Server Not Servant

Human-to-Human Service

Thank You

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 09/3/2010

Hello to everyone I met in Roslindale, MA last week, especially all of the folks at Boston Cheese Cellar, Geoffrey’s Cafe and Sophia’s Grotto for your great service and genuine hospitality. I really appreciate your support for ServerNotServant, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Also, I want to remind readers that I am continuing to explore all of Boston’s 23 neighborhoods on foot, and to post pictures from every corner of the city on the website.

Please continue to email me your recommendations for specific places and businesses you would like to see featured on the site from neighborhoods around the city. I will respond to every email I receive.

ServerNotServant is not limited to Boston or to the restaurant industry. The desire for mutual respect and civility resonates with service industry workers around the world. That may explain why people from 129 different countries and territories have visited this community. The blog is currently being translated into Russian for barbook.ru, the largest on-line community of bartenders, waiters, baristas and DJs in Russia according to Nadezhda Bakhromkina, barbook’s chief editor.

The facebook group created to support this blog and book project currently has more than 2,140 members. Please join us on facebook, and remember that FB members are welcome to post on the wall and upload photos of workers from all walks of life. I am committed to posting photos and featuring stories representing service industry workers from around the world.

Lastly, I am proud to announce that ServerNotServant won best Boston Blog in Boston Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards sponsored by JetBlue.

Thanks to all of you who helped us achieve this honor. In October, Boston Magazine will feature all of the winners in a special section. Congratulations to all of the other winners. Again, thanks to all readers who voted. I am grateful.

 Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Posted in Human-to-Human Service | 8 Comments »

Fully Committed

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 08/3/2010

After recently watching Fully Committed , a one-man performance starring Gabriel Kuttner, I reflected on times I’ve seen customers behave like children when they didn’t get what they wanted. I recalled a sleazy guy from NY attempting to coax a Royal Caribbean Cruise Concierge into giving his group a specific dinner table for the entire cruise, despite the fact that he had neglected to make reservations by the stated deadline. After the concierge said “No” several times, explaining that the table was promised to another guest, Mr. NY actually said, I hear Royal Caribbean is a ‘can do’ cruise line. Well I’m a ‘can do’ kinda guy. Let’s make this work, big guy. Some people have no shame and no clue… (He didn’t get the table.)

Fully Committed is a very captivating, funny show. The play features Kuttner (Sam), a struggling actor, answering the phones in a dingy, makeshift, basement office at a very chic Manhattan restaurant. Sam contends with  juggling the throng of demanding, snobby, and manipulative callers vying for tables. Here are a few excerpts from a recent Boston Globe review by Christopher Muther:

Is there a job that is less rewarding or appealing than being tethered to a telephone, juggling reservations for the entitled at a sizzling-hot four-star Manhattan eatery?… The classism, social jockeying, bullying, petty threats, and downright harassment faced by reservations clerk Sam Peliczowski in Becky Mode’s comedy “Fully Committed’’ would push even the strongest man to look more fondly at a career with the bomb squad…

…Kuttner plays 37 characters for this one-man show. With few pauses, he deliciously sends up these broadly drawn stereotypes of Manhattan’s elite, as well as those who want nothing more than to rub elbows with them.

There’s a cathartic and poignant moment at the end of the show when Sam realizes that conviction, combined with respect and decency, trump condescension, arrogance and elitism. Sam is an easy guy to root for. If you’re a fan of the underdog, you’ll love this show.

The show is performed at a cool outdoor amphitheatre on the banks of the Charles River in Brighton, MA. Please check out the website for Fully Committed, and enjoy the show if you are in the Boston area.

If you currently work in a customer service capacity, or have ever worked in a job serving customers, have you ever been unable to deliver exactly what someone wanted (you were Fully Committed) and had a customer snap or act innappropriately? How did you handle it?

Please share your thoughts. Thank you.

Posted in Human-to-Human Service | 6 Comments »

Lavatory Losers

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 06/25/2010

During Game 7 of the Celtics-Lakers series at a restaurant bar, I made a couple of trips to the men’s room. On each occasion while I was washing my hands, guys walked right past the open sink next to me and back to the bar or dining room without washing their hands. After exiting the men’s room, using a paper towel to open the door, I returned to the bar and the usual hand shaking, high fiving and fist bumping ensued. I cringed thinking about the unwashed patrons contacting friends and strangers alike.

