Goodbye food porn, hello restaurant voyeurism

If one were to ask me a few years ago, occupational hazards would've usually been a rather predictable list of long hours, no life, strenuous and stressful work, cuts, burns and backaches. Some stray complaints and staff issues thrown in for good measure too, but nothing out of place for a chef really. Little had I imagined that social media and its incessant and perpetual rants would have topped the list for a completely new genre of e-stress.

Besides the innumerable "Foodie" groups on Facebook and breakaway foodie groups, there are also secret groups, groups who are genuinely food lovers (clearly implicating the larger ones of being unsatisfactory at some level or the other, and not without reason I may add) and then the food clubs.

Then of course there is Twitter, Zomato, Burrp and most interestingly, an app called secret.ly. The latter I have come to the conclusion is a host of people who don't like restaurants or food of people they may know, can't criticise them publicly, and so use an anonymous platform for the same.

Some of the restaurant listing/review blogs are so harsh and unaudited, that I've even heard restaurateurs lament that they're afraid of logging on, because they're petrified of what lurks within.

I can relate to their paranoia, since I do share some of it. What I find most disconcerting is when a restaurant often gets bashed on a foodie group aided sometimes by the so called founder/administrator of the said group - turning quickly and within minutes into a lynch mob.

So much so, that if the establishment in question does on occasion try and present their own version of events, for what may have been a shortfall in food, service, attitude etc, they're dealt with the type of severity I wish our judicial system would adopt for all the vermin that is allowed to flourish unabated.

This has resulted in many restaurants posting unconditional apologies even aided with a little self loathing almost immediately. The online blood bath gets abated! The mob is happy and the 75 likes below the apology means things are kosher.

I've noticed lately some five star hotels have their executive chefs write apologies on Zomato if there was a food complaint and the general manager if there was a service issue. A new restaurant in Delhi also uses this strategy on Facebook groups.

Food, and restaurants are catalysts, especially online, and it almost seems like everyone has a strong opinion and even stronger voice when it comes to this subject because it's so damn tangible. Being an expert in this field really takes a claim of being an expert, and if you're fortunate enough to have a following of any number, the credentials are reinforced. Classic lines of "I've travelled the world and know my food" are written indiscriminately, yet meaningful commentary is becoming rare.

The only exception that I personally have with this is that while finding a voice is great, using it responsibly is ace. I'm possibly from the old school of thought where complaints should be dealt with swiftly and on the spot. If a plate of food comes back half-eaten, probe the customer for the reason and replace it if there is indeed a problem.

I used to use a line which always worked and the customer was a happy camper "we can't let you leave the restaurant hungry, please have this replacement dish on us" - both the dishes would be voided from the bill, and sometimes a dessert or a liqueur would be given on the house, too. Problems were dealt with like problems should be - offline.

Not long ago, when I opened the first Monkey Bar in Bangalore, I received a message on my FB inbox from a lady, who felt that since she sort of knew me. She decided to tell me about the issue of cigarette smoke seeping into the dining area, instead of posting it on a then popular foodie group. I thanked her for her decision and asked if she had flagged it down with a manager? No she had not. I assured her that I would look into it, and I did.

It became apparent through many such episodes that being a part of an online portal that discusses food and restaurants need to have one participate in some form or the other, posting something because something had to be posted. Are people too afraid or awkward to complain if something doesn't feel right? Goodbye food porn, hello restaurant voyeurism.

Restaurants are rather imperfect operations, and there are always incidents and episodes that are far from acceptable. Much like how the vote decides which way the country heads, constant and live feedback has the potential to save what maybe a less than satisfactory experience in a restaurant. Gathering up unpleasantness as ammo to then vent to a bunch of folks is plain odd.

There are of course enough and more great reviews, positive feedbacks, words of encouragement, discussions on great menus and operations that also feature prominently online. However as a paying customer, it is one's right to have a great time and make whatever polite noises are necessary to get one. Every issue can be escalated within the establishment and more often than not a solution and a good experience found at the end. One may still leave unhappy, and by all means that should be expressed. But the prevailing ethos in many such spaces isn't such, and that is unfortunate. What is even more tragic is that these things are read quite a bit, and sometimes so little of what is said is nice.

A customer can often help an establishment make itself better, through dialogue and feedback. Restaurants depend on repeat clientele, irrespective of how large a city maybe, and the chances that they want you to be friends with them are high. Restaurants that disregard this shall perish, they will!

So instead of the e-space being the cause of angst for chefs and restaurateurs in a market where fresh ideas are still so nascent and few, a little nudge in the positive direction would be a fabulous step. So before posting that next review, think a little, the next plate of food you have somewhere may just taste a little better for your efforts.