The wife has two basic thumb rules – one for service quality in restaurants, and the other which measures how much the hotel/restaurant cares for customers.
Service quality: Water on the table. If the waiter is continuously monitoring if we need more water and fills it up whenever he sees the dip in the glass, the service is g.o.o.d. If we need to keep calling the waiter for water all the time, the service is something to be desired.
Customer Care/Empathy: The restrooms, especially the Ladies ones. The cleaner they are, the better the restaurant management thinks of caring for the customer. It is amazing how many times, a decision is made on which restaurant to go to, based on this thumb rule. And I have seen it in multiple families. The restroom suck, the ladies will not come.
Was at Hotel Chalukya in Bangalore yesterday. The first rule was partially met. The second was woefully absent.
Restauranteurs – are you listening ?