I’m no germaphobe, but come on, how can anyone exhibit such bad hygiene? Who are these people? People who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom are disgusting, and there are a lot of guys who are guilty. I see it happen often, and they have no guilt or shame. How can you possibly come out of a stall, or pull away from a urinal, then walk right by other guests and exit a public bathroom without washing your hands? What should be a basic tenet of co-existing with other humans is not. It’s amazing that more people don’t end up infected as a result of bad hygiene. (A good friend of mine recently ended up in the emergency room after contracting salmonella.)

A few days after the Celtics’ loss, I was in the bathroom at another restaurant where I noticed this mandatory sign displayed on the counter next to the sink:

The admonitory reminded me how important it is not just for restaurant employees and food handlers to wash their hands, but also for us public patrons to practice good hygiene with a good scrub.

So, to borrow the lyrics from the old 70’s song , Signs, by the Five Man Electrical Band, I made up my own little sign: 

What are your personal observations and thoughts?

Why do you think some people are so negligent?

Have you ever called anyone out?

 Are women as bad as men?

 PS- Don’t be offended if you get the fist bump the next time I see you…

Posted in Human-to-Human Service | 30 Comments »

Boston’s $20 Chicken Challenge

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 06/18/2010

I’m going a bit off-topic with this post. I apologize in advance to supporters of this blog who live outside the Boston area. The consolation is that should you visit Boston, you’ll know more about our restaurants, and you’ll certainly know where to enjoy great chicken.

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Sometimes the simple pleasures in life really are the best. The same can be said about food. It doesn’t have to be exotic, fancy or sophisticated to be great.

In Boston’s South End where I live, you’ll find more than fifty sit-down, full-service restaurants. The far-reaching variety includes Ethiopian, Indian, Mexican, Spanish, Japanese, Venezuelan, Italian and simple American fare, all within a fifteen minute walk. The options run the gamut from casual to fine dining, and just about everything in-between.

I love trying new foods and restaurants, but on those nights that I don’t feel like experimenting or risking disappointment, I want a guaranteed sure-thing. My go-to, comfort food dish in the South End is the Roasted Chicken at Metropolis Café on Tremont Street. This savory dish has never let me down, and I’ve often walked away thinking:

Is that the best chicken dish, for the money, in the South End? What about the rest of the Boston area and beyond?

That’s the genesis of the 2010 Boston Chicken Challenge. So let’s have some fun with this.

Like most cities, Boston’s friendly food and drink fights involve all of the usual subjects; Burgers, BBQ, Canolis, Chowder, Coffee, Cocktails, Chicken Wings, Dumplings, Fried Clams, Ice Cream, Lobster rolls, Nachos, Pork, Pizza, Steak, Sushi, and Tacos, to name a few, along with “best” cheap eats and ethnic food battles. This competition will be a little different because it will disqualify the high-end and the low-end of the spectrum, and shoot straight for the middle, the neighborhood restaurants with entrées less than twenty dollars.

The chicken dish at Metropolis is listed under the Main Course section of the menu as follows:

Pan Roasted Free Range Chicken with Oyster Mushrooms, Potato Purée and Savory Pan Drippings   $18.95

I love this dish, and here’s why:

• The crispy skin in every bite.
• The butchering of the bird really sets this dish apart. No bones to deal with except the small bone left in for a little flavor and presentation.
• The hearty portions of white and dark meat in this entrée, along with the potatoes, are substantial and filling.
• The combination of simple, complimentary textures and flavors in every forkful: crispy skin, moist chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, oyster mushrooms, and watercress, all combined with the pan drippings including rosemary and thyme from around the edges of the warm plate.
• The plate itself is always served hot, so the entrée stays warm throughout the meal.
• They serve a nice Huber Grüner Veltliner for $7.95/glass, complementing the dish perfectly.
• The crusty ciabatta bread from B&R Artisan Bread is perfect for clearing the remaining potatoes and drippings from the plate.
• The consistency of the execution.
• The service, charm, comfort, atmosphere and vibe of the intimate, 38-seat Café. (Even when I get the wobbly stool next to the kitchen.)
• The tremendous quality and value for the price. (I’ve had several chicken dishes in Boston far more expensive than the Metropolis version that don’t compare.)
• This dish defines simple comfort food for me.

