"ImStillMags" > wrote in message
...
>I have a question for this group.
>
> I'm asking because I have three separate business plans and three
> separate concepts done for restaurants. Most of you know I've been a
> restaurant owner. The food business is my first love.
>
> I'm interested to hear from you, fellow foodies, about your thoughts
> on what constitutes 'your favorite place'.
>
You'd really have to interest me in going out to eat. Location, location,
location And I don't mean in the heart of a trendy or business district
where all the "cool people" hang out. Just be convenient, which is
difficult to do where I live.

> What makes a restaurant most appealing to you.

Good food, good service.

> What about the selection of dishes.

Please, not an overwhelming menu. It shouldn't take 20 minutes to figure
out what you serve. And stop with the fusion stuff. I don't want
Thai-Greek (or Texas-Korean BBQ on Tortillas, sorry!)

> Breakfast

n/a

> Lunch

Something light, like a cup of soup and a sandwich.

> Dinner

Varied menu. A couple of soups, salad for those who like salad. Steak &
baked potato. Sometimes grilled chicken or a seafood dish. It's difficult
to say.

> Bar

Some people might like one.

> Staff.....talk about the ideal restaurant staff, servers, bartenders,
> hostesses, etc.

Polite and attentive. I went to a chain restaurant I once worked in and the
hostess (I didn't know her, it was a different location) shoved the menus in
my hand and waved us over to a table that hadn't been bussed. She couldn't
have cared less whether or not we got a clean table and it showed. I
complained to the manager who immediately seated us at a clean two-top.
Well that was all fine and good except a two top barely holds two glasses of
water much less an appetizer and our entrees. I let the manager know I
wasn't happy and filled out a negative comment card. The food was good, but
the attitude of that hostess was a really bad way to start off our dinner.

> Decor

Doesn't really matter as long as it is clean.

> Ambiance

Quiet. No loud music. Soft lighting but not so dark you can't read the
menu.

> Location

Nearby LOL

> Is it one particular cuisine or a selection of dishes?
>
If I want one particular cuisine I'll go to a restaurant that specializes in
it. If I go to an Italian restaurant I don't expect to see "french fries"
on the menu, not even if there is a kids menu. Oh, and I avoid buffets.
You never have any idea how long that food has been sitting there

Jill

jmcquown > wrote:
>Please, not an overwhelming menu. It shouldn't take 20 minutes to figure
>out what you serve. And stop with the fusion stuff. I don't want
>Thai-Greek (or Texas-Korean BBQ on Tortillas, sorry!)

I agree, but for a different reason. Unless the chef has an extensive
background in those fusions, chances are good that shortcuts and stereotypical
seasonings will be used. I'd rather eat authentic food, regardless of where
it's from.

>Something light, like a cup of soup and a sandwich.

I can have that at home and don't want to pay retail for such simple food.

>Varied menu. A couple of soups, salad for those who like salad. Steak &
>baked potato. Sometimes grilled chicken or a seafood dish. It's difficult
>to say.

This too seems excessively ordinary to warrant my hard earned dollars.

>If I want one particular cuisine I'll go to a restaurant that specializes in
>it. If I go to an Italian restaurant I don't expect to see "french fries"
>on the menu, not even if there is a kids menu.

I tend to favor restaurants specializing in one cuisine or a related group of
cuisines, since I know the cooks won't have the ingredients or knowledge to
prepare many cuisines well.

Orlando

"Orlando Enrique Fiol" > wrote in message
. ..
> jmcquown > wrote:
>>Please, not an overwhelming menu. It shouldn't take 20 minutes to figure
>>out what you serve. And stop with the fusion stuff. I don't want
>>Thai-Greek (or Texas-Korean BBQ on Tortillas, sorry!)
>
> I agree, but for a different reason. Unless the chef has an extensive
> background in those fusions, chances are good that shortcuts and
> stereotypical
> seasonings will be used. I'd rather eat authentic food, regardless of
> where
> it's from.
>
>>Something light, like a cup of soup and a sandwich.
>
> I can have that at home and don't want to pay retail for such simple food.
>
Despite my rep as the Soup Queen, I don't always have fresh soup on the
stove For lunch, a cup of soup and a toasted or grilled sandwich is
enough for me.

>>Varied menu. A couple of soups, salad for those who like salad. Steak &
>>baked potato. Sometimes grilled chicken or a seafood dish. It's
>>difficult
>>to say.
>
> This too seems excessively ordinary to warrant my hard earned dollars.
>
Sometimes you can't be at home. You still have to eat. I don't want to go
to Burger King. You still have to eat. I want a comfortable place with
familiar dishes.

>>If I want one particular cuisine I'll go to a restaurant that specializes
>>in
>>it. If I go to an Italian restaurant I don't expect to see "french fries"
>>on the menu, not even if there is a kids menu.
>
> I tend to favor restaurants specializing in one cuisine or a related group
> of
> cuisines, since I know the cooks won't have the ingredients or knowledge
> to
> prepare many cuisines well.
>
> Orlando

I agree... don't mix cuisines unless you really know what you're doing and
can make it work.

Jill

Jill wrote:

> Sometimes you can't be at home. You still have to eat. I don't want to go
> to Burger King. You still have to eat. I want a comfortable place with
> familiar dishes.

In the situation you describe, you're eating out because of NECESSITY, as if
eating at home is not an option, for some reason. I think Sitara is asking
about places you'd go to eat just because you WANTED to go out to eat.

Bob