This past weekend, my Dad came in for UGA’s homecoming, so we decided to sample a good assortment of Athens delights.
Friday night, we were scheduled to have reservations at The National at 7:30 p.m. at a table outside. It was raining, but we walked to the restaurant anyway to eat dinner. When we got there, the hostess said, “well, it’s raining. Do you still want to eat outside?”
Of course we said no. Then, she said they wouldn’t be able to fit us in until 9:30. We asked where all the other people were who had reservations outside, and she said they called and cancelled because it was raining.
There are two sides to this argument. One one side, the restaurant’s side, they thought it was my job to notice it was raining and call to cancel our dinner. On my side, I thought it was their job to call ME and say, “Ms. Strate, it is raining outside, and your table is out there. We won’t be able to fit you in the inside dining room until 9:30. Would you like to wait longer, or would you like to cancel your reservation?”
I think The National should have called me and asked. Good thing we were able to go to Casa Mia and get a table right away.
What do you think they should have done?
Dawg Food 
Just curious, did you specifically request a reservation at a table outside or were you told that outside tables were all they had left when you made the reservation? If so, I think the onus is on you to realize it was raining. Otherwise, shame on them.
By: Chuck on October 22, 2008
at 2:05 pm
Well, they only had outside tables left, so I just took what they had. I guess it could be both of our faults. 🙂
By: KStrate on October 22, 2008
at 2:37 pm
I think a decent restaurant would have called you either way. If you want to be known for good service, you don’t “assume” and you go the extra mile. Where did you guys wind up eating?
By: Brian on October 22, 2008
at 3:04 pm
Can y’all think of any other restaurant that would have called?
By: Hillary on October 22, 2008
at 4:25 pm
A lot of them in Atlanta, which is what 5 & 10 and the National seem to aspire to be compared to in terms of cuisine and service.
This is the norm for Athens, but my impression is that these two are trying to break the norm with their 5 star ratings, etc.
By: Brian on October 22, 2008
at 4:49 pm
We ended up going to Casa Mia which was fabulous. More on that and the rest of the weekend to come…
By: KStrate on October 23, 2008
at 8:07 am