The latest show on Food Network is Restaurant Stakeout. The show is similar to Restaurant: Impossible only in that the restaurants featured are in trouble. On the Robert Irvine show, the restaurant is failing and in dire financial straits, and it’s Robert’s job to remodel the place, upgrade the menu, teach the staff new recipes, and basically whatever it takes to improve the restaurant and make it successful. On the Willie Degel show, the restaurant is having problems, mainly with staff, and it’s Willie’s job to figure out what the staff is doing wrong and offer suggestions to fix the problems.
Restaurant Stakeout is a pretty interesting show. We’ve watched two episodes, and let’s just say that I hope we never end up in a restaurant like either of those.
To solve the problems, Willie first has to identify the problems. He has his team set up cameras all over the restaurant, and then he sets up camp and stakes out the restaurant, watching the staff’s every move. Sometimes he has the restaurant’s owner with him, and other times he doesn’t, but he makes sure to fill the owners in on what happens when they aren’t at the restaurant.
We’ve seen a variety of disturbing things so far. A waitress not only got into an argument with a customer, but she also threw a napkin at that customer, and when confronted about it, she denied it. It didn’t turn out so well for her after the video was revealed. Another waitress took the customer’s leftovers back to the kitchen to put in a to-go box, but before she put the order in the box, she helped herself to a bite from the plate. That was seriously disgusting. Not only did she have her fingers in the customer’s food that would be going home with the customer, but she was eating after complete strangers. The manager did not check on customers or seem to be aware of what the staff was doing.
On the second show we watched, several employees argued in front of the customers. One poured a drink on another. One waitress let a couple sit for twenty-five minutes before stopping to even ask what they’d like to drink. The bartenders were drinking shots with the customers, and after having a few, they were dancing on the bar; it’d be one thing if it was supposed to have been that type of restaurant, but it wasn’t. The manager here was no better than the manager on the other show.
We saw a couple of good things, such as the waiter who followed a customer into the parking lot to return the wallet the customer had left on the table and the waitress who refused to serve alcohol to a young lady who had forgotten her ID. However, on both episodes we watched, there was a lot more bad than good, and I really hope I never end up in places like those. The lack of management, both on the part of the owners and the managers they had hired, resulted in numerous problems. Had either the owners or the managers stayed on top of the situations and done their jobs properly, the other issues would have been stopped before they created havoc at the restaurants.
The thing about watching a show like this is when I eat out, now I’m thinking about all the things Willie suggests for a good restaurant. A lot of it really seems like common sense, but now I’m making it a point to see if the restaurants where I am are doing any of those things. Today, I ate at a restaurant that I believe would have passed Willie’s tests with flying colors.
Saul Good in Hamburg in Lexington is a great restaurant. The hostess greeted us warmly and with a smile when we entered and we were seated promptly. The waiter was there immediately to see what we wanted to drink, promptly returned with our drinks, and took our order. He also did an excellent job keeping our drinks refilled. Our food was delivered, and in a few minutes, the waiter was back to check on our orders. A little later, the manager was there to make sure we were satisfied with our service. Not only did our waiter seem to be doing a good job, but while watching the other waiters and waitresses, they also seemed to be doing a good job. When we needed a to-go box, he brought one to our table, which I personally think is a much better idea than taking it back to the kitchen to be boxed up.
There are a lot of restaurants out there to choose from, and people won’t go where they are insulted, where they are ignored, or where the staff doesn’t do their jobs. It’s a little scary to watch shows like Restaurant Stakeout because you want to believe that everyone in the restaurant business is honorable, and after you watch this show, you will discover that some of the horror stories you’ve heard about restaurants actually happen. The best advice I can give you is to be cautious when you choose a restaurant, and if it doesn’t look clean, the staff isn’t friendly, and you have doubts, leave and find another place to eat.
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