), I did get someone (Nathan, I think, who was still working there at that time), and got blown off, or "politely" told to call back in two months. Whaaat???

I think the philosophy around the customer is different: the folks running Lovitt actually cooked for their customers, and wanted to share their love of cuisine with others. They embraced the fact that running a restaurant means they are in a service-oriented business model (otherwise, the chef should just cook for himself at home, or cook for free...paying customers deserve attention and service!). Carlson and the Schwa crew cook for THEMSELVES and their humungous EGOs. Unfortunately these egos are being stoked by the media, by food bloggers, etc.etc. , so they honestly don't think they're doing anything wrong with regards to interacting their customers. Which is sad, indeed.

fusionfan wrote:I think people seem to forget that before Schwa, this space was Lovitt, which had a very similar set-up: the chef, a prep guy, a dishwasher, and the chef's wife who ran front of the house. But the whole experience was different- everytime I made a reservation at Lovitt, I got someone, I was politely told what dates were available, plus I got a confirmation call prior to the day. The one time I tried to get a reservation at Schwa (this was more than a year ago, before this over-hyped second coming), I did get someone (Nathan, I think, who was still working there at that time), and got blown off, or "politely" told to call back in two months. Whaaat???

Fusionfan, just because they were in the same space doesn't make their situations analogous at all. Lovitt wasn't getting the kind of attention Schwa is, and they weren't getting a tiny fraction of the call volume. To compare how they handle vastly different situations doesn't make any damn sense at all.

The Schwa situation brings to mind the old diner stereotype -- that some people feel a restaurant has to be exactly what they want, and when it isn't, it's a personal attack and the restaurant had better damn well fix it. Rather than speculate about what's deep in the minds of the chefs, taking personal insult at the nature of the place, how about not going? Schwa is what it is, and if you don't like what it is, don't go -- nobody's forcing you. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass to get a hold of the guys, but either it's worth it to you or it isn't. It's that simple.

I just don't understand this mindset that when a restaurant isn't exactly what I want, then it's <b><i>THEIR</i></b> problem and they're <b><i>INSULTING</i></b> me.

I totally disagree with you. Lovitt might not have had the same call volume, but to say it's a "tiny fraction" of Schwa's is incorrect. It still took three weeks minimum to get a reservation at Lovitt in 2003. OK, so Schwa's is months (or a month?), but three weeks isn't a "tiny fraction".

It seems like you are the Schwa defender on this board, and I don't really feel like being drawn into a closed-minded debate with you. You have your opinion and you're clinging to it, and I respect that. I expressed my own opinion, and recounted a first hand experience I had with the place. I have a right to do that (and don't really need to be told that my comparisons "don't make any damn sense", which is frankly, insulting and condescending).

For the record, I ate at Lovitt semi-regularly and I don't think I ever made a reservation more than a few days, maybe a week, in advance.

My guess is that they are pretty full up.

And frankly, I can sympathize. I don't want boatloads of people wandering into my office unannounced thinking I'm going to stop what I'm doing and deal with them. If people knew that they could get a reservation by popping in to Schwa in person, they'd never get any cooking done!

fusionfan wrote:I totally disagree with you. Lovitt might not have had the same call volume, but to say it's a "tiny fraction" of Schwa's is incorrect.

If Schwa's VM is filling up in a matter of 2 hours, that means they're <b><i>averaging</i></b> a reservation request every few minutes (to say nothing of what their spikes are like). Do you <b><i>REALLY</i></b> believe that was the case at Lovitt? The reason Schwa is only booked up a month in advance is <i>because they don't answer so many calls</i>. Judging their call volume by how far out they're booked or accept reservations <i>is not logical</i>. Not to mention which, Schwa usually books two months out, not one, and they're almost always completely booked out for that duration.

And I stand by my statement that this comparison doesn't make sense... and when I say that, it's not a personal attack and it's not an assassination of your character. It's simply addressing this specific criticism. And I find it remarkable that you use such strong words in describing the motivations and midsets of people you don't know, but then find it insulting and condescending when somebody points out that your analogy isn't analogous. Of course you're free to post your opinion, but just because you can post whatever want doesn't mean it's "insulting" when somebody challenges that opinion.

Just because they were fully booked and weren't taking reservations for a while, why does that mean they don't care? It seems more like you're upset that you didn't get what you wanted and took it personally.

I'm not saying it's good that it's so hard to get through... it sucks. All I'm saying is that this assumption that the reason is because they're all ego-driven bastards back there who just don't give a damn about their customers is a ridiculous leap of logic, especially given what we KNOW about their resources.

Dmnkly wrote:Rather than speculate about what's deep in the minds of the chefs, taking personal insult at the nature of the place, how about not going? Schwa is what it is, and if you don't like what it is, don't go -- nobody's forcing you. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass to get a hold of the guys, but either it's worth it to you or it isn't. It's that simple.

Not going is certainly the first, and most rational, response. But that doesn't preclude commenting on the situation.

I don't have a clue what Schwa's motivation is for the way they treat potential customers. Maybe they're genuinely too swamped to deal with the volume of calls; maybe it's a marketing scheme where they're intentionally trying to create some mystical aura around the place; maybe they're just elitist bastards. I do know that they have relatively simple, cheap options that would make the reservation process less of a royal pain in the ass. How about eliminating phone reservations altogether, and just taking them online with a credit card deposit? How about having a non-message receiving voicemail that says: "we will be taking calls for reservations for June on Monday, April ## from 2-3PM. Reservations will be on first call, first serve basis." You know, a la what Ticketmaster does for hot concerts. The leave a message and we'll call you back thing is such an unnecessary pain in the ass for patrons and, I imagine, for the restaurant staff.

I don't know what they're motivation is for choosing the miserable reservation method they have, but it's a lousy choice with much better alternatives. They're unnecessarily turning off a potential customer base that they don't need right now, but who knows what the future brings? Why unnecessarily alienate people like this?

riddlemay wrote:

Dmnkly wrote:Rather than speculate about what's deep in the minds of the chefs, taking personal insult at the nature of the place, how about not going? Schwa is what it is, and if you don't like what it is, don't go -- nobody's forcing you. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass to get a hold of the guys, but either it's worth it to you or it isn't. It's that simple.

Not going is certainly the first, and most rational, response. But that doesn't preclude commenting on the situation.

Agreed.

fusionfan wrote:

riddlemay wrote:

Dmnkly wrote:Rather than speculate about what's deep in the minds of the chefs, taking personal insult at the nature of the place, how about not going? Schwa is what it is, and if you don't like what it is, don't go -- nobody's forcing you. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass to get a hold of the guys, but either it's worth it to you or it isn't. It's that simple.

Not going is certainly the first, and most rational, response. But that doesn't preclude commenting on the situation.

Agreed.

Agreed again!

It's not the "damn, it's impossible to get through to these guys and they really need a better system" comments that I'm challenging. It's the "the difficulty in getting a reservation shows that these guys are all passive aggressive assholes who don't give a damn about their customers" comments that I'm challenging.