Should you avoid fish on a Monday? Do the staff keep the service charge? And are places with long menus always terrible? Chefs and restaurateurs separate fact from fiction
The customer is always right
TRUE Fred Sirieix, former restaurant general manager turned reality TV star and author of Wine Uncorked, insists that this goes without saying: “Of course the customer is always right!” he says, adding a dismissive “Pffft” by way of Gallic emphasis. “Customers pay for all our livelihoods, so restaurants should bend over backwards to give them what they want … or at least give the impression that they’re doing so.” After all, the aim is to make them feel so welcome that they come back: “You know you’ve done your job well when a guest books a return visit as they’re heading out of the door.”