New Italian Restaurant, La Bocca

[richsilver]

Five of us dined last night at La Bocca, the new Italian place next to the Topps Daily in Jomtien. It was a disappointment.

The place has been open less than a week, so one can surely forgive spotty service, but it seemed the owner had to be with the staff every step of the way. When he walked away, everything fell apart. It didn't appear there was any advance training. It was not a relaxed dining experience watching the harried owner flit from table to table directing the clueless staff.

Four of us ordered salads and pizzas and the fifth in our party completed his main course well before our pizzas arrived; they forgot his French fries altogether.

The green salads were OK, but there was no dressing -- you had to do your own oil and vinegar. I'm sorry, but if I'm dining out, I don't expect to make my own dressing! Especially without herbs and mustard. One guy had Caesar salad and he said it was the worst he's ever had. I tasted the dressing and I thought it was an inedible tasteless, frothy, foamy concoction, bearing no relation whatsoever to Caesar dressing.

The pizzas were actually rather tasty. They were large with very thin crusts. The tomato sauce was spicy and flavorful and the cheese and toppings quite good (one guy, however complained he had a very minimal amount of Italian sausage). I feel both Gian's and Pan Pan's pizzas are better though.

The pizzas were reasonably priced, but the salads, I thought, were over priced.

Maybe after they've been opened for a while, it will be worth a repeat visit.

[lvdkeyes]

We were planning to try this place soon, but I think we will wait awhile to see if they get the bugs worked out.

BTW, did you voice your complaints to the owner?

[richsilver]

We were planning to try this place soon, but I think we will wait awhile to see if they get the bugs worked out.

BTW, did you voice your complaints to the owner?

No, I am usually too polite and intimidated.

[lvdkeyes]

I don't think it's impolite to tell the owner when things are wrong, providing it is done politely.

[firecat69]

The best thing you can do for a smart owner is tell him why he might not get repeat customers. Without those repeat customers he is doomed to fail.

[DeE]

The best thing you can do for a smart owner

And therein lies the problem.......

In my experience, most owners of businesses in Pattaya where I have made a suggestion about their respective service or product ends with a sarcastic remark. Yes, I do know what the words "polite" and "tactful" mean.

For some reason many take suggestions as a personal insult (in spite of telling them not to take it personally).

Even when they walk up to the table and smiling ask "Is everything ok or was everything to your satisfaction"--heaven forbid you should tell them something they don't want to hear.

NOT every owner, but the vast majority here in Pattaya seem to have thin skin.

I love places that have the comment cards on the table with pens that actually work, where you can leave a comment on your departure---no loss of face---no hard feelings--and then you can revisit the establishment in the future to see the improvement.

For example: When is the last time you have had a complaint about Swensen's Ice Cream service or product? They simply have their shit together----each and every visit. They like Starbucks and Sunrise tacos have that little suggestion card at the tables or near the register.

Just like Go-Go bars...how many times do we politely suggest to a manager/owner that their restrooms need attention or that the music is so loud that you are having difficulty talking with the boys---only to return to find nothing has changed.

Yes, Virgina, sometimes things are improved---but mostly they are not.

Cheers..

[lvdkeyes]

I know what you are saying is true. Once I had spaghetti in a restaurant in Jomtien Complex. The owner came and asked if everything was OK. I said, "This sauce is very sweet." He got defensive and said, "Well, that's how Thais like it." I couldn't resist asking, "How many Thais do you see eating here alone?" He just walked away. I never went back and they ultimately closed.

But, I still think it is a good thing to tell them when something is wrong. If they get defensive and don't fix the problem, they will also end up out of business.

[Gaybutton]

I still think it is a good thing to tell them when something is wrong.

I agree. I don't think you're doing the owner any favors by not letting him know about a problem. I've had owners get very defensive, make excuses, or even get angry. I've also had owners thank me for telling them, compensate by offering a drink, a dessert, or even reducing the bill or foregoing the bill at all. Guess which restaurants I'll return to.

I don't know why some owners respond in a way that causes them to lose customers. Even if the customer is rude about his complaint or even if the owner has no intention of doing anything about it, to my mind only an idiot would do anything other than at least thanking the customer for telling him. While I realize that restaurant owners often have to put up with frivolous or ridiculous complaints, that's part of being a restaurant owner. If you own a restaurant, sometimes you're going to have that and you need to be prepared to handle it properly. I think most people who complain probably are complaining legitimately and with good intentions and with good reason.

I also think if the food and/or service was particularly good, you should also tell the owner.

[crabby]

I would always point out a problem, but not if that is simply the way they do things there. IE: I would not complain about the music level at a disco filled with twenty somethings. Complaining about something being too sweet, salty, or spicy, is difficult because everyone has different tastes. If something is spoiled, cold, or not as it was on a previous visit, I would always make an effort to point it out the the owner or manager. A good example of what I would not complain about would be the egg foo young in Pattaya, never what I expect, always terrible, but that is obviously the way most everybody else wants it: no gravy, basically just a Thai omelet. If it came out burned, I would complain.

[lvdkeyes]

Regarding food there is some standard of how it should be prepared. Too much salt can't be rectified, whereas, too little can. The same is true with sugar. Spiciness in Thailand is to be expected, so I would not complain about that. I wouldn't complain to an owner about egg foo yung either, but to say that is how most people prefer it is questionable. The place that made the worst, IMHO, egg foo yung has now closed, probably not for that dish alone.