Fine Dining and quality service has become a benchmark in this city of ours that attracts millions of hungry tourists from all over the world. We often associate the cost of fine dining with great service correct? Well that is not always the case. Many of our restaurants have become sub-par in the way that they treat their guests. We have sent out Mr. and Mrs. X to report back on their experiences in some of these restaurants to give us all a heads up on whether we should expect FINE DINING or DOGHOUSE experience. Mr. and Mrs. X are your average consumers and represent you and your family.
MRS. X: Out of the 5-6 restaurants we went to this month., which ones stand out to you the most?
MR. X: I would say Bola on I Drive and Fusion 7 in Hunter’s Creek.
MRS. X: My 2 favorites were Bola and PF Chang’s in Winter Park. Let’s talk about Bola first. What an amazing ambiance, very romantic, chic and elegant. The service was great, prompt, and the management was very friendly. I’d give Bola very high marks for couples and anyone who likes to be seen. What did you think about the food?
MR. X: I loved it. It has a real Italian type of feel and the waiter “Mo,” knew a lot about each dish. We definitely need to go back!
MRS. X: I also loved PF Chang’s! It is now officially my favorite Chinese restaurant. The vibe is great, they were completely packed, the food is amazingly delicious, and it is versatile for families, couples, or trendy singles having a cocktail at the bar.
MR. X: Yeah I liked it too. Great lighting, service and the food was delicious! We got seated right away and the appetizers, drinks and entrees all arrived within 2-3 minutes of each other. I particularly liked the way that all the staff seemed to be working together to make sure we had everything we needed.
MRS. X: Now, to the doghouse! What’s the first name that comes to mind?
MR. X: Bongo’s in Pleasure Island! We had made reservations for a party of 12 and were required to leave a deposit on a credit card. They said that if we were late they would charge us a penalty. When we arrived – they did not have our table ready, had us waiting almost a half hour, and couldn’t even find our reservation! A great way to ruin a dinner party! Now as for Fusion 7, although their food was good – we had a really interesting experience after we ate. I’ll leave it at that for now and give them a chance to redeem themselves as they said they would on our next visit.
MRS. X: For me, the very first one that comes to mind is a Japanese restaurant on I- Drive. I think it’s called Makito or something like that. The lush beautiful grounds outside is enough to pull any hungry driver off their path in hopes of a yummy Japanese experience. But, shortly upon arrival the patrons will look around wondering why the outside looks like a 5-star restaurant, and the inside looks like a 2-star cafeteria. Although the menu was very extensive, everything we ordered including sushi, apps, and dinner, was not good at all. When we spoke to the GM about the quality of the food we ordered, he acted as though we were making up stories, brushed off our complaints in a very insulting manner, and did nothing at all about it. That left us at the table marveling over his rudeness and his lack of customer service. I will never go there again, and would never send anyone there.
MR. X: Yeah I didn’t like anything about that place either except for the outside scenery! It would be a great place to do a photo shoot – just make sure you are not hungry.
There are many restaurants in Orlando that are yet to be exposed! Remember to never judge a book by its cover and always provide the best service, we ARE paying for it AND we deserve it! So be on your best behavior, very soon Mr. & MRS. X may be classifying your business as a Fine Dining or Doghouse experience. We also welcome good and bad experiences from our readers so that we know what spots we should checkout. Until next time, on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. X., we hope you enjoy your meals, and oh yeah – excuse me waiter – can you get the manager please…………….