The Severed Cortex

Link: http://www.54thstreetgrill.com/

Nancy and I decided to try the new 54th Street Bar & Grill which opened up on Monday the 8th. Let's just say it was a hell of a lot better than Red Robin, which by the way we still haven't been back to. There's nothing real fancy about this place as it's basically the same as any other old nail some tacky stuff to the wall kind of restaurant. They do have an extensive menu crossing a variety of genres though. I'm pretty sure you can take everyone from the family here and everyone will find something to eat. The food was better than average for your basic Moe's Family Feed Bag, but the best part was the service. Out-freakin-standing. So good I felt like writing them a letter. I figured if I was going to write someone when they did something crappy, I should at least write one when someone does everything right. Below is my text:

Bravo!

About six weeks ago we went to the Red Robin right across the street from your new restaurant. The experience was probably the worst that my wife and I have ever had. Normally we would never write a letter, but it was so terrible we felt compelled to each write one. Since your restaurant was so good, we felt we should tell people when they do a great job too, not just when there is a problem.
Everything that Red Robin did wrong, your restaurant did right. The wait staff was friendly, most notably our server Rhiannon, but the thing we noticed most was that everyone worked as a team. Our order was taken without being rushed (quite a menu to look through), the food arrived quickly, it was prepared correctly, and to top it off no dirty dishes remained on our table for more than 2 minutes. Both my wife and I have worked in food service before and we understand what it takes to make a restaurant work. Because of the teamwork of your staff, you can be sure that you are turning the maximum number of tables each night. Hats off to your management and trainers; you definitely have a winning formula. You should offer your training services to the Red Robin before you put them out of business. Ha, ha.

My wife and I are working professionals. We commute long distances to work and we don't always have a lot of time to cook at home. We also like dining out which works out well since we have a lot of opportunity and need. We have a lot of friends in the same situation as us, which I'm sure your marketing department scouted before deciding to build in the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area. In addition, we each write our own blogs. Rest assured we will be telling our friends both verbally and on our blog about your great restaurant. Keep up the good work.