Two to tango: Restaurants can lead but must heed their dance partners �� the customers - Brief Article

During my bachelor years I accompanied a male friend from Argentina out to a restaurant that offered dancing along with its meal fare. While dancing, this very Latin gentleman became most disturbed when his partner attempted to lead him around the dance floor. In no uncertain terms he voiced his displeasure and pleaded with his partner to "let me drive."

Such is my feeling about dining out nowadays.

Restaurant experiences always have been like a ballet in which the chefs, servers and customers participate in a carefully choreographed presentation. Ideally, the creative process, price, value and meal delivery should fuse seamlessly, resulting in customer satisfaction.

In today's restaurant arena, however, it seems that the rhythm between the customer and chef is becoming somewhat chaotic, as many chefs seem to be going out of their way to overwhelm, confuse and overly complicate the dining experience.

It seems logical that if a customer goes into a restaurant, he or she should be able to locate selections that are appetizing and offer a pleasant and filling culinary experience. However, that is not always the case.

For instance, a recent article in The Wall Street Journal discussed how cheeks have "become chic." Yes, cheeks are appearing on menus all over, but quite honestly, I have never seen a whole one. Cheeks are seldom presented like a steak or chop, so all you are able to do is trust the chef that cheeks are there, somewhere. Show me a customer who says he loves pork cheeks or cod fish cheeks, and I will show you a status-seeking, social butterfly who probably has overindulged during the cocktail hour.

Recently I dined at a renowned restaurant in New York. The menu was overly complicated and price fixed with two menu options at different price points. The two options could not be mixed, and la carte was verboten. Therefore, customers had extremely limited options.

The wine list also was confusing, with categories such as "soft, versatile reds" and "cabernet family." It featured such unfamiliar names as Rustenberg, Yarra Yering, McKenzie-Mueller, Sean Thackrey, Germanier, Hewitson, Talenti and so on. You had to invite Peter Morrell to dinner in order to decipher the wine list, along with a famous foodie -- food dictionary in hand -- to get through the meal.

Conversely, I also had a delightful experience at another New York restaurant located in a renovated brownstone, which served as a superb setting for a magnificent evening.

The very professional and informed staff ably set the stage for the interaction between kitchen and consumer. The prix fixe tasting menu was available, but it was not forced upon the customer.

The chef offered a chic beef cheeks ravioli that was a taste sensation because of the blending of cheeks, squab liver and black truffles. The gnocchi were out of sight. And the grilled rabbit, red snapper and lamb tongue were all exceptional. Although the menu was complex, each dish was presented by our server in a manner that had our full attention and stirred our taste buds in anticipation.

The message is that dancing is a wonderful art form. Fred Astaire and Mikhail Baryshnikov were great because they could connect with their dance partners. And that principle also is key to successful restaurants.

Overly complicated menu items, without a wait staff that can explain, sell and merchandise them to the customer can be a disaster waiting to happen. Creativity must not interfere with the dining experience, overly complicating an event that should be challenging.

Dining operations of all types must dance with their partners, the customer. They can lead, but they must make sure that their partner is in step with them and enjoying the experience for which, ultimately, the consumer, not the chef, pays.

Thomas J. Haas is a principle of the consulting firm Thomas J. Haas & Associates Ltd. in Amelia Island, Fla.

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