Was just talking about this with a friend after a pretty bad experience on Friday night. I'm not going to name names because this seems to be almost a universal problem.
A few years ago I lamented that there were simply too many new restaurants and bars coming on-line for the OKC labor market to absorb. Unemployment remains very low and it's not like we have hundreds and thousands of people sitting around waiting for the new places to open. I've heard from many operators that finding and keeping good people is by far their biggest challenge.
It seems we've crossed from worry into full-on critical mass. I almost always sit at the bar when I go anywhere not only for social reasons but because I am almost guaranteed decent service, as the bartenders are right in front of you the whole time.
The more recent times I've sat at a table I'd say it's about a 50/50 proposition between decent and quite poor table service. Generally people with little to no experience and who would probably not ever be hired into these positions other than warm bodies are desperately needed.
I am a very laid back person and very forgiving but bad service is just uncomfortable and can easily ruin a good time.
Without going down the 'chain' road I can say I've had great experiences at Good Egg and Hal Smith concepts. I suppose it helps greatly to have a large organization where there is a career path for the motivated.
It's a problem that seems to be getting worse and I'm wondering if others have noticed the same.
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