The Pink Bicycle: Bicycle Built for Two…or a Party of Eight

It had been a while since I’d gone out with a particular group of good friends.  We usually do the “nesting night” of dinner party and booze.  Always a good time but we wanted to mix it up.  Solution – comedy night and burgers at the Pink Bicycle.  I’d been a few times but never to actually sit in and enjoy the experience.  It usually consisted of a whirlwind lunch of bad digestion and work gossip.  (You know who you are).  So, having said that, it was time to do it right, so dinner with friends it was.

The Order:
We made reservations for 6pm and were let known ahead of time that if we didn’t get there by 6:10, they were pulling our tables apart.  Completely understandable as it’s a small place and they need the tables.  Why should they respect our wishes if we don’t meet our commitments?

Our party of eight were served by one waitress with the support of others.  It’s a small restaurant so though they seem to have sections, there is a lot of teamwork.  The bison burger and truffle fries I had were fantastic.  (contrary to the opinion on truffles held by my buddy Dave…booooo Dave).  We were there a good hour and a half, enjoying the food and the experience.

The Service:
Simply put – great.  Our waitress, who never told us her name and I’m really OK with that, was attentive, courteous, personable, and always available.  She wasn’t the only one who helped us but we certainly knew she was ours.  Quality checks were taken a third of the way through the meal and she even stopped to talk…but not enough to be annoying.  When we wanted our bill, she was there.  Even when we didn’t tell her we wanted separate checks until the end.

I can’t think of any instance where I could complain about anything. And when does that happen?

The Conclusion:
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major. The food was fantastic but it’s the service that will make me put a hockey card in the spokes of my Pink Bicycle (see what I did there?…it’s a good thing).

Service Rating System:

Friend Zone – I just don’t like you in “that way.”
Booty Call – If I don’t have anything else better going on, I’ll stop by.
2^nd Date – I’ll give you a second chance.
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major.

The Tip:
Servers.  Do not tell me your life story.  The sign of any good server is their ability to “read” their tables.  Do they want to be disturbed?  Are they looking for a buddy?  Or a transporter of food?  Or a punching bag?  (yep, you have to play that part sometimes too…within reason).The problem comes when a server won’t leave and feels the need to give too much detail about a life their table could really care less about.  And they really could care less than that.

I once worked with a server who was trying to get the attention of a group of girls that weren’t even in his section.  His solution?  Talk loudly to a nearby table so the targeted estrogen would swoon through eavesdropping.  This idiot was offending two tables.  Impressive AND pathetic.

Servers – default to minimal personality and through time you’ll learn when to turn it down or up to eleven.