Reader: 'The Restaurant' a weekly helping of buffoonery - Letters

Editor. NRN:

Finally an article on "The Restaurant," "The dish on 'The Restaurant': Style over substance presents an unappetizing view of foodservice," Aug. 25, page 23. I'm glad to see others share my sentiments on this buffoonery seen every Sunday night. Exploits such as these not only are an insult to those of us who take pride in our industry but also are an outright fabrication of daily restaurant life. I've been in this industry for close to 30 years, starting as a dishwasher and hitting all steps in between, including opening a number of restaurants, most of them boasting more than 300 seats.

Watching this show made my skin crawl, and I caught myself yelling at the television about how the owners and management of The Restaurant appear both inept and disorganized. Telling an employee "to go home and tough it out" after falling and injuring himself? Really. The general manager's lack of concern for his employees is abysmal. The reality of the situation is that the employee would have gotten an attorney to represent him since there wasn't any workers' comp paperwork filled oat--at least not on camera.

At a time when we are trying to recruit quality-minded people into this field, along comes a show like this that sets public relations and opinions back decades. Who would want to work in a place with such a lack of concern and where chaos reigns? Rocco DiSpirito acts as if this is the first time he has stepped foot in a restaurant. The dumbfounded and quizzical looks he makes lead one to question his knowledge and ability. I hope he's being well compensated to act the fool.

I have to admit that I had to stop watching alter the third week; the disasters were giving me nightmares.

--William C. Beattie

general manager

Shirttail Charlie's Restaurant

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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