This Just In ...

Culinary no-no #244

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Sept. 11, 2011

Culinary no-no's

There’s a lot to ponder when venturing out to eat.

ATTITUDE: I just don’t feel like cooking.

NECESSITY: Maybe the frig isn’t as well stocked as you’d like.

WHAT: What am I hungry for?

STYLE: Do I go fancy or casual?

LOCATION: Do I head across town or stay close to home? Is getting there easy, and can I park with ease?

REPUTATION: A familiar spot or new place?

SPECIAL OCCASION: Does it call for a celebration?

How about this as a deciding factor: I want my dining choice to be
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HASSLE-FREE.  You shouldn’t have to, for example, purchase tickets that might be only available, and quite expensive at that, on the black market in order to secure a table.

When it comes to restaurant arrogance and elitism, I thought I’d heard it all when I blogged about Next.  Wrong. There’s the brand new Rogue 24 in Washington D.C. that’s creating all sorts of buzz. You’d never know by its appearance. Eater.com says Rogue 24 is “a renovated 1920s car garage tucked behind a red brick-paved alley near the convention center.  If you can find Rogue 24 among the dilapidated buildings in Blagden Alley, it's the one with the wooden exterior and graffiti of a chef's knife hanging over the doorway.






But once inside...






“They've got two tasting menus, an a la carte salon, fancy equipment and vintage furnishings.”

The fabulous tasting menus include The Journey  and The Progression. Either will take hours to finish.

And oh, yes...the kitchen is in the middle of the dining room.






The swank Rogue 24 seats 52. Everybody wants a chance at dining there and empty tables are rare. Chef/owner RJ Cooper, recognizing a hot commodity, decided if you want in, you must comply with a requirement that could very well be a first in the restaurant business.

You must sign a two-page contract. That’s right. A contract. To eat out.

As part of the contract, you agree not to bring cell phones or cameras. The intent is to eliminate dining distractions to have the ultimate experience.

You must surrender credit card information.

Then there’s the cancellation policy. Cancel your reservation within 72 hours up to 3 p.m. of the day of your reservation and you are charged 50% of the tasting menus selected.  Cancel after 3:00 p.m. on the day of the reservation or show up 30 minutes late or more and there’s a 100% charge.

The contract must be submitted within 72 hours of making the reservation or the whole deal becomes void.

MAJOR




CULINARY




NO-NO


So Major that as Rogue 24 recently planned for its exciting grand opening, Eater.com focused not on the rose veal or sea urchin or partridge egg or hog jowl or foie gras or violet potato or chocolate tennessee. No no,. It lasered in on “the contract.”

Obviously, the tremors were felt because Cooper immediately made changes.  Gone is the 100 percent charge for cancellations made after 3 p.m. on the day of the reservation or for those showing up more than 30 minutes late.

Then Cooper went on damage control, and gave Eater.com less than convincing arguments in defense of his contract, cell phone and Twitter ban.

From the Eater.com Q and A with Cooper:

You wouldn’t ask a guest to leave if you saw them taking a picture?
No, because it’s not about being a cop or a Nazi.

Why the stringent cancellation policy?
It’s not set in stone. Do we abide by it? No. The policy gives us a chance to fill the table and it gives the diner a reason to call and cancel. Have we charged anybody? No, because that’s not what it’s about. It’s about making sure we are able to fill the seats of our revenue base. This also guarantees diners a seat. We’re sold out tonight and we’re sold out all week.

Have you had cancellations?
Absolutely. We had a cancellation today; the woman’s sick. What are we going to do? Charge her? No, she’s sick.

So why have it in the contract?
Actually, we just modified the contract today.

What’s the new policy?
It’s basically, "Please call and cancel." We’re not here to win it all. All we’re saying is, "We’re a 52-seat restaurant. If 10 people no-show, that’s one fifth of our revenue gone." All we want is the opportunity to fill the table.

I get the sense that you had no idea this contract would be a point of controversy.
No, I didn’t. But it’s not any different than going to Minibar or Alinea. The difference is that Alinea has six reservationists that can handle that; we have one. Minibar has six seats; we have 52. Komi has a no camera and phone policy in their restaurant. What’s the difference? Is it going to make experience better to have a phone? If it does, please tell me, because I hate my phone. I'd rather not have to deal with the 500 emails and 60 voice messages I get every day. I’d rather just sit and really enjoy the experience of a place like this. Are we doing this out of arrogance? No. Are we doing it out of being hyped? No. We’re doing it to make sure you as a diner have a valued experience. 

"Are we doing this out of arrogance? No. Are we doing it out of being hyped? No."

Sorry, but he is arrogant and does want the hype. He just doesn’t want the controversy. So he changed course. But not enough. A contract to eat at a restaurant? I’m not marring the place. Cooper erred twice, once with the original contract, and twice when he simply modified the damn thing instead of dumping it altogether.

These supposedly trendy concepts begin on either coast and take their time getting to us plain folks in the heart of the country. Here’s hoping this one starts and ends at Rogue 24.


CULINARY NO-NO BONUSES

Restaurant workers that don't get the limelight...but should.


About those  portion sizes...


The potato war goes to Congress.