PHOTO BY CHRIS MILITZER
BRANCHING OUT Chefs love seeing guests try something new! And, for some guests, eating something they couldn’t create at home is half the fun of eating out. “Of course, we all have our go-to dishes at our favorite neighborhood spots, but be sure to mix way to find new go-to dishes!” said Chef Santiago Lopez, director of culinary operations at Alexandria Restaurant Partners. “As chefs, we love to flex our creativity and make things for the guests that they wouldn’t try at home.” “Eating out provides the opportunity to eat food items I normally wouldn’t eat at home. We have cooked elaborate meals at home before and it’s a lot of work,” said Smith. “Going out to eat, allows
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in some more adventurous items – it’s a great
my husband and I to enjoy delish food with each other and our friends.” In fact, generic items that customers could have made at home are a real annoyance to some people.“We're paying a premium when we eat out, and that should mean something that isn't easy for poor execution.”
SERVICE Service is the most difficult thing to balance for many restaurants. Both too much attention and too little attention are issues diners brought up, and poor service either way can kill an otherwise fun night. For most, lack of attention is the bigger issue and one that will keep customers from returning to a restaurant or bar. “Poor service is a mood killer for me, even over bad food. There are a lot of things that you can do bad, but bad service will definitely keep me from returning to a restaurant,” said Alexandria resident Chris Smith.
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alexandrialivingmagazine.com • January / February 2020
PHOTO BY CHRIS MILITZER
me to replicate at home,” said Dave Roberts. “Or