As an African living in Philadelphia, I have had moments when I craved certain food such as Suya (spicy skewered meat). Other times it is pepper soup or just jollof rice, plantain and chicken which are my favorites. Sometimes on weekends, instead of making the dish at home, I would rather go out with friends to eat. I make sure to patronize African and Caribbean restaurants because I am familiar with their cuisine and the food is delicious.
What I have noticed throughout my experience though is that although the food is great, the ambience mood, feeling and the decor are often secondary at most African/Caribbean restaurants. More so, there is often the lack of quality service. From what it seems, the mind set is that as long as the establishment is making enough to keep the doors open from day to day, there was no appetite for improvement in term of service or physical appearance.
As an African, occasionally, I would visit an Italian, American or French restaurant. Beside the splendid appearance that often keeps me in awe, I am overwhelmed by the extent to which the staff will go to make my afternoon or evening of dinning not only a pleasant experience but also a memorable one. From the time I enter the restaurant to the time I leave, every effort is made for me to have an enjoyable time – that’s service!
But then again whatever happens to a warm welcome or a smile on the face of one of the staff when I enter an African/Caribbean restaurant?
Or a “Thank you for coming and come again” when I am leaving an establishment? In other words, are our restaurants lacking in business etiquette? Have the owners not realized that it is important that these restaurants exhibit at best common courtesy? Certainly, a warm welcome is everything that a patron like myself needs – it is like going to someone’s house and not being greeted at the door.
Perhaps it is prudent that if African/Caribbean proprietors must continue to survive in the food industry, they have to not only invest in making their establishments physically attractive and pleasant to the eyes, they have to also make it a place that is capable of providing first grade dining experience by embracing the following:
- 1. Always keep the physical appearance of the establishment neat and clean
- 2. Strive for improvement in quality of food and service.
- 3. Patrons should always be greeted and escorted to their tables.
- 4. Patrons should not wait too long to be served.
- 5. Employees should keep personal matters (conservations and phone calls) out of eyesight and earshot of patrons.
- 6. Always be polite and courteous to your patrons; this is the cardinal rule!
Please understand that my intent here is to spark a conversation on how to improve the dining environment and the quality of service in African/Caribbean restaurants. I strongly believe that unless we find this conservation necessary and imperative, the possibility of African/Caribbean restaurants becoming a significant part of the American food industry remains questionable.
Let us not forget that the restaurant business is part of the service industry in the United States which contributes billions of dollars to the economy each year. However, African/Caribbean restaurants must realize that in order to attract a constant stream of patrons and claim their share of this American pie, they must provide quality service and create a pleasant atmosphere for a memorable dining experience.
