graciousness under pressure-sweets&savories

i invited 6 friends to meet me for brunch at sweets&savories today. david richards, the chef/owner, had been kind enough earlier in the week to offer half price dinner to anyone going to facets multimedia (directly across the street) on the last night that facets showed 'end of the line'. this doc. is about overfishing of the world's oceans. i was very impressed by his generous offer and reminded that he is a chef who sources sustainable fish, so i decided it was time for a return visit.
alas, the restaurant sustained a 'brownout' shortly after we arrived at 10am. the computer worked but the electricity was at a very low level. people showing up after us were turned away. we munched on the delicious pastry assortment offered with the prix fixe $14 brunch. some of us drank cup after cup of coffee. the power level kept changing. we were told that if we were patient, we would be fed. the garland stove at the restaurant is an electric powered flat top, but the staff determined they could get out our food (lobster hash and poached eggs, duck confit and poached eggs, salmon benedict, strip steak and poached eggs) if we didnt mind waiting. the front of the house staff were cheerful and patient and gave us regular updates on the state of the kitchen. we eventually got our food, and it was delicious, but the chef refused to let us pay for the meal, even though we got everything we ordered. they also sent us home with big boxes of pastries, which werent going to be used. the restaurant closed after we left, with the com.ed. guy in the kitchen trying to figure out what was wrong.
the entire staff maintained a calm, professional and cheerful demeanor throughout the morning. we would have been happy to pay for our meals, and understood that the problem was not something that the staff could fix immediately. aside from the long wait for our food, we had a fine time.
sweets & savories
1534 w. fullerton
773-281-6778

justjoan wrote:i invited 6 friends to meet me for brunch at sweets&savories today. david richards, the chef/owner, had been kind enough earlier in the week to offer half price dinner to anyone going to facets multimedia (directly across the street) on the last night that facets showed 'end of the line'. this doc. is about overfishing of the world's oceans. i was very impressed by his generous offer and reminded that he is a chef who sources sustainable fish, so i decided it was time for a return visit.
alas, the restaurant sustained a 'brownout' shortly after we arrived at 10am. the computer worked but the electricity was at a very low level. people showing up after us were turned away. we munched on the delicious pastry assortment offered with the prix fixe $14 brunch. some of us drank cup after cup of coffee. the power level kept changing. we were told that if we were patient, we would be fed. the garland stove at the restaurant is an electric powered flat top, but the staff determined they could get out our food (lobster hash and poached eggs, duck confit and poached eggs, salmon benedict, strip steak and poached eggs) if we didnt mind waiting. the front of the house staff maintained a cheerful and patient demeanor and gave us regular updates on the state of the kitchen. we eventually got our food, and it was delicious, but the chef refused to let us pay for the meal, even though we got everything we ordered. they also sent us home with big boxes of pastries, which werent going to be used. the restaurant closed after we left, with the com.ed. guy in the kitchen trying to figure out what was wrong.
the entire staff maintained a calm, professional and cheerful demeanor throughout the morning. we would have been happy to pay for our meals, and understood that the problem was not something that the staff could fix immediately. aside from the long wait for our food, we had a fine time.
sweets & savories
1534 w. fullerton
773-281-6778

You just reminded me why I have to get over there. I've never been and it is one of those places I always forget about when food comes up.

This is the sort of thing that always saddens me -- because I know losing a day's business like this hurts a restaurant financially. I'm glad they were so gracious, but I hope they don't ever again have to show that they can handle the pressure.

The important thing here is communication. I was at another restaurant, in a similar situation, and we were just left to sit. And sit. And sit. You had information, you could have left, you could have stayed - that you knew what was going on allowed you to set your expectations and make choices.

Something so key that places so often forget.