DiningBuzz! - If you are a long-time customer, shouldn't you be able to get a little customization?

I am inspired to post this because of something I saw on another thread.

As an art student, one of the first principles we learned was that when making something on commission, leave something obviously wrong about the artwork so that the patron can ask you to fix it. The reason is that human nature is such that everyone always wants one final adjustment to anything they've purchased on commission.

The principle should apply equally if you are, say, a long-time customer of an establishment like a restaurant or bar. For example, if I went to a sushi place for lunch every week once a week for 15 years, and wanted my sushi roll cut into 8 pieces instead of the customary 6, ... is the problem with that? And you want to charge me a $1 surcharge for that? Totally, absolutely absurd and outrageous, and I would raise heck about it, as petty as it may seem.

There are places I go for lunch in NYC because aside from the good food I get treated well and the restaurant is pleasant, etc. There are places I DON'T go to lunch despite the good food and prices because of bad attitudes.

I agree that the custom cut should not be a problem and should not incur an extra charge.

But with your art analogy, are you suggesting that restauants serve food with an obvious flaw; that patrons feel better after sending something back once? I know that I, for one, want my food served right the first time.

Good point. Of course, you're right; with food, you would not want that at all. It was a poor choice of analogy.

The idea I was trying to convey was that the restaurant should be willing to "customize" orders (within reason) if not for everyone, then at least for long-time, regular customers. I can't even really think of a situation where treating a long-time, regular customer like a number is in the interest of a business.

All I know is if I went to get sushi, and they refused to slice my sushi roll into 8 slices instead of six without an extra charge, it would push my one step closer to finding another lunch spot. It HAS happened to me actually, as I sit here and think about it. A friend and I would go to a place near Bryant Park, and they had a lovely, sweet young girl waiting tables there. One day, she was no longer there, and instead had this guy who obviously 1. didn't want to be there; 2. didn't care too much about waiting tables; 3. got our orders wrong. We stopped going.

I have had great success getting things off the menu i.e work-in-progress, special dishes reserved for Chef's Table etc. when I have patronized the place a couple of times.

There are also small places where customization is central to how they serve and retain customers.

A good maitre'd will know his customer's preferences and will, nearly always have "off-menu" items. Make friends with your maitre'd. It is not about tipping but about the appreciation of his restaurant as a regular customer. Loyalty in a restaurant goes a long way (more likely, than any FF program).

Could it be bad luck or some other "improper" thing to do w/sushi in the chef's eyes perhaps?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Sweet Willie:
Could it be bad luck or some other "improper" thing to do w/sushi in the chef's eyes perhaps?</font>

Highly doubtful but not 100%. I will try to find out.