What I can say with some authority is that I can comment on the service provided to me at the establishments I review. I have been to restaurants all over the world; some were 3-star Michelin fine dining restaurants in Europe, others were street stalls or cafés in Cuba.

Eighteen years of work, being trained in, and even training in the service industry, I would say, gives me some authority on the matter. On that point, I can happily say that my experience as a diner is even longer and I have experienced extremes in services, from haughty waiting staff because of the establishments that they work in, to owners who serve you and are so happy to see you that you feel that you have just entered your own dining room! Yes, service is one aspect that I can write about.

My experiences here in the Philippines, I am sorry to say, have fallen short of good service standards. The food is prepared well; the flavors were subtle where they needed to be so, and at other times robust when it was necessary for the dish to be full of flavor. Here, I tip my hat to the chefs.

I also found pleasant to be greeted and bidden farewell courteously when I enter and leave the restaurants, but everyone can get the same service in McDonalds! I have found that I get a better "up sell" from the McDonalds staff than the numerous restaurants I have been to since my return to the country.

When haven’t you gone in to buy a burger and not been asked if you wanted fries or a drink with your order? Why don’t restaurants do that here? Of course, I may not want fries with my pasta, then again you never know. I may not want a soda, but surely, if the restaurant has a wine list, the waiting staff could offer me the wine list, whether with or without their recommendation of wines for the food that I order. This way, the waiting staff offers the client the restaurant’s full service.

Let me give you two examples, in each case, there were only two of us dining. In one instance, we spent close to Php 5000; but in both instances, I had to ask for the wine list. I won’t give you the restaurants’ names due to certain restrictions.

During our expensive dinner, we started with cocktails. When our cocktails arrived, I asked for the wine list. Well, the wine list only arrived after I asked for it twice; even then, this only arrived half way through our main course, after we’ve had our entrées already! Let me say that although this place had two function rooms, neither was in use, and the main room was only a quarter full, if that.

On the other occasion, yes, we still had to ask for the wine list, but on asking the waiter for an assessment of the variety of grapes, which I was not familiar with, he had no idea what to say as he had never tried it, nor had anyone else in the front staff. Of the Php 3000 we paid, half of it went to a bottle of wine. Why? At least in this instance, the waiter was prompt, honest enough to admit that he hadn’t tried the wine, courteous enough to try and find someone who did—which of course no one had—and for that, I asked for a bottle anyway.

In the realm of customer service, or anywhere, unless you ask, you will never know the answer. If you do ask, the worst answer that you can get is a no!

In both instances, although they had a wine list, why didn’t they offer this to me? Who are they hurting?

Well, one would be the chef, whose dish could be enhanced with a well-chosen wine, such as a pinot with roast duck; the diner is not given the chance to enjoy this pleasure.

Secondly, the customer, the all-important factor in a restaurant. Do places here choose whom to offer the wine list to? I noticed, though, that the wine list was offered to a Caucasian diner at one establishment; it was not, however, offered to me, nor did I notice or hear it being offered to other Filipino customers. Please, don’t insult us, your customers, that way.

I also notice that most fine dining restaurants here add a ten percent surcharge on their bill. Because they do not offer their wine lists, should I only pay seven percent? They’re obviously not offering us their full services, so why should I pay the full surcharge in addition to having to leave an additional tip for the waiting staff?

The third group being hurt here are the restaurant owners. The cost to carry a stock of wine can be quite an investment. In most cases, if it isn’t offered, you can’t sell it. Customers, unless prompted, will not ask (especially Filipinos, in my experience). Therefore, the stock will not be sold. This could mean a lost sale of anywhere from a bottle of Novelino to a Chateau Margot! In other words, a day’s pay to a year’s pay for a staff member.

So please, if you are part of the waiting staff, don’t forget something as simple as offering your full complement of goods and services available to the customer. It’s like offering only half your menu to the patron. It doesn’t make sense.

Owners, please ensure that your staff provides your clientele the full services that your restaurant can offer. This can only make your customers’ dining experience that much more enjoyable. You then get the extra sales and, in some instances, your customers’ return patronage—if not for the food, then for the wine that you offer.