"We are now in an era of food critics being everywhere", KnifeofBrian talks criticism in the catering industry.
With review websites, food bloggers and of course, social media, chefs and restaurants can be provided with online feedback (good or bad) in seconds. Chef and blogger KnifeofBrian talks about judgement in the hospitality industry.
We are now in an era of food critics being everywhere. Anyone who has a smartphone can praise or annihilate a chef or establishment in a single statement. The hospitality industry has become more challenging, difficult and stressful.
There are few careers where absolutely anyone can make a judgement on your skill based on their own ability or expectation. For instance, I would never critique a plasterer on the colour of his overalls or the choice of music on his radio. But these are areas which will regularly turn up in restaurant reviews.
Yes. I know it’s a different thing/experience. But my point is, the expected level of criticism is higher in the catering sector. The whole experience is judged, not just the result or end product.
Don’t Just criticise.
Under pressure
Being a chef has always been a high-pressure job. Taking ownership of our work and putting your heart and soul into a business of any description is hard enough. Setting up to try and please the majority. It’s never nice to receive negative feedback. Some people thrive on trolling restaurants, with delusions of being a feared Times reviewer. They live in hope that a column in a food monthly supplement will be theirs any day. Or even, the holy grail of critique, a judge on MasterChef or Bake Off.
This post is not about bashing the general public. They are our lifeline, our (gluten-free) bread and butter and our saviours. But after having a few nights of rotten sleep filled with dreams about angry customers, I felt compelled to write this.
I wanted to give an insight into the how the chef and front of house staff react to reviews and criticism. Now, I don’t like confrontation. I can handle it, I just prefer focused and rational conversation. But when a customer has an issue, it will rarely end with them saying “yeah, I get your point, you’re right. I’m wrong. Sorry!”
In fact. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED. I have been on both sides of the conversation. In both cases, I made the swift decisions to back down, because I knew the person I was talking to was an idiot. I mean, some battles are just not worth fighting.
Obviously, not all customers get it wrong. Some, in fact, most get it right. Especially here in the UK. Brits can complain very well and articulately. This gets issues resolved without fuss. It’s the customers who smile and slide away saying nothing, then to go home and become a keyboard sniper assassin. Punching up a 1-star review because they were sat next to a noisy table or the restaurant
