Take The Social as an example. Their original location on South 2nd Street led itself to a quiet intimacy that brought with it great food, great service, and overall great quality, and you could oftentimes catch Kevin himself behind the bar cooking your meal. When The Social expanded to its new, four-times the size location at 170 S. 1st St., it begged the question: would the new location retain all the special qualities that made it near and dear to the regular’s hearts? My observation is that it didn’t, and while The Social is still a viable dining and cocktailing destination, it no longer makes my short list of the best places in Milwaukee to go. Service and food quality dropped a notch, and with it my love for The Social did, too.
A recent visit to Sobelman’s left me with the same sinking feeling in my heart. An expanded kitchen upstairs leaves the grill behind the bar naked and unattended, and among the TVs lies the new burgercam, where you can watch the burgers being cooked in the upstairs kitchen to order. Likely a much more efficient kitchen will help Dave and Melanie keep up with the constant demand for what is, undoubtedly, one of Milwaukee’s best burgers, although now, with the appearance of the burgercam, I know that they use pre-made patties separated by butcher paper.
*sigh*
It’s just something I never wanted to know. And, by the time they appeared with a small basket of complimentary chocolate chip cookies, (something new they are trying) we were ready to head out the door. We’ll be back for the burgers and bloodies, but not with the same warm feelings we held for this place before when we saw Dave and company slaving over the open grill behind the bar. It just doesn’t seem like home anymore.
Just about all of us have La Fuente stories from way back when, when an hour wait leant itself to a small table in the tiny pink dining room. I may be dating myself, but I’m sure many newly turned legal margarita drinkers would be shocked to think La Fuente wasn’t always two stories and five rooms large, with one of the best patios in the city. And while food at La Fuente is consistent, it comes out nearly drive-thru fast which makes one beg the question if mass production can still hold authenticity to a high standard. And yet, on a hot summer Milwaukee day on the patio, I wouldn’t turn away a No. 5 with chicken and a regular margarita on the rocks.
Perhaps a more important question is not whether these expansions are good or bad, but what we as consumers feel about them. People are by nature averse to change, but not all change is good, either. Does me wanting The Social to reclaim its intimacy make me spoiled? Or does it make me a discerning consumer? And if I say nothing about my desire for Sobelman’s to keep their amazing burgers a little more secret, does that make me part of the disappointment?
Are some restaurants in Milwaukee mediocre because they can be? Because we, as consumers, lower our standards? I read lots of comments on my review talkbacks about how Milwaukee restaurant standards have dropped and quality of food and service has gone down, but why? I venture to guess it’s because we as consumers fail to demand high quality service and food, and at what price? And what can we reasonably expect out of restaurateurs, especially when they have mouths to feed at home and staff to please and bills to pay? Where do you draw the line between capitalism and quality?
Amy L. Schubert is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in every aspect of bar and restaurant operations. A graduate of Marquette University (B.A.-Writing Intensive English, 1997) and UW-Milwaukee (M.A.-Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Writing, 2001), Amy still occasionally moonlights as a guest bartender and she mixes a mean martini.
The restaurant business seems to be in Amy’s blood, and she prides herself in researching and experimenting with culinary combinations and cooking techniques in her own kitchen as well as in friends’ restaurants. Both she and her husband, Scott, are avid cooks and “wine heads,” and love to entertain friends, family and neighbors as frequently as possible.
Amy and Scott live with their boys, Alex and Nick, in Bay View, where they are all very active in the community. Amy finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passions for food and writing in her contributions to OnMilwaukee.com.
