So what did I think of the entire concept of Summerlicious? Well, to tell you the truth, I thought it was a great idea. Go out and try all these different restaurants for a fixed price ($10, $20, or $30). And not just any restaurants. These restaurants were being promoted by the city, so they can't be *that* bad.

But just because things look good on paper, doesn't mean that they'll do well in practice. I was disappointed by two of the establishments (I tried out a total of 4) because the service was distinctly different because we were ordering from the Summerlicious menu instead of their regular menu. I guess they don't understand that if I'm not pleased with the service, then I'm not going to come back, regardless of how good the food is. Food quality is definitely number one, but if I'm out at a fancy restaurant, I'd better have a great experience overall because all that cash I'm doling out for the bill is not for the food alone. At a fancy restaurant, I know that part of the money I'm paying is for the service and the atmosphere. I'm less likely to want to try out a new expensive restaurant if I'm unsure of the food quality (just because I'm poor). And when treated with bad service, I can say that I'll likely never come back. I don't care HOW good your food is.

Another thing I was disappointed with was with the fact that some places (well... only one that I know of) made their prix-fixe menu dramatically different from their regular menu. The Summerlicious menu was not reflective of their regular menu and so did not give me a real sample of what their establishment is like. In all honesty, I think this completely defeats the point of Summerlicious.

I'm glad to hear that the city has planned to do this again next year. I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to sample more restaurants next year (hopefully the cash flow will be higher so I can afford it). And with any luck, the servers will understand that Summerlicious customers need to be treated with the same amount of respect (if not more) as their regular customers simply because they are new customers and they are more skeptical of the establishment than others. It would do well to try to impress these skeptical people because if you can convince them to come back, chances are, they'll bring a lot more business than your regulars.

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