Good Service
Seattle is having a bit of a crisis when it comes to restaurant workers. The continued massive growth in the industry has created a situation where too many jobs are available, and not enough skilled and trained workers exist to fill those jobs.
With that as a given, I wanted to write about what actually constitutes good service. I think it's easy to overlook the importance of honesty, but to me it's at the crux of all great service interactions. It was demonstrated to me yet again on Monday night: out to dinner at Staple and Fancy, I asked the server (as I usually do) what we should have. First, I appreciated that he had ready answers and direct opinions. Even more, I appreciated that he told us we probably shouldn't order a dish that we were contemplating. It's a rare server who can both feel confident enough to recommend against a dish, and execute that in a way that doesn't feel awkward or forced. Just a nice reminder that there are some quality pros out there.
