Saturday, May 7, 2011

Elitism, Restaurant Critics, Bigwigs and You

I have had a growing case of chapped ass as I watch shows like Top Chef.  It all came to a head today on Top Chef Masters, as I watched the chefs manage a fast casual place.  The thing they seem most concerned about is the judges.  How fast they get their food, and that it is the best food served that day.

The schmucks who simply go to work, make a few bucks an hour, and come in to plunk down money representing an hour or two of their life?  Well, they come second.  No one on this or the other shows seem to see this as what it it- telling the viewers that when they go to a restaurant, they don't matter.  That all that is important to these people is that the judges are happy so the chefs can advance.  Doing what is right for the people who sit in the dining room?  Not that big of deal.

Sadly, this is not so far from the truth, despite what owners of businesses espouse- the most important person in the business is the one who pays for it.

In the many years I spent in restaurants, the bigshots came second.  If there was a problem in a restaurant they visited, they pitched in to help fix it for the guest, then later dissected the cause and solutions.

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