In writing about The "New" McKay’s the other day, it sort of
hit me that I almost fell into one of the practices which I occasionally rant
about (or is it “about which I occasionally rant”). I implied comparisons with Woodburn’s, and
although I didn’t specifically mention it, Nick’s of course comes to mind. Comparisons are fine, but thankfully I didn’t
declare one as being (that detested word), “best”. Each have their strengths. If we are passing through either Clinton/Waldorf
or Prince Frederick and have the time, we’ll probably stop at Nick’s which
feature cheap booze prices and a wide selection of meat, even in bulk if you
wish. And there are even humans behind
the meat counter. More locally, if you
are on the way home and pass by the Hollywood Leonardtown Road, the “new” McKay’s (which I think I may dub 235) is great
for grab and go, and a also has a pretty nice selection of meats. But it is not,
as somebody observed, a place where you can “fill up your weekly grocery cart”.
But both are places where you can actually buy wine, beer, and spirits without
making another stop. A real plus for us. Anyway, it’s good to have another option. By the way, a loyal (local) reader sent me a
very nice chronology of “Woodburn’s” from the old days to the present. A great subject to share one of these days..
Chain, chain, chain….
I discovered through some email conversations, that one of
my correspondents knows somebody who is going to work as a server in LongHorn (which
may have opened to the public today, Monday the 14th). I asked after the training the person
received and they were kind enough to forward some info, and said I was free to
use it in this shabby column. Of course
there was a training staff brought in and the “classes’ were characterized by “intense”. I specifically asked if they were or were not
instructed to say “Hi I’m…<…>… taking care of/serving/helping you tonight”. Sadly (IMHO) the subject was apparently not
addressed (and you know how I feel about it). The front hostess is instructed to
tell you Welcome to LongHorn at the door, so the servers are asked not to use
this as a greeting (once is enough). They were urged to engage
the guests with phrases like “are we celebrating something special tonight?” in
order to kind of establish a one on one relationship. They apparently are also instructed to ask if
guests have been to LongHorn before (a tough one around here!) and then “recommend”
specials (upsell, upsell). It was mentioned that the
establishment will have food runners, so the servers can attend to their
tables. I can ONLY HOPE that there is
some system in place so the runner doesn’t arrive at the table holding out a dish
at arm's length and asking: “who had the….”.
They were invited to the soft opening and said the food was okay,
not up to “real” steakhouse standards (presumably Ruth’s Chris, McCormick and
Schmick, Mortons, etc.) but the prices are not either. Apparently the steaks are seasoned with
something called “Arizona Road Dust”…
Since LH is another arrow in the Darden quiver (currently
standing at seven arrows), it probably will be run pretty similarly to its
cousin down the street the OG. It was
mentioned that they stressed the “customer is always right” and nobody should
leave with a bad experience. So, if you
go eventually, speak up if something is not right. Anyway a little peek into the world of full
service chains. Speaking of which, the old term of “Fast Food” for McDonalds
and such establishments has been replaced with “quickservice”.
Tomorrow if I get to it, I have a special message (tease, tease)
DFD
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