What about the pepper in the pepper shaker, anyway?
 

This relates to fancy steakhouse-grade restaurants, although the Attack of the 50' Pepper Shaker occurs nearly everywhere.

If you are fortunate enough to be dining at Ruth's Chris or Emeril Lagasse's or the equivalent, of course there will be a 50' Pepper Shaker Server to grind fresh peppercorns onto your plate until you say When.

What does this practice say about the quality and freshness of the ground black pepper in the pepper shaker (the one on the table)? Shouldn't these types of high-end establishments furnish equally high-quality fresh ground black pepper in the pepper shakers?

Well I do think that the pepper in the shaker could be of higher quality. At many restaurants the pepper in the shaker is like powder or at least the holes in the shaker only allow powder to come out. I often remove the top of the shaker and use it to pour a little into to get the larger size ground that can't exit the miniscule holes in the lid. I saw my nephew doing that at a good steakhouse one night and said I thought I was the only one doing that!

What they need are those little shaker sized grinders at the table.

Frenchie Flyer

I don't like the grinder pepper. Too big a "flake" - each to their own :)

Yes, that's true too. My spouse always tells the server to give me his share of the pepper.

I think they just need small grinders on the table, and they should pick them up when they pick up the dishes if they are worried about them walking away.

I don't have a clue how strong their pepper is, so there is no way I can tell the man on the ladder grinding it how much I need till I actually taste it.

Powdered pepper, no matter when it was ground, will not have the same flavor as cracked pepper from a grinder.

Whole peppercorns stay fresh for 3-4 years, and given how often they use these grinders, you probably have nothing to worry about. Plus, if they use smaller grinders, where do you think they keep their stock of peppercorns? Probably in a jar in the storage closet...

I liked my recent experiences in Australia where most establishments have pepper grinders on the table, but even better, that they were nearly always filled with WHITE pepper.

Much better flavor IMO.