Is good wait service disappearing?

We enjoy dining out.  And we do so a lot more than we probably should.

But one of the things that will turn us off from a restaurant faster than anything else is bad service from an inattentive or under-trained waiter.

It may sound harsh to say, but we once spent 2 hours for brunch at trendy new (but not that new) restaurant in town and we haven’t been back since.  There’s just no excuse for cold eggs that were left sitting in the kitchen too long.

That’s why we hope area restaurants and servers will take note of Bruce Buschel’s latest article for “You’re the Boss,” his column for The New York Times.  Buschel offers 50 rules for a new restaurant staff this week, with 50 more to come next week.

A few of the commandments include basic rules of hosting, such as:

1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting.

2. Do not make a singleton feel bad. Do not say, “Are you waiting for someone?” Ask for a reservation. Ask if he or she would like to sit at the bar.

5. Tables should be level without anyone asking. Fix it before guests are seated.

While others are less well known, but equally important:

17. Do not take an empty plate from one guest while others are still eating the same course. Wait, wait, wait.

23. If someone likes a wine, steam the label off the bottle and give it to the guest with the bill. It has the year, the vintner, the importer, etc.

30. Never let the wine bottle touch the glass into which you are pouring. No one wants to drink the dust or dirt from the bottle.

They’re not rocket-science, but these tips do go a long way toward an enjoyable meal – and are sure to help get a new restaurant off and running.