Chicago Tribune writer Kevin Pang has posted a photo of an instruction sheet he found in a restaurant kitchen describing how to identify food critics, media & bloggers, as well as a protocol for serving them, and a list of major critics. A few of their tips for spotting a critic:
- Guests who ask an unusual amount of questions.
- Guests who give their “full undivided attention” to the server.
- Michelin Inspectors are required to finish all of the food on their plate!
The protocol for when you spot a critic:
- Remain calm
- Don’t gossip
- “Under no circumstances should we reveal that we know their real identity”
- “There will be 1 server, 1 busser, 1 food runner, and 1 manager designated to the table. No one else is to touch that table…”
In this same kitchen are mugshots of local food journalists and bloggers, as if it was a wall of wanted fugitives at the post office. You can read the entire story, and check out the photos here.
PDX2FLR says
True true…..seen it with my own eyes more than once with our own illustrious Karen Brooks dining out. Such a flurry of attention, embarrassing to watch.
Makes me appreciate the unbiased reviews I read on this site.
Being truly interested in what you’re ordering and where your food comes from doesn’t have to be an episode from Portlandia nor does one have to be a food critic. Maybe next time I’ll dine alone, bring a pencil and pad just to shake things up.