I really liked Shade, but I do think there were a couple of missed opportunities. Nothing that will keep my wife and I from returning, but my wife and I are yearning to find a new "spot." As I pointed out in an earlier post, we are searching for new places. Our old favorite, when we were in the med center, was Prego, in the village. But, since moving, it is too far to drive regularly and so we have felt homeless on the restaurant front.
In their mission statement, owners of Shade, Claire Smith and Russell Murrell state:
Our goal at
Shade is to provide a comfortable establishment where customers
consider themselves “regulars”. With your support, we hope that Shade
will become a new dining destination for friends and neighbors as well
as an attraction for new visitors to the Heights.
I bring this up because it incorporates one of my own tenets. That service is about relationships. And good service is about strong relationships. But, we left Shade as strangers, just as we arrived.
My wife and I had a great dinner and spent, with wine and drinks, $65 per person, and tipped 20% on top.
The server might have introduced herself. She might have been interested in meeting us after she collected the checkbook and saw her gratuity. She might have welcomed us back to her station.
The wine steward might have recognized our wine selection, being it was a new addition to the list, according to the server, and also a white meritage, an unusual selection. He might have asked us our impressions or how we heard about it.
Either could have reached out to start a relationship, but those, on this night, were missed opportunities.
Maybe next time.
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