I sat down with Rob Morotto, Chef de Cuisine at Metropolis, to learn a little more about the dish:

PM: Is the chicken one of your most popular dishes?
Rob: Yes, definitely, along with the Rigatoni, Risotto and the Veal Scallopini.

PM: How long has the chicken been on the menu?
Rob: 13 years.

PM: Where did the recipe come from?
Rob: Seth Woods, who founded Metropolis and is still one of the owners.

PM: Have you tweaked the recipe at all?
Rob: Yes, I added rosemary and thyme to the sauce.

PM: Tell me about how you receive and prepare the chicken.
Rob: We receive the birds whole and break them down into halves and debone them.

PM: So you debone the birds in-house?
Rob: Yes, I or Anthony Palmisano, (Metropolis Sous-Chef), butchers them daily.

PM: Statler-cut chicken breasts are boneless breasts with the small wing bone (drumette) left attached. How is your chicken different?
Rob: Our cut is unique because it includes the breast, leg and thigh so you get both white and dark meat with each serving which averages 12 oz. (pre-cooked).

PM: How is the chicken prepared?
Rob: Seasoned with salt and pepper, dropped into a hot pan with oil, skin-side down, then we pop it in the bottom shelf of the hot oven to render the fat. That’s what makes it crispy. When it’s almost done we flip it over and let it cook a little longer.

PM: How do you prepare the sauce?
Rob: We use the pan that we cooked the chicken in to prepare the sauce so the roasted flavor of the chicken comes through in the sauce. We save a little bit of the rendered fat and combine garlic, oyster mushrooms, white wine, chicken stock, a little butter, and fresh rosemary and thyme. We use oyster mushrooms because they don’t shrink as much as other mushrooms and they’re neutral in flavor so they pick up the flavors of what you cook them with. They also provide a little texture.

PM: Tell me about the potatoes.
Rob: We use Red Bliss potatoes. After boiling the potatoes we leave the skin on then whip them with cream, butter, salt and pepper. Whipping them really fluffs them up.

PM: Anything else we should know about the dish?
Rob: We add watercress dressed with our house dressing to give the dish additional flavor, texture and color.

PM: Have you ever taken the chicken off the menu?
Rob: NOOO!

PM: What would happen if you did?
Rob: I would probably get lynched…

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Before

After

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I’ve tried most of the chicken dishes in the South End, and I can say without reservation that the Metropolis version is definitely one of the best. Let’s find out who the challengers are in the Boston area. Please submit your nominees in the comments section at the end of this post.

Nomination Requirements

1. Chicken entrées must be $20 or less.
2. Restaurant must be sit-down, with full table service.
3. Restaurant must have at least a beer and wine license.
4. Nominated dishes must have been on the menu since June 1. Exceptions will be made for restaurants opened after June 1 with a chicken entrée on the menu as of 6/18/10.  (This prevents restaurants from temporarily running a dish just for the competition.)
5. Entrée must be a regular item on the regular dinner menu, not part of a special menu available during limited days or hours, or on a temporary prix fixe menu.
6. Restaurant can not be part of a national chain. (One of the goals is to encourage business and friendly competition between local, neighborhood restaurants, not tourist traps.)

Nominations should include as much of the following information as possible:

• Restaurant name and neighborhood/location.
• Description of the chicken per the menu and the price of the dish.
• How long it has been on the menu.
• Portion size of the chicken (pre-cooked).
• Bone-in, deboned, cut, style, butchering?
• Skin (on/off, crispy?)
• White meat/dark meat?
• Legs, thigh, breast, ½ chix, whole?
• Ingredients, recipe and preparation.
• Sides, sauces, accompaniments. Is bread included in the price?
• Brief description of the neighborhood and the restaurant. Why do you like to go there? While the primary focus is on the dish itself, minimal consideration will be given to hospitality, ambiance other factors like physical space, décor, wine list, vibe, neighborhood, comfortable booths, etc.
• Disclosures about your affiliation with the restaurant.
• Why you love the dish.

