Nine well-dressed twentysomethings sit around an oak table inside an elegantly appointed private dining and conference room at Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square. They take in a video of a talk by neuroeconomist Paul Zak about how friendly gestures cause the body to emit oxytocin, a chemical that makes pleasant people more likeable.
It’s not the usual training for a restaurant’s staff.
Comments
Why does this restaurant manager assume that patrons come to a restaurant to talk to the waitperson instead of to be and talk with the person or people they came with? There's been an annoying trend--mostly in America, as far as I can tell--for servers to bomb into guests' table conversation and interrupt without even saying 'excuse me'. And, when servers spend lots of time chatting with people at another table, I often find myself having long waits for my food to be served, or unable to catch the server's eye to ask for something that's missing from what was just served at my table. I just returned from Belgium, where food and dining are serious and glorious occupations. The servers do their job -- know menu items well enough to answer questions and make suggestions, serve food and related items efficiently and quietly, and keep an eye on me and my fellow diners so that they anticipate what we want (often even before we ask for it) and know when to ask if we need something. We, the customers, are thus free to talk with one another without annoying interruptions; and free to enjoy our meal. The more Michelin stars, the less the waitstaff chat with customers. I wish American restaurant owners would stop training waitstaff to act as if our purpose in going to their establishments is to talk to the servers, instead of to our friends, family and/or business associates. How egotistical!
ITA with Sensible45. This is just bizarre.
Great commentary about a wonderful restaurant. The goal of urbanity is subtle .... the excellent food and staff is not. Definitely a gem of an eating establishment in Boston.