What are you interested in seeing when you go to a restaurant..?

Question

I am still working on the restaurant I inherited. What do you like to see when you go into a western style steak house...
Thanks
Marty

Answer 1

Congratulations, Marty!

I'm a foodie. I love going to good restaurants. Here are some things I like to see:

Clean bathrooms
Easy and available parking
Neat, presentable staff
Nice decor
A good variety in the menu. Daily, weekly or monthly specials are always a plus.
Flexibility. If the Rib Eye Steak comes with a Buerre Rouge Sauce, and I want the mushroom sauce....
Knowledgeable staff! If I don't know what fenugreek is and it's on the menu, your staff should know everything about it.
Creative wine list. Creative meaning wines that I am unfamiliar with (In LA, I hate seeing Kendall Jackson or Charles Shaw on the wine list. There is nothing wrong with those wines, but they are extremely common).
Good quality food. There is a BIG difference between Angus steaks and Prime or Choice steaks. There is a BIG difference between wild salmon and farm raised salmon.

If your restaurant is in Los Angeles, can you email me the name and location?

Answer 2

The thing I notice immediatly when I enter ANY resturant is definatly the wait staff, I look for clean cut well groomed people, who are doing thier job, not goofing around!
As for decore, since it's a western steakhouse then of course a western theme, waitstaff in cowboy hats, paintings of horses, farms etc. horseshoes hung on the wall, branding irons??
I worked @ a steak house for 5 years as a cooks assistant, and an idea I always thought was great, was to figure out a way to brand the steaks with your logo (or an adaption of it, depending on the size)
Another attention grabber would be a mechanical bull....now that will turn some heads!!! (just make sure people ride the bull while thier stomachs are still empyt)lol
Good luck!!! Hope I could be of some help!!
SMJ

Answer 3

1) good looking wait-staff wearing neat & tidy uniforms
2) modern / trendy fit out (interior deco), tables cover with table cloths & comfortable chairs
3) flowers on the table (should be real ones or it is better to put nothing)
4) good food - right portion size (huge American portion always scare me even the food taste wonderful - I get stuffed by 1/2 portion of my appetizer, so I skip the main course and go straightly to get my dessert!)
5) Clean restrooms is a must item to check!

Here in Hong Kong, we have some restaurants built open kitchen or put a big glass panel as the border of kitchen to let customers view how the chiefs prepare food. It is fun to watch how they prepare pizza, grill steaks, etc.

Answer 4

I prefer simple and elegant decor. I don't like all the cutesy crud like spurs and saddles hanging off the walls. That makes me wonder how much dust and dirt are drifting down into my food. Same with barn siding for paneling and rough wooden tables. I can't imagine how those things can be kept clean.

I do like soft music, lights that are bright enough to see the menu but not so bright that they blind you, and some attractive pictures or interesting photos on the wall.

Answer 5

Go check out as many western steak houses in and out of your area so you can get some ideas.

Answer 6

Honestly, being a typical guy. The first thing I immediately do is I look at the reception booth to see if any attractive girls are there. If there are, it makes me smile leaving a positive impact on my experience with the restaurant.

Answer 7

I like the ambience. I normally go out to be around people, to have music, to have friendly waiters and a clean place to eat.

I like low lighting and bright activity.

Answer 8

A cosy feeling with fresh flowers for decoration..Well-lit but not too bright so that u could put candle on each table... nice table cloth and some suitable paintings.. Too cosy?? Zzzzz......Zzzz....

Answer 9

Steer head over the restroom entrances.

Hooters-like environment helps! Girls in cowboy hats and boots! Oh, your business will grow...

Answer 10

Top quality steak.