Restaurant Greeters

When you find a row of restaurants here in the Philippines you usually find several people standing out front, menu in hands, trying to convince you to pick their restaurant over the others. I use the word convince very lightly. They generally don't seem as interested as they should be about getting you inside. This is their job after all so I don't understand why most of them seem to be so bored doing it. To help to understand what it's like think of it this way: you're in a mall and there are 10 restaurants in a row all offering either similar things or completely different things from various countries. What they offer is unimportant, it's all down to being a good salesman and convincing you, the possible customer, that the restaurant they represent is the only choice for you. That's what it's about - or at least - that's what it should be about. But here in the Philippines this particular job seems to have a different requirement. It's not about advertising. And it's certainly not about convincing. It seems the only job requirement is to be slightly informative and only slightly interested in talking to you. Let me explain: you walk by this row of 10 restaurants and each greeter takes one small step closer to you, raises the menu only slightly higher in your direction, and says the following words, "_____food Sir." The blank represents the style of food in the restaurant. "Italian food Sir," "Japanese food Sir," "Chinese Food Sir," "Thai food Sir," "Filipino food Sir..." But this is all fine and dandy, I can already see the type of the food the restaurant offers even before the greeter greets me. So how is saying, "Japanese food Sir" suppose to convince me that this is my best restaurant choice? Especially considering that there might be 5 Japanese restaurants all in a row. Each greeter only saying, "Japanese food Sir." And when I ask if the food is good, the only reply I get is, "Japanese food good Sir." Yes, I know Japanese food is good but is yours good? I never seem to get an answer. It gets really funny when you're approached by a greeter that represents a restaurant that has a wide range of international dishes on their menu. Rather than saying, "Japanese food Sir" you will get either a bored, "food Sir," or just them telling you the name of the restaurant. If I was to ask them what sort of food they offer I would get a, "many foods Sir." So I start looking through the menu and reading it under my breath saying things like, "Oh, I see pasta, I see sandwiches, I see pizzas...," followed by a bored reply by the greeter of, "Yes, pasta Sir, sandwiches Sir, pizzas Sir..." So far, during my life here, I've never, ever, been approached by a greeter who really convinced me their restaurant was the only one for me. It's always overly polite and bored sounding greetings that never, ever, describe the food.

On the other side of the world in Mexico these restaurant greeters really work for your business. They will not take no for an answer. They will run up to you, menu in hand, and say things like, 'best burritos in Mexico, sexy waitresses, the most fun you will have EVER for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. THESE ARE LIFE CHANGING BURRITOS!!!" If you try to walk away they will chase after you. "WE WILL COOK YOU ANYTHING!! ANYTHING!! OUR WAITRESSES WILL SERVE YOU FOOD IN THE NUDE. OUR RESTAURANT IS THE BEST PLEASE BE OUR COSTUMER!!

Quite a difference eh? Like night and day! Either Mexicans are better salesmen or Filipinos are just more polite people? I actually don't like either of these techniques. One isn't aggressive enough, and the other is too aggressive. Is it so hard to have a greeter who sits happily in the middle?