Journalist gets kicked out of Manhattan restaurant

[adambparker]

A blog post from Mark Bittman's Bitten blog on the NYTimes website. Basically, journalist Ron Lieber (writes personal finance columns for the Times) was asked to leave a Manhattan restaurant after walking into the kitchen and berating the chef who was repeatedly and rather loudly dressing down one of the waiters.

Nothing like an NYTimes comment section for some good passive aggressive back and forth.

Who would you have smacked upside the head had you been there?

 

[ter1413]

The NYT journalist!

 

[kwilkinson]

Chef is a douchebag for screaming-- give me a break. It's ******* 2010. Have some professionalism for Christ's sake.
Journalist is a douchebag for stepping into the kitchen and even thinking about saying a word to the chef.
Everyone who commented on that page is a douchebag for obvious reasons.

 

[Fuuma]

Dude, if I'm in a restaurant I don't want to hear the chef dressing down his employees. Smack the ******* chef please. i'm not sure how the journalist handled it (we are lacking details) but I assume it would have been better to go in, tell him you can't support what he is doing then leave.

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by Fuuma

Dude, if I'm in a restaurant I don't want to hear the chef dressing down his employees. Smack he ******* chef please.

but I would love to hear KWilk getting ripped a new one while the somm caters to my Didier thirst.

any other situation, get the hell out of the kitchen, go in back, then get your yell on. I don't want to hear that ****.

 

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by gomestar

but I would love to hear KWilk getting ripped a new one while the somm caters to my Didier thirst.

any other situation, get the hell out of the kitchen, go in back, then get your yell on. I don't want to hear that ****.

Well it's also about not letting a hman being treat another human being like that. If you do it in my face i'd like to think I'll step up and tell you to go *************.

 

[adambparker]

Originally Posted by Fuuma

Dude, if I'm in a restaurant I don't want to hear the chef dressing down his employees. Smack the ******* chef please. i'm not sure how the journalist handled it (we are lacking details) but I assume it would have been better to go in, tell him you can't support what he is doing then leave.

The blog post (sorry, not obvious link) is pretty detailed. That's more or less what he did, except he went back to his table and expected to finish his meal.

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

Chef is a douchebag for screaming-- give me a break. It's ******* 2010. Have some professionalism for Christ's sake.
Journalist is a douchebag for stepping into the kitchen and even thinking about saying a word to the chef.
Everyone who commented on that page is a douchebag for obvious reasons.

What would you do as a diner? Mention something to the GM? Just leave?

 

[JohnGalt]

I'm ok withthe chef yelling at the staff "in the interest of making everything perfect" provided he is not disturbing his customers. However, the chef had obviously failed at "making it perfect" by making his customers uncomfortable - the comfort of the guests should have been the most important thing here. This guy failed, big time.

That being said, the writer shouldn't have walked into the kitchen, he should have walked out the door.

 

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

I'm ok withthe chef yelling at the staff "in the interest of making everything perfect" provided he is not disturbing his customers. However, the chef had obviously failed at "making it perfect" by making his customers uncomfortable - the comfort of the guests should have been the most important thing here. This guy failed, big time.

That being said, the writer shouldn't have walked into the kitchen, he should have walked out the door.

You're ok with the chef bullying his employees unless you hear it? Cool.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by gomestar

but I would love to hear KWilk getting ripped a new one while the somm caters to my Didier thirst.

.

Originally Posted by adambparker

What would you do as a diner? Mention something to the GM? Just leave?
I'd mention something tot he GM as I'm walking out, or I'd walk out and then give the GM a call the next day or something.

Originally Posted by Fuuma

You're ok with the chef bullying his employees unless you hear it? Cool.
+1. People have this notion of chefs being "badasses" and ruling with an iron fist, which is fine if it's done respectably and responsibly. But the whole bullying thing just smacks of an unprofessional person who shouldn't be in charge of anyone else.

 

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

I'd mention something tot he GM as I'm walking out, or I'd walk out and then give the GM a call the next day or something.

+1. People have this notion of chefs being "badasses" and ruling with an iron fist, which is fine if it's done respectably and responsibly. But the whole bullying thing just smacks of an unprofessional person who shouldn't be in charge of anyone else.

Some morons think it's cool that Putin is restricting civil liberties and generally acting dictatorial, they find it "manly". Men can be pathetic creatures...(well women too).

 

[JohnGalt]

Originally Posted by Fuuma

You're ok with the chef bullying his employees unless you hear it? Cool.

From what I understand that's how it works in restaurants. Now, if he were talking to me like that (if I were an employee) I'd tell him where to shove it. If the employee doesn't like it, they can quit.

 

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

From what I understand that's how it works in restaurants. Now, if he were talking to me like that (if I were an employee) I'd tell him where to shove it. If the employee doesn't like it, they can quit.

This is why I'd never help a woman getting beatup by her boyfriend; if she doesn't like it she can leave...


ps: you watch too much TV, that's not how it works in restaurants...but then you have an Ayn Rand alias so you probably think **** is A ok.

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by Fuuma

This is why I'd never help a woman getting beatup by her boyfriend; if she doesn't like it she can leave...

so a tough verbal chef of a boss is now = felony domestic physical abuse?

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

From what I understand that's how it works in restaurants.

Based on what, watching Hell's Kitchen?
I know of no reason why effective management techniques and basic human relations should be fundamentally different in a restaurant than in other settings.