Phone Inquiries - Was: Sweets and Savories

Sorry if I've distracted people from the thread. Didn't mean to make a fuss. I could have chosen my words more carefully. I certainly don't think personal relationships exert inappropriate influence on GNR selections. With so many LTHers participating in the GNR visits and discussions, I don't doubt any favoritism would be quickly called out if the quality of a place's food, service, and ambience didn't measure up.

Please, back to Sweets and Savories? I am interested in the discussion that was underway on whether an assessment of quality of service should extend to how phone inquiries are handled.

Katie wrote: I am interested in the discussion that was underway on whether an assessment of quality of service should extend to how phone inquiries are handled.

ah, the diverse interests of people in this world.

Katie wrote:I am interested in the discussion that was underway on whether an assessment of quality of service should extend to how phone inquiries are handled.

Me too.

(Just wanted to add that on my two visits to S&S, I've not only had very good food, but very good service from start [meaning phone call] to finish. On one of those two occasions, due to specifics I don't need to get into now, the service went beyond the call of duty--for which I was at the time and remain grateful. But on Katie's general question as to whether the phone call counts as part of the service experience, I'd say yes. If S&S is occasionally not handling these as well as they might, it's a valid topic for conversation, IMO.)

riddlemay wrote:

Katie wrote:I am interested in the discussion that was underway on whether an assessment of quality of service should extend to how phone inquiries are handled.

Me too.

So than why not start a thread on that very subject rather than derailing the one about this restaurant? I ask this out of pure curiosity, rather than any type of malace. Poor phone manners happen at other places from time to time, just like they do at S&S from time to time.

stevez wrote:

riddlemay wrote:

Katie wrote:I am interested in the discussion that was underway on whether an assessment of quality of service should extend to how phone inquiries are handled.

Me too.

So than why not start a thread on that very subject rather than derailing the one about this restaurant? I ask this out of pure curiosity, rather than any type of malace. Poor phone manners happen at other places from time to time, just like they do at S&S from time to time.

No malice taken. I think if the discussion were only a general one, about how we feel about how phone inquiries are taken at restaurants, you would be absolutely right--it would be the topic for a new thread on Other Culinary Chat. But if the discussion is about whether Sweets & Savories has room for improvement in this department, it belongs here. No?

Well, since I turned out to have guessed wrong about there being room for a Sweets & Savories-specific phone manners discussion on the S&S thread (not that anybody necessarily had anything more to contribute to it), I'll talk about a couple of general pet peeves in the department.

1) I mildly dislike being put into a "decision tree" (it that's the term) of automated prompts. ("For a reservation for today, press 1. For a reservation any other day, press 2.") I don't mind this when I know I'm calling at other than business hours, but it's off-putting when you know someone's there. Honestly, the same person can't just pick up the phone for people making reservations for tomorrow vs. today?

2) I really hate when a person picks up and speed-talks, "HelloRestaurantXCanYouHold?"click. I think it's the tone of frantic, overworked, overwhelmed desperation that irks. It suggests that when I get to your restaurant, I'm going to find the rest of the staff equally unable to manage the amount of business you have. (And if you're going to ask if I can hold, at least give me the space to get in a one-syllable answer before you put me on hold.)