One of the things I enjoy doing as a local guide is to review the restaurants I visit. It’s a good way for other potential customers to get an idea of what to expect. Apart from the obvious “Is the food good?”, I have several things I look for when rating a restaurant:
Do they split the bill?
This may not be much of a priority for some, but when you’re dining in a large group, at the end of the meal, it can be a real pain to have to sort out the bill when everyone wants to pay separately. Allowing everyone to pay for what they had is a big advantage, particularly for work lunches. I was quite impressed with The Groove Train in Doncaster. They allowed me and my friends to pay using Paypal. No interaction with the staff was required, just enter your table number, choose what you had, then pay and walk out.
Do they offer good vegetarian options?
I’m a vegetarian. This means that I’m limited as to what I can choose from the menu quite often. There’s a lot more of us around these days, and a good restaurant will make some options available on their menu. As an example, I went to Meat Maiden for a work Christmas dinner. Admittedly, as the name suggests, this venue is very “meaty”, but they claim to have vegetarian options. I was surprised when my main meal came out and they’d basically given me a quarter of a pumpkin on a plate. Not terribly appealing.
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I’ve created a list of good vegetarian options in my area, that I’m working on adding to. While I’m not gluten intolerant, it’s also good if a restaurant offers gluten-free options. I know a lot of people for whom this is essential. Mrs Parmas is a great example. They have a dedicated menu for vegetarians, and one for gluten free.
Do they offer a kids’ menu?
For people with kids, this is pretty important. You don’t want to be paying $25-$30 for a meal that your fussy eaters won’t even touch, or will just pick at the chips. It’s even better if they are relaxed about what age you have to be to order from the kids menu. My kids are older, but still don’t eat much and have plain tastes, so this is a good option if they allow it.
Do they offer the option of small serves?
Similar to the kids’ menu, I like it when a restaurant offers the option of different size servings. Some restaurants charge a fortune for a massive plate of food that would feed a whole village. Often when you get given such large serves, it’s easier to over-eat too. Not only does it cost more than you’d like to spend, it’s also very wasteful. I’d rather get a plate with the serving half the size, and I’d be happy to pay more than half price and avoid the waste.
Do they keep you waiting?
If a waiter makes you wait, does that make you the waiter?
It’s really frustrating when you’re kept waiting for service, or for the meals after your orders have been taken. If you’re on a work lunch, you can’t afford to be spending all day waiting for your meal, and you need to get back to work. For social meals, this is not so much of an issue, but it’s still pretty frustrating if you’re hungry.