NEWPORT FOOD SCENE: As summer nears and restaurants get busy, a tip of advice: Be kind
The month of May always comes to Newport bringing hope of things to come. It’s not quite summer, but the deeper we get into the month, the closer we get to beach days.
The signs are everywhere. Summer businesses are reopening. The Smoke House and Sweet Berry Farm have both returned. Pineapples on Goat Island is scheduled to open May 25. The tourist activity is amping up.
And the events around town like the Newport Oyster & Chowder Festival at Bowen’s Wharf and the Atlantic Cup Race are tastes of the coming summer fun.
Memorial Day weekend, when it all beings in earnest, is less than two weeks away and it can’t come soon enough. Once summer is here, we can hope to expect our Island will do what it does best in the summer months: Thrive.
For the hospitality industry, this means an increase in business every restaurateur looks forward to all winter. The reservations start filling up. The parties start booking. The quieter midweek nights start to pick up.
Establishments change their hours, staying open longer as the summer days do. You can sense the busyness throughout town. Newport is a summer destination and keeping all those travelers fed and happy is the calling of every hospitality-based business around here.
Restaurants are getting ready. They are rolling out their summer menus. They’re cleaning up their outdoor dining areas. They’re staffing up, as best they can. There’s a collective sense of “Bring It On!” as we await the unofficial start of summer. In this moment before Memorial Day, let me offer two words of advice for anyone who plans to enjoy the hospitality for which our town is famous: Be Nice.
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That’s it. Just be nice. If we can get every Aquidneck Islander and visitor to heed those words of advice, it could make for a better summer all around. Every business is grateful when you choose to spend your money at their establishment. But just because restaurants rely on your business doesn’t mean you can drop common courtesy. The employees serving you are working hard and deserve your respect.
So, again, just be nice.
In the aftermath of the closings and capacity limits that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitality world has had to deal with a growing sense of rudeness toward staff. While the majority of patrons are polite, sympathetic and kind, the occasions of rudeness were becoming a little too commonplace.
I’ve heard stories of waitstaff being yelled at, hosts being berated and arguments with managers. It’s as if some, driven by an increased sense of entitlement, have forgotten the rules of civility. Even now, two years since the initial pandemic closings, there are stories of this happening. It needs to stop.
There are factors that will continue to affect both the guest experience and staff performance. Many workers have left the industry for good and there remains an ongoing issue with the employment pool.
Every restaurant in town will still face staff shortages this summer. While that may make for a less-than-perfect dining experience, it also means restaurant workers will once again being pushed to work harder and longer hours. Working at a short-staffed restaurant is exhausting. So please, be patient.
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Beyond the staff issues, there’s inflation to deal with. This will affect prices at your local restaurant as adjustments will be made for increased costs. Your server or bartender has no control over the price of something, so never take out frustration about something being too expensive on your server. They serve what you order. They are not part of pricing decisions.
There is thought and research put into every price on a menu. You can opt not to order an item, but don’t get upset just because you can find it cheaper elsewhere. That’s the price at that restaurant. It’s non-negotiable.
Inflation hits those living paycheck to paycheck the hardest. This is the majority of your food service workers. Their groceries are more expensive. It costs more to get to work. The bills keep coming. It’s a stressful time for a lot of workers, so be kind. And tip well.
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There’s still a virus that is wreaking havoc globally. New cases have been trending upward recently in Newport. There remains anxiety and angst associated with the pandemic. The political climate in the country is far from stable. There’s more traffic around town and there’s construction everywhere. The Red Sox are in last place. We don’t know what the fate of Kim Wexler will be on "Better Call Saul."
We all have a lot on our minds. So this summer, the time when we try to relax and rejuvenate, let’s be gentle with each other. Let’s be nice. It’s the least we can do.
Dan Lederer is a Middletown resident with 30 years experience in the food service industry throughout New England. He continues to work locally behind the scenes within the industry and remains a devoted fan of all things restaurant and hospitality related. His column appears on newportri.com and Thursdays in The Daily News. Cheers!
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport RI restaurant scene: As summer approaches, be kind
