My husband and I are on vacation in Ireland, and tonight we were looking for a restaurant for dinner. We have been to Dublin several times, but as in all cities, restaurants come and go. We had gone to a local pub the night before, and we didn’t want more pub food. We were looking for something different. There are many fine restaurants—all pretty pricey—near St. Stephen’s Green where our hotel was located. We wanted to be able to walk there, have dinner and a glass of wine, and then walk back to our hotel. We searched the Internet, read the hotel’s directory of restaurant suggestions and the book on Dublin in the room. We finally settled on Marco Pierre White, a small, cozy restaurant on Dawson Street.
We didn’t know the person for whom the restaurant was named, but one fact about him caught my eye. He replaced Gordon Ramsay, of Kitchen Nightmares (a favorite TV program of ours) on Iron Chef, so we felt comfortable that he was in the same echelon as our favorite, Gordon. It also had a fixed prix special—three courses including dessert. What we found was not only a good restaurant with excellent food but also excellent customer service. The fact that it wasn’t contrived or forced but natural and relaxing made it such a pleasant evening:
1. We were greeted at the door by a friendly hostess. Though we didn’t have a reservation, we had our choice of seating inside the restaurant or in the outside seating area, enclosed with high plexi glass partitions. We chose a lovely corner table outdoors in the enclosed area with view of the street, excellent for people watching. A fire box, which served as a heater/fireplace, was next to the table. A few minutes after we sat down, overhead heaters clicked on, turning a cool, breezy Irish evening into a warm, cozy dining room.
2. Our server came to the table, explained the specials and took my wine order. When she came back to the table with a bottle of wine, I explained that I only wanted a glass. No problem. She didn’t try to sell me the bottle, just took care of my request.
3. A different server came to the table and took our order, and yet another brought out the food. Each knew exactly what our order was and how we wanted the food cooked. All were friendly, attentive, and accommodated every request.
4. The food was exquisite, and we enjoyed all of it. What was amazing was that everything was perfect, and if something was needed, it was brought to our table without delay.
5. Observing the outside seating area, we noticed that all diners, whether they were having dinner or just coffee or a drink, were treated with gracious, attentive service.
6. After dinner, we were allowed to sit and enjoy the atmosphere, have our picture taken by one of the servers, and linger for awhile. There was no rush to get us out so they could turn the table. We finally asked for the check, paid and were off.
The most remarkable thing about the service is that it was natural—not contrived or scripted. Each server had his/her own personality, and didn’t force themselves to give good service. It appeared to just happen, though that type of service comes from experience and a love for what you do. Our satisfaction showed in the tip, which is a good way to compliment a job well done.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a freelance writer, blogger, and consultant. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in "Training" magazine, "Training & Development" magazine, "Supervision," "Pulse" and "The Savannah Morning News." You can read her blogs at www.skirt.com/savannahchick, www.workingsmartworks.blogspot.com/ and on the web at www.mjnhconsulting.com.
We didn’t know the person for whom the restaurant was named, but one fact about him caught my eye. He replaced Gordon Ramsay, of Kitchen Nightmares (a favorite TV program of ours) on Iron Chef, so we felt comfortable that he was in the same echelon as our favorite, Gordon. It also had a fixed prix special—three courses including dessert. What we found was not only a good restaurant with excellent food but also excellent customer service. The fact that it wasn’t contrived or forced but natural and relaxing made it such a pleasant evening:
1. We were greeted at the door by a friendly hostess. Though we didn’t have a reservation, we had our choice of seating inside the restaurant or in the outside seating area, enclosed with high plexi glass partitions. We chose a lovely corner table outdoors in the enclosed area with view of the street, excellent for people watching. A fire box, which served as a heater/fireplace, was next to the table. A few minutes after we sat down, overhead heaters clicked on, turning a cool, breezy Irish evening into a warm, cozy dining room.
2. Our server came to the table, explained the specials and took my wine order. When she came back to the table with a bottle of wine, I explained that I only wanted a glass. No problem. She didn’t try to sell me the bottle, just took care of my request.
3. A different server came to the table and took our order, and yet another brought out the food. Each knew exactly what our order was and how we wanted the food cooked. All were friendly, attentive, and accommodated every request.
4. The food was exquisite, and we enjoyed all of it. What was amazing was that everything was perfect, and if something was needed, it was brought to our table without delay.
5. Observing the outside seating area, we noticed that all diners, whether they were having dinner or just coffee or a drink, were treated with gracious, attentive service.
6. After dinner, we were allowed to sit and enjoy the atmosphere, have our picture taken by one of the servers, and linger for awhile. There was no rush to get us out so they could turn the table. We finally asked for the check, paid and were off.
The most remarkable thing about the service is that it was natural—not contrived or scripted. Each server had his/her own personality, and didn’t force themselves to give good service. It appeared to just happen, though that type of service comes from experience and a love for what you do. Our satisfaction showed in the tip, which is a good way to compliment a job well done.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a freelance writer, blogger, and consultant. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in "Training" magazine, "Training & Development" magazine, "Supervision," "Pulse" and "The Savannah Morning News." You can read her blogs at www.skirt.com/savannahchick, www.workingsmartworks.blogspot.com/ and on the web at www.mjnhconsulting.com.
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