How Hollywood Sees Us: Educating your guests

The Restaurant Industry According to Hollywood #10

Guests can be difficult. It’s a truth in our business that needs more attention. Of course, if someone is spending money with you they should get what they want. That’s why we must be prepared for the type of interaction pictured in the trailer from a great restaurant movie, Big Night. Sometimes guests make the initial mistake of not realizing the style of restaurant they have entered. It’s our job to guide them to a place that is satisfying.

In a restaurant run by two Italian immigrants, the tables sit empty despite the extraordinary talents of Primo the chef (Tony Shalhoub,ﾓMonkﾔ) and the ambitious efforts of his brother Secondo (Stanley Tucci, The Devil Wears Prada). A celebrity night at their restaurant promises not only to turn their business around but to change their lives.

You have to love Stanley Tucci’s portrayal of the owner-server in this clip. He has the best line of the scene when he responds to why there aren’t automatically meatballs with the spaghetti… sometimes the spaghetti wants to be alone. If you don’t chuckle at how perfectly timed his line was, you haven’t been in this situation before. He does his level best not to scream, but probably won’t see these guests again.