TampaBayEats.com

I’ve been to plenty of restaurants and on a couple of occasions have received mediocre food and service. When this occurred, I’ve spoken up to my waiter or a manager about a substandard meal but never expected anything in return. I’ve generally chalked it up to experience and a lesson learned. We live in the United States, a free enterprise economy and each of us is able to make choices as to where we spend our money. But some people seem to have a sense of entitlement.

If you live in the Tampa Bay area, there’s no doubt you’ve heard about Ralph Paul, who recently dined at a local restaurant and after ordering dinner, dessert and coffee for him and his girlfriend, walked out on the $46 tab and left a $3 tip for the waiter. If not, you can read the story in the St. Pete Times.According to news reports, Ralph Paul ate the seafood from his seafood pasta dish, then attempted to return the dish to the kitchen and demand it be taken off his check because he was unsatisfied with the portion he received (regardless of the fact that he had already eaten the most expensive part of the dish). When the owner refused to remove the entrée from his bill, Paul and his girlfriend walked out and drove off, after having dessert and coffee, nonetheless. The owner of the restaurant called the police, who arrested Paul and a criminal trial ensued. The result? Paul hired a $500 per hour attorney and was found not guilty! I was not at the restaurant when this incident took place, so I do not know all of the facts. Perhaps Ralph Paul was unsatisfied with his entrée, but after eating the most expensive part of the dish, did he have a right to refuse payment? No. The owner obviously could have taken another route by subtracting the cost the entrée from the bill and following the “customer is always right” mantra, but he didn’t and I respect him for that. The owner has a business to run and cannot afford to give away food on a trial basis. The total cost of the entrée - $15.99. Ralph Paul has enough money to drive a BMW and hire an attorney for $500 an hour; I doubt the restaurant owner enjoys the same luxuries.

Yesterday I attended the monthly networking breakfast of the Tampa Bay Business Journal and had the pleasure of meeting and listening to the guest speaker, Jason Lucas, the Chef Director of the Culinary Arts Program at the Art Institute of Tampa.  The Culinary Arts program has been around for about a year and is part of a network of identical programs across the country. 

The topic at hand was transferring the teamwork skills used in a professional kitchen out into the business world.  His purpose was two-fold; both to teach the audience how they can better utilize the team approach in their own businesses, as well as promote the school, which is only about a year old.

In his presentation, he did mention quite a few locally owned restaurants and spoke very highly of the dining scene.  Despite the chain restaurant mentality, he is appreciative of the independent restaurants and optimistic of Tampa’s future as a food city. He stated that a culinary school in the Tampa area will be an enourmous catalyst to the growth and maturity of locally owned restaurants;  I think he is right and I love his enthusiasm.  We don’t live in a food city yet, but I may have just stumbled on to the ground floor of something great.  In fact, I’m planning on Tampa being a great food city, but some things take time.

A little over a year ago, Total Wine and Spirits blazed into town with a big-box liquor and wine superstore.  I’m sure it made a lot of mom-and-pop wine stores nervous, but how about the big retailers like ABC?  The prices are low and the selection is large; what more could you want?

Apparently they’ve put a dent in the business of other superstores like ABC, but it doesn’t seem that ABC will give up without a fight.  I noticed the above billboard several months ago and it gives me a laugh every time I drive down Dale Mabry.

Are the accusations true?  I don’t know.  I don’t buy expensive wines at Total Wine, but their selection of decent wines at low prices keeps me coming back.  And the beer selection surpasses anything found at ABC.  On a recent Saturday at ABC, I couldn’t even piece together a 12-pack of Japanese beer for a Sushi party.  I ended up going to Total Wine where the selection was better and walked away saving money.  I don’t need good service when buying beer, just good prices.

So are the attacks on the billboard warranted?  Do you shop at Total Wine or are you still loyal to ABC?  Would you call it clever advertising?  Or a hit below the belt?