The food industry in Lebanon is pretty strong however, at the same time, as consumers we are sometimes fooled by an image rarely received when our chosen meal is presented to us.
The struggle of deciding where to eat whether it is because of all the different choices we have, the promotion on social media, and the pictures we see, is real! After making our decision, we arrive to the restaurant, open their menu and get blown away with their amazing pictures… delicioso! If you’re not hungry, you WILL be. Your mouth waters when you see the thickness of the burger patty with their specialty sauce dripping from the side. So you saw the appetizing picture and ordered… and boom! In your face lays the biggest disappointment presented in what should be a “specialty dish” of a so called restaurant. NOTHING LIKE THE PICTURE, but calm your horses because the best part comes next. After calling the manager to ask why we weren’t served what we ordered, the answer is, (the real answer I got) “sorry we don’t prepare this specific dish like it’s printed out on the menu.” After hearing such a justification, I’m not sure if I should laugh or get angry at such a ridiculous answer.
As a previous owner/chef of family restaurants back in Honduras, I am a strong believer of selling what you promote. As a chef this is my number one rule: Never provide less than what was expected.
Now this is one of the huge mistakes most restaurants make. I have one thing to say to them; “If you can’t walk the talk, close down your business and go home”.
After having said that, I have decided to start sharing my personal reviews about the restaurants I visit because lately it has been quite disappointing.
Stay tuned for my first review! Let’s hope for it to be a good one!