Sunday, November 18, 2007
Usual oatmeal breakfast. Called Zuni (415-552-2522, 1658 Market Street, San Francisco, CA) to make reservations for the office holiday luncheon. The customer experience I had making this reservation was terrible and my eyes rolled so many times I got dizzy. First, last Friday, I visited their website—zunicafe.com—which is not really a website, only a placeholder home page. With as much money as you know Zuni is bringing in every day, you would think they could hire someone to build them a professional website. Come on, Zuni—your current "website" is from 1993! (Most especially the part that says, "The Zuni web site is currently under construction.") Online reservations link to OpenTable, which told me that Zuni does not accept reservations for parties of 8 online. It's not terribly clear on either Zuni's or OpenTable's website, but you can make reservations for parties of 8 (and presumably larger, but again it's unclear) if you call. I called last Friday afternoon asking to make reservations. The man who answered the phone hemmed and hawed about whether I could make the reservation or not because it was 2 days before 1 month before the day we wanted to eat and their policy is to only accept reservations 1 month in advance. He placed my call on hold and I waited. A minute or two later, a manager (I think his name was Joe) instructed me to call back on Sunday morning when they open at 10:00 AM to make my reservation—he would not take it right now. He also warned me that they typically get 30 calls within the first half hour for reservations. Some corporate talk track about "this keeps it fair for everyone." (I notice that the website says they open at 11:00 AM on Sunday but he said to call at 10:00 AM.) I wait until Sunday. At 10:00 AM exactly, I call. The recorded greeting says they are closed. I hang up and call back immediately. The recorded greeting says they are closed. I hang up and call back immediately several times over with the same result. I feel like I'm calling a radio station desperate to win the latest Icicle Works vinyl record or tickets to see Matchbox 20. I imagine rich people all over San Francisco trying to reach Zuni at this same moment except I'm at home and they're all driving somewhere downtown in their Porsche Cayennes looking for free parking close to Union Square and any Starbucks. I feel a connection with all the other people desperately trying to get in to Zuni, and it calms me. The recorded greeting says they are closed. I hang up and call back immediately. The recorded greeting says they are closed. I hang up and call back immediately. The line is busy. I hang up and call back immediately. The recorded greeting says they are closed. I hang up, wait a few seconds, then call back immediately. At 10:05 AM, a woman answers and asks me to hold. I'm on hold. I think for a few seconds that this isn't worth it and I can just hang up on her then make a reservation at Slanted Door just to spite them. Before I can do so, however, she returns. We talk a few minutes, I give my name and credit card number, and the reservation is made. In my opinion, no restaurant, Zuni included, is worth this much trouble. Zuni has a reputation for snobby customer service, and my experience today does not win them any points with me. Why would anyone who runs a restaurant choose to put their customers through such misery? Patrick and I drove to Ikea to pick up some supplies for Thanksgiving. Lunch at Ikea: open-faced shrimp and boiled egg sandwich, chicken fingers and french fries, hot water for me, lingonberry juice for Patrick. For dessert: almond cake. Before Ikea we stopped at JoAnn and I picked up some sewing supplies. And before that we stopped at the car parts store and I bought a replacement rear wiper. We picked up milk on the way home. I changed the rear wiper. It fits and works. Dinner at Chris and Nate's with Chris, Nate, Patrick, Phil, Danny, Drew: homemade lasagna, green salad, garlic bread, chocolate cake.