I have to admit to not reading every reply on here, (but enough to know that I did NOT want to read every reply on here), so if I am repeating what someone else has said, forgive me, but my take:
I eat at a lot of mom and pops and not many haute cuisines at all. My standards would be different for each.
At my usual mom and pops there is typically a large turnover of waitstaff. I don’t expect much expertise from teens or twenty-somethings when it comes to the prep but I’ll often ask what they like, what looks good, what sells a lot, what’s on tap, etc.
I don’t expect them to know the detailed ingredient list of a dish, or the difference between a compote and a confit. I just don’t.
At a high end place however, (or even a moderately priced “chef-driven” restaurant), I expect each service shift to begin with a staff meeting and exactly that kind of detail. I expect that staff to be more professionally prepared. See my review of Bramble in Houston for example.
The expectations are different. Apples and oranges.
P.S. Let’s eat!
