Yesterday was meant for chill-out day. Well for starters the weather was a bit on the cold side so might as well take a break from a helluva work week to satisfy my cravings. I've been really meaning to go out and get my fix of that famous chicken of one of the fastest rising franchises in the country - BonChon Chicken and yesterday was a good a time as any to fulfill it once again.
My visit to Megamall was intended initially as a food trip. I did mention on one of my tweets that the chicken there is sort of addicting. Like I said I wanted to get the cravings done and over with before the next week's grind so I went to SM with that in mind. Of course I was also coming off an early morning rendezvous and was hoping to cap that with a wonderful lunch. Anyway, the food and my cravings are another story and I'll just muster in some superlatives on that for future posts.
But in this post I want to tackle another issue and that is 'the dining experience'. While not really a gourmand, an expert food connoisseur or even a restaurant critic, I've been to a lot of restaurants, food stalls and eateries to somehow understand when I'm getting a good enough service worthy of my hard-earned money. You name it, fine dining restaurants where 'finesse and class' are alien to the wait staff, the barbecue stall w/the uber-friendly 'grillman' who tries to perfectly grill your barbecue like it was the masterpiece of his life, the fastfood with v-e-r-y--s-l-ow service. Yeah, I've been to a lot of these joints to know what I'm talking about. Enough to say that a good restaurant is worth it's weight not in gold but in good (no, make that efficient and exemplary) service. I mean you can have the best looking dish prepared, with the finest and most expensive ingredients but when it is presented in a rather rough manner and service takes too long that will not count as a good dining experience, right?
Which brings me to my point yesterday when I went to Megamall. Before lunch I first went to one of the stalls that serve fruit shakes - Cocktales. And the fact that the guy at the counter was friendly and even explained to me the nuances of why the menu says mango martini when it doesn't even carry an alcoholic beverage made me appreciate my mango-melon shake more. I'd say that is what you may call 'grade A' service.
And then off to BonChon I went for my lunch of soy garlic fried chicken. I was almost turned off by the long line but seeing that it was moving smoothly and there was even a crew at the entrance to welcome diners w/a smile I prodded on. Besides I know that the long line would be compensated by the meal (I was right, of course). Now, I'm a pretty observant sort of person, and the fact that the branch there just recently opened yet it could draw in a line like that did not escape me. That pretty much says a lot about the food and the service. And true to my observant nature the fact of how well the staff & management handled one incident at the counter wherein one customer spilled the contents of her iced tea all over the counter floor was not lost on me.
The girl who spilled her drink was right ahead of me on the line and I even heard her muttering morosely and I was almost expecting the restaurant crew to be rattled somewhat but instead they (one of the assistant managers, I guess and the cashier) simply shushed the awkward moment as if that happens every minute and just smoothly proceeded to lead the customer to her table w/assurances that they'll just re-fill the drink & then went on to wipe the wet floor dry. The thing that stuck with me is how they showed no sign of panic or even hesitation. The situation was well under control from the get go and both service crew and manager just played down the whole episode so as not to unduly cause more embarrassment to that customer while at the same time show the other waiting customers that they remain at their service. And it happened right in the middle of lunchtime where the hungry crowd is starting to get really big & tables are all filled out so the professional way it was handled impressed me.
And while I was already seated I also observed another lady customer who tried to order using a supplement credit card or probably the card of her husband (or so my nosy self overheard as I was sitting near the counter). The managers (one male and another lady manager) discreetly discussed the matter and was able to also handle that situation very well. It was calmly explained to the lady (who in my opinion looks rather intimidating and and kind of snooty) that it is against company policy to accept a credit card purchase when it is not the customer's name on the card or if the signature does not match the one on the back of the card. Again, the managers played down the scenario and the customer is spared further embarrassment. Everything was done calmly, professionally without both parties raising a ruckus. Again, these are the nitty-gritties of eating in a public place where certain moments can impress the mind and provide a delightful experience.
And to top it off, their service there always comes w/ a smile making customers feel really welcome as if the restaurant staff is there to fulfill their every wish. Hats off to the management, the crew and the brand that makes dining at this branch of BonChon a truly worthwhile experience. And no wonder at that lunch hour, they seem to be the only restaurant in the level that's packed full of customers yesterday. I can say that BonChon Megamall takes fastfood dining into a higher level.
