Thursday, May 6, 2010

Service and My First Review

Service, more specifically customer service, is absolutely critical when it comes to having an enjoyable dining out experience. Polite, friendly and above all efficient service can make or break a dining experience.

The level of involvement of the service personnel in a restaurant varies depending on the style of establishment, but even if it's just counter service and not table side service it should still be impeccable. I have extremely high standards!

Jason and I went to Beck's Prime this evening before our call time at 6:30pm. This is the Beck's on Kirby Dr. between Westhiemer and W. Alabama. (I'm going to rabbit trail here a bit and say that this location is infinitely easier to get to now that they have cut Kipling all the way through from Virginia to Kirby.)

Jason and I enjoy Beck's as a rule, although we do go back and forth a bit between it and Five Guys Burgers and Fries when we are trying to decide where to go for a non-fast food burger. But, today the service was less than stellar at Beck's. The young lady who took our order could not have been less thrilled to be there. She did not smile the entire time she interacted with us. She was not openly hostile or rude, but she was not exactly warm and welcoming either. Overall I would say she was just generally lackluster.

I guess she could have been having a bad day (I understand that.) or maybe she dislikes her job ( Some days I understand that too.). But, whatever the case she seem to be "over it".

Before I segue to talking about other sub-par services experiences I am going to write my first restaurant review!

Name: Beck's Prime
Location: The west side of Kirby Dr., between Westheimer and W. Alabama
Time Visited: Thursday, apprx. 5:30pm

Food: 4 stars - The food at Beck's is exceptional. This evening I partook of a cheese burger w/ cheddar cheese, cooked medium on a whole wheat bun with mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. I split an order of french fries with Jason. The thing about Beck's burgers is that they are hearty. You do not walk away hungry, even if you don't have any fries.

Service and Ambiance/Atmosphere: 3 stars - The service and ambiance/atmosphere are really just average. There is nothing great to say about either one, but nothing overly critical either.

Value: 3.5 stars - I honestly think Beck's is a bit over priced. (Note to self: In the future add a link to an on-line menu if possible.) It's also a little pretentious which I am sure contributes to the over priced-ness. (Technically, I guess the bit about the restaurant being pretentious should go under the heading of ambiance/atmosphere, but I just had to throw it in here.)

Consistency: 4 stars - I have never had an absolutely wretched experience at Beck's. They are consistently slightly above average in all areas. Not necessarily something I would write home about, but I would never turn anyone down should they suggested we dine there...especially if they are footing the bill!

Overall rating: 3.5 stars - For a pretentious burger joint with nothing terribly distinguishing about it, aside from the fact that you won't leave hungry, I guess it does all right.

I've decided to save the rest of this post re: sub-par service experiences for another time. In fact, I am sure I will post on this topic frequently. There is, unfortunately, so much to say. So please stay tuned.

To be continued...

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