Sand in the Coffee, Vol. 131: the reopened restaurant, and how to be a good first-week customer
Put the menu down. Not that one, the laminated one from August. After a storm, that menu is a historical document.
A restaurant that reopens in the first week is doing something hard on very little sleep. Here is how to be the table the staff is glad to see.
call before you drive
Hours, menus and even the dining room itself may be different from last month. A place that was open Tuesday may be closed Thursday because the produce truck did not come or the walk-in lost power again. Phone first, or check the venue’s own page. If you plan around a happy hour, remember that the times on /happy-hours/ were checked before the storm, and a venue may have changed them. Call and confirm.
go off-peak
The best time for a first-week meal is mid-afternoon, around 2 p.m., when the lunch rush is gone and the kitchen is not slammed. Dinner at 7 on a Friday is the hardest hour for a short-staffed crew. If you can eat at 4:30, do it.
order what they can do well
A trimmed menu is not an insult. It is a kitchen putting its best foot forward with the ingredients that are actually on hand. Order the thing at the top, skip the special request, and do not ask whether the oysters are “really fresh” if the board says they are not available. Rule of thumb: the shorter the menu, the more carefully it was chosen.
patience is the tip
The server bringing your water may have lost a roof, a car or a week of pay. Say thank you twice. Tip generously, at least 20 percent and more if you can. The best way to help a coast recover is to spend money in local places, and to leave a little extra with the people who show up.
check the beach on the way
If your plan includes a walk first, look at the conditions on /beach-today/ before you leave, and stay clear of roped-off areas and work crews. Then eat, tip, and go home early. That is the whole job.
— Chris
P.S. Owners: your specials, menu link, or a reader promo code go straight on your page. Claim it free: /submit/claim/
