I'll admit, when I think of restaurants, it's the quality of the food that I think of first. I mean, why else eat? The food has to be good. But often, an overlooked aspect of the restaurant is the people involved.
I'm just as guilty as the next person in that I don't always take this into consideration, but sometimes, it's too much to ignore. I'll give you both a good and a bad example of what I mean.
We'll start with the bad. A burger place that shall not be named went from the top of my list to the bottom. The reason? Mainly, the people. I used to love the place for many reasons, but I always felt welcome when I went there. I'd sit, chat away with the owner and the folks running the place for the day. I just felt like I was at home! The place has since sold, and that whole vibe went away, and it went away fast. They still try, but it's forced. Just wasn't right! For the record, the food went downhill too, but it was more the people.
On the good side of things, I'll give you a specific example: Cafe Europa over on Howe. The owner is among the nicest guys I've met around here. Extremely personable and easy to talk to. Heck, every time I've come in there, I end up in a genuine conversation. Today, we talked a bit about sales positions and (surprise!) insurance. You cannot fake the type of enthusiasm he puts into the day-to-day dealings with customers. Would it make the restaurant a winner if the food wasn't good? No, but the food IS good. My chicken gyro that I had for lunch today hit the spot! It all adds up to a great experience.
Not convinced? Give the place a try. Find out more information about Cafe Europa here: http://cafeeuropasacramento.wordpress.com/
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