Regular followers of The Food Guy know how strongly I believe that there’s more than just the quality of a restaurant’s food that helps it earn a “good” review. In addition to the tasty morsels served on your plate, a restaurant’s ambiance, service and value all go into making – or sometimes breaking – the experience.
It takes time and money to go out to eat and there are lots of different places competing for your attention. For a restaurant to be worth it, it really needs to be firing on all cylinders, not just the food alone.
Let’s be honest. If you go out to a restaurant that has impeccable food, but the kitchen is slow, your server is rude, your drinks aren’t refilled and you pay a mint for that subpar experience, you’ll probably leave that restaurant swearing you’ll never go back.
Now let’s say you go to another restaurant where the food is good (solid, though maybe not excellent) but you’re welcomed with a smile, service is excellent and you’re treated like this business truly values your, well, business. You’ll likely leave this spot thinking, wow, I’d definitely come back here again.
And it’s not because of the food, but rather how the place made you feel.
That’s exactly what happened to me in the most unlikely of places, when I made an unplanned visit to Graziano’s Pizza at Riverwalk Plaza in South Charleston during a marathon holiday shopping spree last week.
I walked inside knowing I’d find excellent pizza and icy cold beer. That’s why I was there. I did not expect to witness a master class in what good customer service could (and should) be.
Even though the place was packed with both in-house diners and folks coming in for takeout, there was a team of efficient – and quite young, I might add – employees smoothly working together, with any given person jumping up to greet everyone who walked in the door and offering to help them at the nearest register.
Not only that, when each order was placed (and I’m talking every order, whether in person or over the phone) the employee taking the order would pause to ask the kitchen approximately how long it would take to prepare that food, circling back to ask the customer if that wait time was OK before confirming the order.
Then these attentive employees continued to check in on those customers and provide periodic updates while they waited for their food, especially when it was running ahead of or behind schedule. Since I had decided to dine in and enjoy my piping hot pepperoni pie at the bar, I got to witness this impressive spectacle over the course of an hour – and they never stopped.
Mind. Blown.
And if you’re sitting there thinking, well, those things don’t sound all that difficult to do, you’re absolutely right. Good simple customer is not rocket science, yet it makes such a big difference in a guest’s overall experience. It always amazes me how few restaurants get that, so I always try to praise it when I see it done exceedingly well.
I tipped the staff handsomely that night, but wish I would’ve also gotten their names so I could shower more public praise on them here. Good on you, Graziano’s at Riverwalk.
IF YOU GO: Graziano’s Pizza at 14 Riverwalk Mall in South Charleston is open from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For more information, call 304-343-3386, visit www.grazianoswv.com or check out the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Christmas column sparks reader memories
Last week’s roundup highlighting West Virginia’s favorite Christmastime food and drinks sparked sweet memories among many of you, including this one from self-described “faithful reader” Jack Cipoletti.
“Your column this morning brought back memories from my childhood, growing up in the small town of Wellsburg in the Northern Panhandle,” he wrote to me on Christmas Day. “I had seven aunts and uncles, all living within walking distance of our house. Together with my parents, they turned the days before and after Christmas into a food festival.”
He went on to explain that the celebration continued at a different relative’s house every night.
“The noise was deafening, the food outstanding and the fun immeasurable. At the end of the night, there were no tearful hugs or sad goodbyes. It was ‘I’ll see you tomorrow night at (fill in the blank)’s house.’ That was the late ’50s and I remember those evenings like they were yesterday.”
He finished by saying, “I’d give anything for one more of Uncle Tony’s whiskey balls or Aunt Wilma’s pizzelles or my mother’s homemade buns. Thanks for your great coverage of the local food scene. I always enjoy your columns!”
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jack. And I definitely need to hear more about these whiskey balls.
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.