What Makes a Good Restaurant?

There are several dimensions of good restaurants. If you have ever wanted to analyze or review a restaurant, you should be very aware of the following points.

Food Quality

First of all, the absolute most important component of restaurants is the quality of the physical product that they are selling, and that is the food. This should be easy enough for most people to determine, although some people have more refined palates than others. If you eat a lot of above average food, you will be better at determining whether food is bad, good or great. One of the most important components of food quality is taste: is it too salty, sweet or sour, or is it just right? Another aspect that you cannot undervalue is the texture. If the food is supposed to be firm, like a vegetable, but it is soggy, that is an indication of a major problem. These aspects together encompass our overall opinion of food and therefore the restaurants that serve them.

Service

Service is a tremendously important component to dining out. One of the main features of dining is the fact that someone else is cooking for you and serving you, and if they cannot do it well than it is not worth your money. Usually what this comes down to is the server. Is the server prompt and courteous? Do they listen to your requests, or conveniently forget things like requests for extra bread or butter? Another thing to be concerned about is the communication skills of the server. If the waiter or waitress is unable or unwilling to speak clearly and provide knowledge to inform your decision they probably just are not that great at what they do.

Restaurant Ambiance

Ambiance is the mood, character, or vibe of any given environment. Things that affect a restaurant’s ambiance are: decorations, furnishings, sound, lighting and sometimes even food presentation. If you imagine your favorite restaurant, there is probably something about the ambiance that you really enjoy. Is it fancy with white tablecloths and candles on every table? Is your favorite restaurant casual, with interesting memorabilia on the wall and great music playing in the background? Great restaurants have an ambiance that comes through in the food as well. If the environment is fun and playful, and the food is too, then the presentation of the food has contributed to the experience of the restaurant. Ambiance is important because a restaurant experience can easily be ruined by bad sights and sounds.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is extremely important. Most people know that a dirty restaurant has dirty preparation methods which can lead to infection and disease. If workers do not wash their hands, customers can easily get sick. If meat is left out for too long, it can grow bacteria that will make you sick. A quality restaurant is one that is neat and clean.