Beach front restaurants abroad

[Ayez beera]

Imagine, walking along the beach front, every restaurant has the same location (next to the sea), all the restaurants have a local outside, pestering you to come in.

What would make you decide to go in to try?

What would make you go back again?

What would make you leave?

What level of service would you expect?

Thanks in advance.

[pugwash4x4]

Ayez beera said:

Imagine, walking along the beach front, every restaurant has the same location (next to the sea), all the restaurants have a local outside, pestering you to come in.

What would make you decide to go in to try?

What would make you go back again?

What would make you leave?

What level of service would you expect?

Thanks in advance.

Difficult one-

The general "ambiance" of the restaurant- ie the quality of the fittings, the music, how the staff were dressed (ie neat, similar uniforms etc).

If all the restaurants have "welcomers" then i would choose the one that treated me with respect, not being too pushy, asked my permission to approach, whether we were looking for food, and told me exactly what sort of food the restaurant specialised in, and then let me make my mind up.

would go back again if the food reflected the restaurant aims- ie high prices should be excellent food, beach shack should be simple but very fresh etc

Would leave if the staff were pushy for money, but incapable of providing attentive service without just seeing us as a comodity.

[dan5oclocksmith]

All the "welcomers" do for me is put me off somewhere - I've never gone into a restaurant on the grounds of the staff telling me how good it is.

The menu, the ambience and the price are the drivers. If they're decent then I'll overlook someone pushing me through the door. Unless he's a , obviously.

[Melman Giraffe]

I would avoid those types of establishments. I tend to head to where the locals go. Any restaurant with someone standing outside begging for custom is a big no no for me!

[Caulkhead]

I'd pick the one with brown sauce on the tables in bottles, not sachets. . . . . .

[rpguk]

In my opinion a 'welcomer' denies me the the right to look over the menu at my own pace and marks a place out as tacky and touristy. Other cultures might view them differently of course so it depends on who your target audience is.

I live right by an area packed with such restaurants and can honestly say I've never been into one of them. I've been into most of the other local places though - the busiest places simply rely on good food/ambiance and word of mouth. Note word of mouth might not have been such a consideration with tourists previously, but now with online reviews so popular it really does!

[BarnatosGhost]

At your hotel ask the porter, waiter or maid where they eat. (Don't ask the concierge or your taxi driver).

[Ayez beera]

I'm with the majority here, I hate the meet and greet people, especially the really pushy ones. I would probably avoid the restaurant out of spite.

What sort of atmosphere is attractive for a restaurant. Chilled, busy etc... What sort of music would you want to listen to, live music, a chillout mix, local, pop??

[Targarama]

I'm only a fan of the less pushy types, the ones who seat you and keep an extra eye on your/the table's needs when the waiter may have missed something. Also IMO, greeters only work if they are very attractive young types. Either male or female. No point in a middle aged eastern European looking chap standing out front, it just scares people away.

[Dino D]

The one that has customers, preferably locals who know the place.

[louiebaby]

I think it all depends on where in the world it is. A lack of "greeters", clean and tidy seating area and being quite busy, especial with local looking people all help.

The menu should be of reasonable physical size so maybe 6 people could look at it at once, but have a reasonably concise set of choices. (I often think that a good chef could cook about 6 - 8 really good dishes, really well on any given day. If he has to try to do 40 different dishes, the ingredients won't be very fresh, and quality will suffer.)

[mattdaniels]

IME with those places its the same food cooked in the same kitchen across the road anyway.

[SC7]

The clean and stylish looking one without a mithering outside pestering me to go in.

I fking hate that.

[OdramaSwimLaden]

Look for the ones with the locals inside....!

On a similar example there's a very tatty Indian restaurant in Tooting. Big glass windows, scruffy tables and chairs with no table cloths. It's always full of Indians so we gave it a go one night. It was fking awful; ignore my post.

[Bing o]

On the beach in Thailand - inspect fresh tiger prawns on ice, order a kilo, sit on the carpet on the beach, order a bucket of sam-sam and wait for prawns to be served. Job done.

[XJSJohn]

Bing o said:

On the beach in Thailand - inspect fresh tiger prawns on ice, order a kilo, sit on the carpet on the beach, order a bucket of sam-sam and wait for prawns to be served. Job done.

you forgot to finish that off - wake up the next day with a hangover, sunburn and the screaming sts

Like other say though, hate the pushy tt trying to snag punters ... we have a pubing street here called Boat Quay that is full of these people, and the reason i have not been down there in years!

[AB]

I have never holidayed somewhere where the beach front restaurants have people trying to pull you in...

What sort of places do?

[mattdaniels]

Playa Del Chav.

[Bob the Planner]

Same as at home TBH. Good atmosphere, reasonably priced, good taste, respectful service. 16 footers or Sesames at Belmont work well for me. Oh, Bali Corner and Arrivederci in Newcatle - seem to go there once a month.

[prand]

AB said:

I have never holidayed somewhere where the beach front restaurants have people trying to pull you in...

What sort of places do?

I was wondering this too. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to be accused of being a snob, but I don't think I go to expensive/exclusive places on holiday. I've experienced this a bit on holiday in Thailand and but then they were touting for everything, not just restaurants.

Anyway - choosing a restaurant:
I don't like places with massive menus, makes me suspicious. I tend to avoid places abroad that serve fish 'n chips, full english breakfasts and Sunday roasts, and don't go to places that are empty.