Kurt L.
Yelp
This place was just "incredible". I don't where to start. Normally would have driven right by the empty parking lot at 9pm and looking on Yelp where to get food. I mentioned "oh I know where- the duke!" (The duke restaurant?). No, the "fratelli deli", anselmos, cellos. It's changed hands many times. I said "chef duke has that new place!" Duke LoCicero was grinding away at business at the bar when I walked in, are you open? "Sure, have a seat wherever you'd like!"
About the only thing I can say it that it really made our night. Our waitress Marie was a doll, and it was our first time there! After seeing the parking lot overflowing, pulled in to check (because Yelp has everything screwed up with Covid-19 and all). You don't know what's real and what's not! But what do I know? Views of my photos (and I knew about the pandemic in November) went from 500k to 200k in one month. I would put my money in Tesla instead of Yelp. But- it serves it's purpose as a "baby menu" where you can ask the waitress "what is that?", and show them the photo. Oh that's the asparagus and a crab cake. It's on the long menu. Me:"well is that a pork chop under the crab cakes and sauce?" No, I think it's part of a rack of lamb.
Tonight was our lucky night. As it turns out, chef duke's wife Kelly was having a party and it looked like a convention of the women's real estate guild. It was loud (not like the sounds of the NYSE floor in Mosca's). But we were exceptionally glad to be allowed to seat, as they closed at 7pm and 2 hours later we were able to enter and get a seat. It must have been in the stars, as I heard about the place on Decatur, but never got to experience it. It closed before I tried it. It tends to be that we are creatures of habit and tend to "go with what you know." When I first walked in chef duke was sitting at the bar and I sarcastically said "you look just like that picture on the wall." He said "yeah, that guy is a real ass!" From that point on I was just enamored . If you can't laugh at yourself what kind of person are you. We've have all made mistakes. If Yelp would send me out (like Morgan F.) as people in the field instead of some high pressure sales guy in "Chicago" and spoofing a phone number from NYC. (And lying about it). The sales force would be more personable. In this town it's not what you know it's WHO you know. Things down here are not done with contracts, they are done on a handshake and a promise AND delivery of the promised product. Not some false pretense. Your company it only as good as it's people and Yelp!'s CEO could learn a lot about sales and customer service from Chef Duke and people in the south. One of the main lessons they should learn is that if they are so "impartial"- why is the site so politicized. It's like I told a t-shirt shop down in Mexico . I said if you have the shirt that I want I will buy it. The owner asked me "well what shirt do you want?" After being hawked carved machetes in Tijuana that beautifully said "Lorena Bobbit especial" and "Oj Simpson especial". I figured I would definitely find it. I said "I want a t-shirt that says Donald Trump (in red, white and green). I thought it would be hilarious. Well he called over two other shopkeepers and told them what I said. They were angry and said "well we no like Trump". In which I replied (in Spanish) ok, but who is your customer? Are you selling to them or me. Because that boat holds 6,000 people. So you are losing out on 3,000 potential sales-roughly. He started to think about it when I told them in Spanish. President Trump does not see White or Black, the only color he sees is green! ¿Comprende ? At which point I told them in Spanish. Because if you had a way to the U.S. you would be selling more shirts at some rally than you sell in a week here! Their eyes got bigger and bigger the more I practically scolded them with truth.
Finally, (after a large crowd gathered) one of the shirt vendors asked- How you learn to speak Spanish so Good . My reply "para los escuelas en Los estados unidos" (from schools in the U.S.)
They were shocked.
But anyway "I tend to digress" because of all the thoughts in my mind. I think I might be related to Elon Musk because his brother and I are working on the same concept. You'll have to scan the net to see that one.
Anyway, go to "Dab's Bistro" in Metairie, tell chef duke that Kurt sent you, and if you want a good waitress ask for Marie. You don't want to "miss the opportunity" for food as unique as this!
