What Makes the Formula Magic?

By Danielle Lattuga, 3-27-08

We went out for a few drinks and some snacks the other night.  We went to a place that has consistently provided poor service since its opening, but I’ve applied the first year rule to it and keep giving it chances. 

Much to my pleasure, our waitress wasn’t half bad.  She was pretty efficient and funny too.  Best of all, she served me a really good glass of wine that was way bigger than the conventional pour—good for me, not so good for the proprietor. . .

This wasn’t the first occasion in which I have revisited a place with sub-par service. In fact, I don’t have a ton of opportunity to dine out, but I often go to the same places, regardless of how many times their service has irked me. I usually take great pleasure in giving them offensive nicknames like F____ Up Your Order (but I also manage to come up with little mocking nicknames for my favorite places too). 

Regardless, I’ve come to realize two very subjective things:

1) There are very few places in this town that provide the winning combination of good food, great service and atmosphere, so often, I settle for something that has one or two of the qualities, and resign to letting the lack of the third roll off my back.  Also, as much as I wish it weren’t the case, the level of cash flow in my life is a factor.

2) When it comes to service, I often look for the individual that has it dialed in, not the establishment.  Because honestly, I don’t believe that a lot of owners/managers have a true grasp of the subtle yet essential balance and interplay between the three aforementioned elements.  When they do, they end up with a great restaurant and a great, well-trained staff.

Turnover is part of this equation, and to a degree, something that is essentially unavoidable, especially in a college town. But you see places that have very little turnover, and there is a reason for that.  It’s not the luck of the cards, it’s a sign that someone knows what they are doing, and hopefully it is reflected further in the service and the quality of the food.  It’s probably even reflected in the atmosphere, in the form of energy, but the walls have to be able to hold that energy.

It’s about this formula in many ways, but even when someone has a winning formula or a good sense of how to execute it, they don’t necessarily hold the golden ticket.

In the wake of Missoula losing an innovative restaurant, 515, I can’t help but revisit this quandary, particularly when the loss is tinted with a vivid shade of irony: that of Paul Myers’ recent nomination for a prestigious James Beard award. I feel the loss for Paul, Carrie and Brae, and I feel regret that I didn’t spend more time with them in their vision, as do many who have expressed such. I wanted them to succeed for numerous reasons, not the least being their bold pioneering spirits.

I also feel the loss for Missoula, because supporting local talent is one thing that we tend to pride ourselves on, and it inevitably provides us with a reciprocity that keeps all parties aloft in a magical and unique way.

And that brings me to the question: In this funky progressive town, that holds its own Western revolutionary spirit in high regard, what is it that makes the residents support and sustain a local business? Or anywhere, for that matter?

Clearly I have my own theories, but I want my readers to share their own.

What are your favorite restaurants and why?  Who are your favorite servers and why? Tell me about them, whether they are here or elsewhere.  And maybe together we can shed a little more light on the magic formula.