I hope some of the restaurant owners here will read your suggestions and get the idea.

In my book, good service is more important than good food.

Anticipation and Reaction is a crucial concept in delivering and maintaining excellent restaurant dining room service. It is very important that all staff and management read the customers individually and the table as a whole— ahead of time.

For example, a good waiter can often anticipate when a table will be ordering heavily off the menu. The waiter should react by spending some extra time at this table because, most likely, this table will order even more menu items —if given that extra time. It makes for a more enjoyable party while boosting up the check total in the process.

Then, there are times when serious business people come in for lunch, order lightly, and pretty much want to be left alone to discuss business. With anticipation of the customer’s needs, and reaction, the waiter should know to give efficient, unobtrusive service, yet not ignoring the table.

Then, there is the situation of the crying baby at the table. The smartest thing a waiter can do is to get some food out right away to distract and calm the baby. Often times, an order will be given consisting of appetizers and entrées, along with the baby’s one small dinner order. With anticipation and reaction, the waiter should ask “Would you like me to put in the baby’s dinner order along with the appetizer order?” The response by the parents, as they understand the purpose of serving the baby immediately, is usually a sigh of relief -”yes!”

It is also very important for the host to read the customers as soon as they walk through the front door to help provide the best table that fits the party. For example, if a couple walks into the restaurant locked in each other’s arms, then a nice quiet table with some privacy would surely be the perfect fit.

Another situation is if a party of ten arrives looking to indulge in many cocktails while making quite a bit of noise in the process. With anticipation and reaction, the host should seat this party as close to the bar as possible. The bar patrons probably won’t mind the extra noise, and it will be much easier for the waiter to give better service. Running heavy trays of cocktails back and forth from the bar to ten thirsty patrons will not be as tedious because the large party was sat in close proximity to the bar.
This mindfulness by the host also saves the waiter time and effort which can be afforded to other diners in the restaurant. And, most likely, there will be a higher beverage total generated by this large party because of the reduced travel time from the bar to the table.

Yes, anticipation and reaction by the staff and management will improve restaurant dining room service and increase profits!

And yes, I’ve tried Sunshine Lunch many times (love the fact I can buy Chinese goodies like orange slices, peanut cake, etc).

Dainty’s gone! It is now Session Delights, an ice cream parlor. But it seems the oldtimers still hang out for coffee on the 2nd floor (didn’t notice if the old dumbwaiter’s still there).

Am not a Session Road habitue anymore, you see — too crowded, parking problem.

Have you tried Sunshine Lunch Restaurant near U-Need. They have been in the biz for almost 50 years. Try their siopao and mami and pancit. The three “original” restaurants in Baguio in terms of chinese food are Dainty, Star Cafe and Sunshine Lunch.

I was the one who went from merchandise seller to photographer during the Randy David forum so of course we met!

Honestly I have not been to Oh My Gulay — maybe because it’s on the 5th floor of a building on busy Session Road.

I have heard good things about it, though, and when I do try it out I will be able to recommend it I’m sure. I kinda like to recommend restaurants that provide parking on top of good food & service, you see (except for Star Cafe — but that’s an institution in Baguio kasi).

Maybe when I start doing restaurant features I can classify them into categories.

I’m from pagasa. I was the one who assisted Beth N. at the merchandise area during the Randy David forum.

My husband grew up and studied in Baguio so vacations automatically mean spending it up there with his family.

I wonder why you did not include Oh My Gulay in your recommended resto list? Did they not pass your standards?

Hope to see you in the next forum!

Noemi

So far, just by tasting the food and trying out the service, I can predict if a restaurant will stay open.

Here’s a sample: (plugging pa ano?)
One of our favorites:
http://mygoodfinds.com/2007/07/30/hunan-manor-in-columbia-maryland/
__________
I went to a restaurant in Baguio, highly recommended by people I know. I was very disappointed because the waitress acted like a diva. To think that I have been telling my husband that we get good service in the Philippines. We are very easy to please and this restaurant didn’t even make the cut for recommendations. The issue: unsweetened ice tea, she brought us sweet tea and she said that it only comes that way and would even suggest something else. How difficult is it to put atea bag and hot water together then dumping ice in it? No outside the box thinking at all. The place wasn’t even busy.

I complained to the manager with an email but as a customer, I would rather choose to go and try out other places next time.

I hesitate to name them. The doyenne of Filipino food writers, the late Doreen Fernandez always said, “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything.”

So I make lists of the good, and I stand behind my (free) endorsements. When someone on my list falters I call their attention to it offline first.

You can empower yourself as a consumer by writing a letter of complaint first if it’s a big company like Cebu Pacific or Smart, or complaining in person if it’s a smaller outfit like a restaurant.

The better establishments understand that when a customer complains, it’s because they want to return! Otherwise, they just silently leave and tell all and sundry about it.

Glad you enjoyed Baguio! The roads may be filled with cars but traffic is hardly ever at a standstill.

nice post– keep writing! btw, what b&b do you run? I just got back from Baguio this weekend and my friends and I enjoyed ourselves despite the traffic in your lovely city!