Are you picking a restaurant or doing your taxes?

[TonyDonuts]

When I still worked in Mankato, I would get people who had obviously seen a little too much Food Network, and would stop and ask where "the locals" eat.

The answer "Applebee's is up the road" would sually get met with derision and open disbelief. "No, no, no, where do >you< eat."

I would give the same reply, and they would get exasperated and say something along the lines of, "But those are CHAIN restaurants! Where are the local places?"

And I would say, "There aren't any anymore, because the locals don't want quirky local places with great local flavor, they want big chain restaurants.*"
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*Exception. Mankato's got two really good locally-owned pizza joints. And they are joints. Old linoleum floors, cheap formica tables, chairs that have seen better days, management that'll throw your ass out if your being a jerk, but really good food. But whenever I tried telling the Rachel Ray Fan Club about one or the other I would get the stinkeye and an exasperated, "But we're looking for seafood, steaks, sushibarbecueblahblahblahfishcakes! Don't you have a place like that?" No, no we don't.

[Sliceanddice]

giggles dont they know she alsays look online, check newpapers, get resturant guides and check with tourest centers FIRST? then go around bugging the locals.

[justZu]

By the end of my time there, I lied to customers... will this work, yes it will work. My life became a whole lot easyier. Is it a good moral thing to do, nope of course not, will it make your life easyier, yes it will. Next time someone wants you to recommend a resturant, just flip open the book and praise it to the sky! They dont want you to be honest, they just want to be told what they want to hear.

Exactly, and if Captain Pretentious liked the food, you look like a genious. If he hated it, simply look shocked, and say(in snobby tone) Oh, that's terrible, Francobert(or other snooty sounding chef name) must have the night off.

[Salesmonkey]

When I was working at the Service Inn, I made up a list of the local restaurants I liked, segregated by cuisine style. It solved most of these problems. I also had luck by not suggesting which restaurants were good, but rather by letting the guest know which were definitely bad. In my area the health department inspections of restaurants were posted in the local paper, so everybody knew who passed and who had multiple food safety violations.

[BookstoreEscapee]

My dad says the best Mexican place he's ever been to was some hole in the wall place in Houston that they went to while visiting my Aunt. If they were just there as random tourists they never would have found the place...

If they complain that the food wasn't good, ask what they had..."Oh, you had the chicken? You really should have gone for the steak...they do an amazing filet mignon..."

[karma_gypsy]

They dont want you to be honest, they just want to be told what they want to hear.

Isn't that sad when that's the truth (part of the time)?