Comments on Pacific Grill - Talk with the Chef: Circus

It sounds similar to a hospital Emergency Room! (...

2009-05-24T21:58:20.516-07:00

It sounds similar to a hospital Emergency Room! (In addition to being a chef worshiper, I am also an ER nurse). When times are slow and the evening is late, they go down to one physician and start sending nurses home. Sometimes it works, often times it doesn't and swarms of people come in. Great post and I actually prefer to have a reservation to avoid long waiting times. The problem arises though, with restaurants that do not allow reservations, which I've never understood. It seems to be a lame attempt to be "hip" and "edgy".

Thanks Anonymous --when I write this blog ...

2009-04-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks Anonymous --when I write this blog I enjoy lifting the curtain to give the dining public a peak behind the scenes. You took from my piece exactly what I was hoping for--

I appreciate you letting me know. Thanks.

Thanks intacoma for your comment. I don'...

2009-04-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks intacoma for your comment. I don't think we will see that much bounce from former Sea Grill customers--number one because they weren't that busy--or they would still be in business. And number two--we wouldn't get all of those customers by default anyway. Certainly we will get some--but some will go to Gaucho. Some to Merende & Maxwell's. Some to Primo & Asado etc...

As for big events yes we learned a lesson. When Celine Dion performed at the Dome we saw a crush of customers--but far more of them made reservations. When we only got 27 from Britney--we assumed they weren't our customer base.

And I want to reiterate--I appreciate "walk-in" business. I dine spur-of-the-moment sometimes too. I really just want to shine a light on what happens behind the scenes, and why making a reservation is not just about guaranteeing you a seat at a certain time.

Thanks for your input.

Although I consider myself a fairly sophisticated ...

2009-04-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

Although I consider myself a fairly sophisticated diner, I always considered reservations were for my convenience so I wouldn't show up and there was no room. If I knew from experience it's usually not a problem getting in, I figured calling would just waste someone's time. I never considered it from the flip side. Thanks for pointing this out.

sounds like you learned a lesson though, keep an e...

2009-04-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

sounds like you learned a lesson though, keep an eye on big events like this going on at the dome and staff up. Since seagrill isnt around you should expect more of this during events like this. Best of luck I understand though, I'll make a reservation if I ever come in
thanks!