I am Jim Smith
Google
IF WALMART TRIED FINE DINING, IT WOULD BE ORANGE SKY
1. They can't keep reservations: I made a reservation for a window seat for my wife's birthday at sunset. We arrived and the assistant hostess said, "You reserved a window seat?". When I confirmed she let me know they didn't have any. It's funny that a restaurant on a reservation doesn't know how to hold a reservation. The one girl at the front had zero personality and didn’t smile. It's probably because they know they aren't good at keeping reservations. They informed us there was a table on the patio, or in the dining room. We didn't even want to stay at that point. The view was part of the appeal and sitting on the patio which is not fine dining is a far cry from our expectations.
2. The patio is NOT the same as the dining room: However, we did go sit outside and it was breezy, the floor is stained and the tables don't have linens. The patio is where other people can just come and walk around so you feel like you're on display, not in a dining room, because you're not. It's a deescalted experience with the same menu and there were a lot of people just walking around on the patio because there is an amazing view, if you’re walking around, not if you’re dining.
3. Timing: It took a long time from the time we were seated before we were acknowledged by anyone. The runner brought water and said our server would be with us shortly. Do we reset the time waited since the water was delivered, because shortly passed by a few minutes ago?
4. Views: Once our server arrived, we had plenty of time to decide we didn't want to sit on the patio. It wasn't warm, it was breezy, and it was not a window seat. Our server, Lauren I believe her name was, guided us to a booth inside the dining room. So, here we are, 15 stories up in a place with some amazing views of the valley (from most seats) but what we got was a view of two very old people eating at the table in front of us. NO VIEW FOR YOU!!! The booths face north and there are no views because of the height of the booths. So now, no window and no view. We look at each other and decide to give this a go. By this time we had been there for 22 minutes, we don't have a drink, and hadn't even ordered one. Add that to the timing point.
In addition, the dining room is just a big open room. It feels pretty uninspired.
5. They Can't Do Bread: Before we had ordered a drink, and right after sitting at the booth, we received a basket of bread. They must keep the bread in the fridge. It wasn't even room temperature but worse, it was stale. Before we had indulged in the sorry excuse for bread, we ordered a margarita. I wanted to order a beer but she ran through all the names so fast, I don't know which one is which so I held off. A place charging these prices can't print up a list? Beer selection isn't that volatile. I ended up ordering the one beer I knew and then my wife's margarita came out, but it was a Paloma. When discussed with the waitress she said, "Well I wrote down Paloma!". Yeah, we're done here. She asked if we wanted another round or to order food, and we let her know that we wouldn't be having dinner there. Then she really turned on the charm and removed all pleasantries from her language. When we paid, there was no word whatsoever. We left a 60% tip on the two drinks even though one of them was wrong.
6. Attention to detail: If you can't honor a reservation, let the customer know. When you put the paper menus into the folder, if you mess up and fold the paper, remove it and put a nice one in. Stains on the patio don't add to the value of a meal, they take away from everything. It's unsightly.
A manager should touch each table throughout the night. When you notice that there are no drinks or starters on a table that has been moved, and around for 20+ minutes, had their reservations not honored, you touch base.
We ended up going to Season's 52. I had the filet mignon, the birthday girl had the scallops. It was a superior experience from the moment we walked in until we left.