The other night, my family and I were in Amite around supper time, so we tried this place. Well, at $19 per plate for a seafood buffet, we thought it was a little steep, but figured we'd give it a try anyhow. My dad and I got the buffet and my mom and son got BLTs. Impressed by the shrimp, I had my mother try some of mine. Meanwhile, my dad decided to teach his grandson how to open up a crab to eat. Well, the proprietor, a red-headed guy I assume is Mr. Murphy decided that that should cost us another buffet price and charged us so. When he saw the bill, my father - an elderly man, mind you - tried to talk to the owner. Red-head simply told my father that he didn't want us back and walked away!
What Mr. Murphy does not know is that I teach at a New Orleans culinary school and I go out weekly to eat at family-owned restaurants that I sample randomly statewide. I also discreetly film (to avoid special treatment) my experiences so my students can learn about how or how not to run a restaurant. If I like a place, I send my 47 students to that same restaurant with their dates to reward those small businesses for having both good food and service. Then my students usually start blogging their friends and posting their own reviews.
Well Mr. Murphy, you got an extra $20 out of an elderly couple, but you just cost yourself hundreds from young college-age people happy to spend their parents' money. No matter how good the food might be, hostile customer service will trump it every time! read more
