Jason Kessler, who writes The Nitpicker for Bon Appetit, warmed our heart after he was rudely dismissed by the host and manager of a "20-year-old spot" across from the Ferry Building that "had just lost its Michelin star." (We'll let you figure out which restaurant.) And then wrote about it.

In part, Kessler writes:

It all went wrong in one very specific moment: when the hosts, who couldn't find record of my reservation, decided to get management involved instead of working quickly to solve the problem and seat us. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue. Managers are (or at least should be) trained to deal with situations exactly like this. But apparently, the manager on duty this day hadn't received such training. I saw her storm up to the computer at the host stand and search around. I saw her take phone calls. I saw her angrily talk to the hosts. Never once did she address me directly as my date and I just stood there trying to figure out just what the heck was going on. After half an hour, she finally deigned to give us a table (of the many that were sitting empty). At that point, however, I didn't want to eat there. In fact, I don't ever want to eat there.

We should point out that, according to Kessler, he's no dick. "I never expect special treatment, and had I encountered this situation plenty of times before I ever embarked upon this delicious career," he writes. His point? Which is a good one, is that "[w]e're at a difficult place in the restaurant industry" where customers are made to feel lucky that they're even allowed in. Far worse, he points out, "restaurants are calling out no-shows on Twitter. They're forcing us to accept 'no substitutions' policies and buy tickets for dinner as if it's a sporting event."

Ahem.

Also, let's not forget about the rude treatment by some bartenders who refuse to pour vodka. That's a type of evil only the devil knows.

Kessler does go on to point out that, aside from one restaurant's glacial welcome, he had smashing times at SPQR, La Mar, and Foreign Cinema. Read the entire (excellent) piece at Bon Appetit.

[via Eater]