(Yes, there are lots of rules, but serious contenders won’t be scared off.)

Disclosures & Why I’m doing this:

• I love food and sharing and learning about new dishes.
• I want to tell as many people as possible about a great dish and a great restaurant.
• I want to know what other people think about the Metropolis Chicken.
• If there is a chicken dish in Boston as good or better than the one at Metropolis for twenty dollars or less, I want to try it.
• To support Metropolis and all local, nominated, neighborhood restaurants during a traditionally slow summer season for the industry.
• I have no financial or investment interest in Metropolis or in the Aquitaine Group.
• I’m friendly with the Metropolis staff, but only know them as a result of frequent visits as a customer.

The gauntlet has been thrown down. Let the nominations and voting begin.

If someone nominates your favorite dish before you get a chance to, vote for that dish and add your own comments. Please fill in the blanks that the original poster missed, and add your own reasons why you love the dish.

Owners, chefs and restaurant staff are welcome to nominate their own dish and to fill in the details and facts about the ingredients, preparation, etc. Please disclose your affiliation with the restaurant when you are commenting.

Boston food writers, bloggers and restaurant reviewers are strongly encouraged to participate and solicit nominees from their readers. Please re-post this link on your site, facebook, and share with everyone who might be interested. If we get enough qualified nominees, we’ll need several judges to help determine winners by neighborhood, etc. Please contact me if you are interested in judging the competition.

Thank you for your participation. Let the games begin.

Posted in Human-to-Human Service | 7 Comments »

Overserved

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 05/26/2010

It’s so refreshing to be blown away by great service that exceeds our own expectations. Those businesses that understand how critical hospitality and great service are stand in a class of their own. Hospitality and service are a mindset and a culture.

My brother Paul called recently from his RV on his way home to Alaska from D&D Automotive in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Paul has logged tens of thousands of miles between Boston and the Land of the Midnight Sun, and he’s often been at the mercy of sketchy auto mechanics in some very remote locations. During one trip he had to wait four and a half days in Fort Nelson, British Columbia for a part to be delivered by Greyhound bus because a mechanic broke the old part when “taking a look” to furnish an estimate. In short, Paul has suffered some very anxious moments when receiving, reviewing, and re-negotiating repair bills with mechanics throughout North America.

So when Paul told me he wanted to nominate D&D for the Automotive Service Hall of Fame, I was all ears. Here are the bullets from Paul’s story:

• Found D&D Automotive after Googling the dreaded words, “transmission repair.”
• Initial phone call very professional inviting him in for an immediate assessment.
• First impression very positive – clean yard and shop, everyone in uniform.
• Warm greeting from Tony at desk that included a firm handshake followed by, Hello Paul, we’ve been expecting you.
• Dave promptly rolled under the rig and after a few minutes exclaimed, I got it.
• Paul’s wary comment to Dave; I’ve been in lots of shops. I just want to pay a fair price for quality work.
• On-the-spot verbal estimate of less than $500 and an invitation to bring the rig in first thing the next day.
• Early morning greeting from Tony, followed by a written estimate of parts and labor not to exceed $350, with a promise to call and seek authorization for any costs over $350.
• Free loaner car and an estimate that the rig would be finished early afternoon.
• Call from the garage at 1:00PM, The rig is ready.
• Detailed explanation of the work completed, with a breakdown of all parts and labor totaling $265. (Yes, less than the estimate!)
• A note in the rig with a roll of peppermints attached to it stating, We really appreciate you and your business, along with incentives for future visits. (Paul will be returning to the area in a few months.)
• An overwhelming sense of relief…

There’s nothing like the feeling of having a trusted auto mechanic or any service professional. While shaking hands with Tony and Dave, Paul fervently repeated, Thank you for keeping your word. He took some business cards on the way out and couldn’t wait to tell everyone about the service he received. I could feel Paul’s enthusiasm and gratitude as he shared his story with me.

D&D Automotive in Stevens Point, WI converted Paul Maguire from a customer to one of their ambassadors. Now that’s marketing.

Please share your stories when you’ve experienced service that exceeded your own expectations. Have you ever been overserved?

Posted in Human-to-Human Service | 12 Comments »