Choosing a restaurant for your eat-outs is much more than about the food, and involves the overall experience at the restaurant including the ambience, the service, music and hygiene
Whether we realise it or not, we all have our reasons when choosing a restaurant for a great time-out with friends and family. But, How to choose a restaurant? When planning a fabulous dining experience, many consider food to be the sole criteria, however, it is the ambience, the quality of service, the location of the restaurant, and music, which make for a holistic experience.
Which restaurant to choose?
Basically, gastronomic experience – whether your own experience at a restaurant or the experience of others who visit the restaurant – holds the key when choosing a restaurant. But an experience at a restaurant, without the accompanying elements and details, may quickly turn out to be an average one. In fact, the other facets of an eating-out at a restaurant, such as the ambience and the attitude of the staff serving you, may bolster your experience, enhancing your overall enjoyment levels. However, you may try to break the prototype sometimes and choose something new and different. Who knows, you may have an even better experience!
Many consider restaurant to be a place where they can have a place to sit and eat. Enjoying the delicacies you like is fine, but what about the place where you sit? Could it be just any place or one which is comfortable and allows you to enjoy the ambience and the decor along with the food?
Many of us know what they want when visiting a restaurant, but those who are not frequent diners, here are some tips on How to choose a restaurant that could guide on everything that a restaurant is about:
Location
Ideally, a restaurant in the neighbourhood or at nearby places, may be the perfect choice. What else could you ask for if that restaurant is a good and famous one as well as near your home? Visiting a restaurant nearby has a lot of advantages as you can not only save on your time but save on your expenses also. This could mean an even better experience when eating out. If the restaurant is within a walking distance, then it could be a great choice as you do not have to spend extra on a cab.
However, it is worth shelling out some bucks if the restaurant is located at some really fabulous place such as a lake, seaside, riverside or a spectacular view of the mountain or an architectural gem. But the food and the overall experience at the place should be worth the value for that long and expensive drive.
Ambience & decor
When considering the ambience at a restaurant, you should consider the overall scenario, and not just the decor or the music as any or two facets of the restaurant may be enough to play the spoilsport. Consider the intricacies such as how loud they play music and the kind of people who go there. These may seem irrelevant at first, but they go on to add to your overall experience at a restaurant. When booking a table, pay attention to the location of the table, or when considering a restaurant for business meetings, pay attention to restaurants that have private rooms.
Food value
If you are taking a group to eat out, price is important. This does not mean cheap food, but food that is worth what you are going to pay for. Here it is worth mentioning that price does not translate to taste or quality. You may enjoy better food at low prices compared with the same food at a fancy restaurant. So, it is not necessary that a star restaurant would mean tastier food. You can enjoy better food at relatively cheaper prices on the streets as well, which means saving on your money, while satisfying the taste buds.
Service
Great service at a restaurant may not be available readily, but you can make it so! It may just take a few gentle words with the waiter and waitresses and a friendly behaviour towards them that may turn things around in your favour. You can display certain friendly attitude such as providing them a place to keep their orders when they carry a lot of them meant for other guests at the restaurant. These may be little gestures on your part, but they mean a lot more than they could be expecting from a visitor, and that could turn their attitude towards you and they could go out of their way to make sure you are served properly.
Hygiene
The cleanliness of the washroom at a restaurant could be an indicator of the level of hygiene followed at the restaurant. If the washroom is tidy, chances are the restaurant is disciplined on the hygiene part.
Tried and tested
If you are considering a restaurant for big events, then it is always helpful to visit the restaurant prior to the event itself. This gives you an idea of what the restaurant is all about. You can also try out the kind of food you plan to order on the day of the event. So, you know the place, the serving staff, and the food, which spares you of many worries, and you can focus on the event itself.
