San Antonio Dining

The basics really matter to customers

Restaurateurs: Listen up. Customers know — and you should, too — that little things make a big difference in a dining experience.

Take, for example, something as basic as iced tea. In a city as hot as San Antonio, where tea is downed by the bucket load (literally), diners expect tea to be clear, well-iced and freshly made.

So imagine the shock when you're served a glass of instant tea, so murky and flat you can almost taste the dried granules from which it's made.

On a recent restaurant review in which things were otherwise quite good, we were served instant tea. What, we wondered, would make a restaurateur so lower standards on something so basic, when so much thought obviously went into other parts of the menu?

It's a simple thing to fix, something a restaurant could do easily and inexpensively and be much improved by the change. Here are 10 more quick fixes that would make dining out more pleasant.

Sturdier napkins

The messier the food the Taste team orders, the smaller the napkins we seem to get.

So, instead of one thin napkin, we have to reach for 10 to do the job. I can't imagine that really saves a restaurant that much money. Cheaping out on napkins shows a lack of concern for customers' dining comfort.

And, while we're on the subject of sturdiness: Really, restaurateurs? You honestly think a thin plastic knife and fork are going to cut a sausage link? Have you ever tried it yourselves?

While metal flatware is preferable, plastic can substitute, but, as with the napkins, this isn't the place to go as cheap. Flimsy flatware says a lot about your business, and what it's saying isn't good.

Real ranch dressing

Any restaurant that thinks there's no difference between bottled ranch and the real stuff made with mayonnaise and buttermilk simply hasn't tasted classic ranch dressing.

Having said that, it's shocking how seldom we get homemade ranch (which, incidentally, restaurateurs, is so addictive it's practically guaranteed to bring customers back). Just how long does it take to whisk together homemade or purchased dry ranch mix, mayonnaise and buttermilk? It might be the smartest five minutes you could spend.

Temperature control

You'd think this would be obvious, but countless times we get food served warm that should be hot (think tepid soup, lukewarm fries) and food semi-frozen that should be lightly chilled or at room temperature (think cheesecake, layered cake).

Apt ways to find, dish on restaurants - San Antonio Express-News

According to Nielsen numbers, 55 percent of cellphone users who bought a new phone in the past three months purchased a smartphone. And you can bet your apps that many of these new users are choosing where to eat using their smartphones.

When it comes to navigating the world of foodie-friendly apps, Yelp finds it's good to have someone on the user's side. You can't really call Krys Theilen an event planner. Mediator seems more appropriate, but that's a bit too stuffy.

As Yelp's community manager for San Antonio, Theilen spends her days checking in, meeting with business and restaurant owners and attending an array of Yelp-hosted or Yelper-created events. Yes, Theilen has a pretty sweet setup. Former art director for Garcia Art Glass, Theilen found her job while on Yelp.

“I'd been using the app for so long as a resource,” she says. “I went to the website and it was there. I thought, ‘That is me.'” Having just marked a year and a half as community manager, Theilen, or Captain, as she's known to her Yelpers, emphasizes how much she's learned about San Antonio.

“I loved this city before I had this job, but being in the position to find what is hyper local, beyond what I thought was hyper local ... we live in the coolest city,” Theilen says. “I can't imagine being anywhere else.”

So whether trying to find the best pork belly or most chill place to grab a beer, following are some apps to help.

Frommer's San Antonio and Austin

Frommer's San Antonio & Austin Day by Day, 1st Edition

Frommer's San Antonio & Austin

A Marmac Guide to San Antonio

The Rotarian