After trying several of the social networks for restaurant go-ers I settled on Urbanspoon. It was the simple stuff that won me over, the been-to / wanna-go-to list and the reviews not only by users but foodie blogs and newspaper articles. Neither that revolutionary but they’re missing from the likes of Qype and TrustedPlaces which only use community content.  It’s been a few months and I’ve started appearing in the charts, (something unexpected and wasn’t looking for now am suddenly competitive over) I’ve also started reviewing and taking photographs, both things that mean I’m spending more time on the site and leading me to now want more from it.

Recommendations please. There’s currently none.  It’s all based on ratings which gets you some way but I have to do a lot of filtering to find the places I’m interested in.  If venues could be tagged then over time you  can use my profile to suggest places that are not only highly rated but also ‘informal’, ‘local’, ‘east london’ or whatever came up.

Introduce me to people. Not to eat with, just to casually link to. Maybe people who live near me or regularly eat similar types of food, kinda like twitter following.

Help with sharing. For the one friend I have (see point 2) it’s tricky to share and discuss stuff. Pushing me to email breaks the experience.  When I’m there I want to open up conversation in the page, maybe even open it up to others.  Even just a way to send restaurant or booking details to friends via facebook would be nice.

That’s a shortlist. There’s others but these would be lovely and if you want to encourage more of it then UserVoice is pretty cool.

A folded bill says we don’t care.  The American Express wallet tries to say expensive but just reminds you they take cards.  A few sweets means we’ve thought about it but not enough to invest more than a cheap mint.  Then occasionally there’s the little printed card that says we’re modern and have taste but really only serves to justify the expensive water.

That’s all okay.  Receiving a bill isn’t a suprise.  I’m prepared for it, and unless you made the prices up on the menu I’ve probably an idea of what it’s going to cost.

The problem is that unless it’s half the price I expected, it’s a dead moment, weighed down by calculating who owes what and the acceptable percentage for service.

Instead it should be an opportunity to for a final ‘aha’ moment.  A way to reinforce what the service and experience is about.  Start by who cooked your food, maybe what their background is and if they have an award then tell them, how about where some of the ingredients came from and where to buy them, maybe even a simple recipe on the back that your customers can try at home.  Just choose something appropriate that reinforces your principles and if you are expensive, maybe justifies the extra cost.

It really can be something else. Something to talk about once you’ve left, maybe to keep as a memento and most importantly, something to make you go back.

Sunday at Ottolenghi (new window) in Upper Street

“I’m very sorry, we’re out of both the dishes you ordered. The waiter wasn’t aware when he took your order”

“oh”

“But we’d still like you to eat. We have a few dishes left, we’d like to offer you them at no charge. If you’re still hungry we’ve plenty of coffee and cakes”

The food was incredible, we spent on coffee and cakes and gave a generous tip. Best service ever.

Be it a nod to chivalry, politeness or just a nice way to choose food. Helen Darroze is due to take over The Connaught as part of their refurbishment and adds a fantastic touch.

From Observer Food Monthly

Her restaurant at The Connaught, like her Parisian venue, will have two separate menus – one for men with prices and one, for women, without. When asked why ‘It’s not an issue for me, generally the menu with the prices is given to the person who invites. It is not a question of man or woman’

Politics aside, choosing food without considering price is a special, a great way of saying ‘have what you want’.