Introduction

There’s not too many things that I take as seriously as lunch. It’s a time to relieve stress from the morning, fill the tanks and get ready for a busy afternoon. You may ask yourself, well, what is a good lunch? Let me tell you because I really don’t think you know. A good lunch is measured against a few important criteria
quality of food – just about any type of food, provided that it is prepared well, will meet the quality of food standard. This category is the most heavily scrutinized and where the dreaded blackball is more frequently meted out.
service – every one talks about service but let’s be honest. Unless it really stinks, does it matter if they memorized your order or wrote it down? (This particular practice is one that can also yield a blackball if the memorization bit doesn’t work out. Write it down, please.)
price – so I’ll admit to feeling more like a tightwad during one week than others so, hmmm not sure if I can turn loose a blackball here but it will definitely steer me away if the price is too high.
cleanliness – I suppose you could argue this category is a subset of quality but I think not. If the place isn’t clean, bam! immediate blackball. No soap in the restroom? That’s right, blackball.
menu – So once again, they need to be offering something besides bar food or a painfully limited menu (5 Guys, might as well call it 3 Things). Salads, iced tea, soups, hey am I asking too much?
atmosphere – rarely comes into play but when it does, it can be painful and will warrant a discussion with the manager and failing a correction -- blackball

Enough already about the criteria, let’s briefly touch on the rating system. It’s quite simple really. If a restaurant fails miserably in any one or more categories, it is blackballed and I will not visit it again unless there is a change in ownership or formal apology to me. A restaurant can go on probation which is to say that they have screwed up badly and within the next 6 months or so, they must improve in that particular area or that’s right, blackball, absent an apology letter. A provisional blackball may also be issued if, for example, there is something that just doesn’t look right to me without the firsthand dining experience. For all the JV players out there, this is what I mean. A true sniff test of a restaurant and a practice which I employ for first time dining experiences is a perusal of the trash area. If it stinks, it stinks. Then, I move on to the front signage and overall upkeep. Hey if you can’t keep it together on the outside, the inside must be a wreck. Then, I check the patronage to see if it has an appropriate level of traffic and the quality of its patronage, e.g., lawyers usually have a good nose for lunch spots but they are too spendy; construction workers are the opposite. Lastly, a check of the menu is in order to review the selections.

The Reviews – I will keep this updated and while I appreciate input, your opinion is well, not really relevant here as I am telling you what it should be.