A Food Coma

A Cautionary Tale

This is a short story of a very unfortunate lunch.

A day trip to London with a group of international students started off beautifully, visiting landmarks like Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus and Buckingham Palace. After hours of snapping photos and gasping at one beautiful monument after another, I was ravenous and ready to tuck in.

When dining with a group, it’s always difficult to please everyone. If one craves a good Indian curry, another wants pizza. At the insistence of the most outspoken guest, we ate at chain restaurant called Wagamama, which serves pan-Asian food and udon noodles.

To be frank, it was a horrible choice.

The atmosphere was something like being in a school cafeteria, with long benches and tables and very little decoration. As expected, the food was unremarkable and horrifically overpriced. Servers wove in and out with disinterest. Please tell me, where are the nearest exits?

The bill came with another unexpected shock; they charged us £3.5 each for water, which converts to about $16 in total. Absurd.

It was a silly mistake, and an expensive one, but not the end of the world. We cut our losses and continued exploring. I bought ice cream at a street cart and vowed to write a budget when I returned to my flat. Even with the worst experience, it’s best not to dwell in the negative.

There are some easy ways to avoid disasters when dining out, whether abroad or in Glassboro. As a former waitress and Restaurant Week junkie, here are some of my tips:

1. The difference between a satisfactory experience and an extraordinary one lies in planning ahead. Ask friends for their recommendations. If you can, call to ask the maître d’ for information. Don’t be afraid of sounding nosy or asking too many questions. Find out if they have specials during the week, discounted early-bird menus or a happy hour – you can save a few bucks.

2. Do some research. If you’ve found a place you fancy, look for critic’s restaurant reviews and relevant posts on food blogs. That way you’ll get a more well-rounded opinion from the professional and the everyman.

3. Also check out Yelp or Urban Spoon, which feature user-generated reviews of restaurants and nightlife in major cities across the nation. However, it’s best to listen to posts with more responses – say, 15 ratings as opposed to three – to get a better overall picture.

4. Restaurant.com sells gift certificates for far less than the face value, which can then be redeemed at various eateries. For example, I could buy a $50 card for McFadden’s in Philadelphia for just $20. Just be sure to read the fine print, because some deals come with conditions.

5. Always ask for prices if they aren’t listed or seem confusing. It seems simple enough, but our $16 water mistake happened because we didn’t ask. Similarly, I once paid $40 for a glass of wine in New York, mistaking the page number (6) for the price. Oops.

6. Restaurant Week packages are a fantastic value for students. You can typically get a fabulous three-course meal for about $20-30. I take advantage of this very often for date night and use it as a chance to visit exclusive restaurants we wouldn’t normally be able to afford.

7. Honestly, at most places, it’s best to just skip the booze. Restaurants kick up the prices on alcohol in order to make a profit and pay for their liquor licenses and that can make for a very pricey bill. If you really must indulge, ask if there are any specials or stick to one drink with your meal. I usually just go for water (don’t forget to say “tap is fine”) and save my money for a bottle of wine at home or cappuccinos after dinner.

8. Ask the staff! Any waiter worth their salt will steer diners to the better dishes, not just the more expensive ones. Waiters are not mind readers though, so rather than asking “what will I like?,” ask questions such as: What’s the best value for my money? Am I ordering enough/too much food? How exactly is this prepared? Do you recommend a specific dish? What is this restaurant’s specialty? What is most popular?

9. Ask for a menu immediately upon entering the restaurant. If you don’t like the offerings or feel uncomfortable with pricing, leave! You don’t have to feel obligated to eat somewhere. When eating with a group, your opinion needs to be heard, or else you might end up being the only miserable vegetarian at the steakhouse. Or carnivore at the vegan commune. You get the idea.

10. In the end, remember that it’s just dinner. If it doesn’t work out, go get some ice cream and look for better fortune next time.

Good luck and happy dining!