by RonnieD » Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:48 pm
Maybe getting back on topic, having been a customer, an employee, and a restaurant owner, I have seen this from all 3 sides, and I totally get it from all 3 sides.
The owner part of me wants your money, I don't care if it's 1 minute before close or 60. Hours of Operation are the hours of operation. They clearly state the hours the business is open to do business. If you don't want customers a half hour before you close, then close an half hour earlier and keep the staff around the other 30 minutes to clean up and break down. Don't post hours unless you intend to honor them. A guest at 5 minutes to close deserves the same experience as the one who is there during peak hours. This is my mindset now, even though I no longer own the business I work for. I never want a customer to miss a meal because of some implied "too close to closing" social taboo.
As an employee, I'm exhausted, I'm sore, I'm ready to break it down and go home. Early in my career this meant that if you came in 30 min before close you were getting the bum's rush and your meal was going to be produced as quickly and with as little effort as possible. Now late in my career, I appreciate that every plate that leaves my kitchen represents me and my work, so while I am still tired and ready to go home, I'm going to wearily dirty up whatever it takes to make sure you get the same meal you were going to get at the height of the dinner rush, then break back down and go home. I don't want a single guest to get a subpar meal just because they were hungry later than the rest of the rabble.
As a customer, I am torn, because I know the owner wants my money, the employees want to both go home and rest, but also work for a successful restaurant that can some day pay them a better wage, and I'm willing to bet there are more employees out there like Early Me than there are like Current Me. So unless it's a dire situation, I am unlikely to go to anything other than a fine dining restaurant more than 30 minutes before close. If it's a small local place with the owner likely on site, then I think chances are better to have a great experience in the final hour before close, but otherwise I am ashamed to admit I allow the social taboo to dictate where I go...
Ronnie Dingman
Chef Consultant
The Farm
La Center, KY