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My earlier post, Natural Selection in Seattle Restaurants or Why Ba Bar Must Die, was not appreciated by Gene Dexter (one of the six investors in Ba Bar). He tweeted and later posted that he did not appreciate my “call to bankrupt my partners and my family”. He then went on to counter some of my review references with good reviews he had found. Fair enough.
I don’t know Gene Dexter and I wish him and his family no harm. I appreciate his entrepreneurial spirit in opening a restaurant in challenging times. I don’t appreciate his response. Running a business is a tough job and running a business that caters to the public only makes it tougher. I will admit that my “review” was harsh but when you get feedback like mine, the response should be to first and foremost check if it has any basis in fact and then to immediately provide assurances that it will be remedied. He should not, in my opinion, suggest that I am attempting to bankrupt his family nor to accuse me of being anonymous when, with a minor effort, you can easily find out who I am (I blog for Questionland, not for myself, so I don’t put my name front and center, just as he tweets as BellevueMaitreD).
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In my post, I focussed on Ba Bar as a potentially dangerous signal for the Seattle Restaurant scene. The good food reviews which Mr. Dexter points to do not counter my opinion, in fact I point out that their good food is what makes them so dangerous. There is more to a restaurant than good food and that is good service. The service at Ba Bar is not just rough around the edges, it is appalling. The reviews online (and which I have received personally) describe the kind of the service that is downright atrocious:
“Service … was especially atrocious here the first week. but it’s the first week! yes, i’m inclined to think such a veteran restaurateur as banh would have it a bit more pulled together, but let’s see what the next month brings.” (Pat My Butter)
“The service, or complete lack thereof, was unforgivable. Drinks (beer & a glass of wine) came 25 minutes after ordering. Appetizers were delivered to another table. Our table was cleared after we finished our appetizers (when they finally arrived), we were asked if we had more food coming (yes, we said, our entrees). We sat for 45 minutes. Nothing came. No one ever talked to us (another glass of wine? Your dinners should be right out, etc.). Nothing. Lots of staff walking around doing something, but we had no food or drink. We finally flagged someone down. They had not placed the order for our entrees. Food finally arrived, again, the food was wonderful (although the catfish was a bit undercooked). Even after staff became aware of the problem with our sevice, they didn’t quite know what to do. All the staff is clueless.” (From Urban Spoon)
“Not having seen the menu, I asked the owner as he sat us down if there was a happy hour menu. He curtly responded that if I saw the menu, I would know why there wasn’t a happy hour menu. Wow! Unbelieveable customer service. I looked at the menu and I still can’t figure out why there isn’t a happy hour menu. My conclusion is that they just don’t want to be happy at this place. Don’t waste your time or money here. Go to Tamarind Tree instead!“ (From Urban Spoon)
“Wanted to like this place, because I’ve always like Monsoon, but no go. Let me sum up: wrong food (brought by waiters who don’t seem to be able to converse), no food (when I asked where my companion’s lunch was, I got an irritated look; she said it would be “right out” when she obviously hadn’t even placed the order yet), no apologies.” (From Chowhound)
I treasure the restaurant scene in Seattle and I value the kind of risk takers who invest in it, the chefs who make it great, the designers who make them beautiful, comfortable and unique, the bartenders who are endlessly creative, and the staff who make it a pleasure to be there. I have seen what happens when the public accepts terrible service in exchange for good food. The results are sad. I don’t want that to happen here.
My response to Mr. Dexter is to tell us he will fix it, ask for our patience while he does, then fix it, then tell us he has. That’s simply good business.
Here is my comment on his post:
Gene,
Thanks for your response. First let me say that I have no intention being anonymous. I am one of the moderators and the primary blogger for Questionland and so that is the identity I use when blogging. The Questionland community and anyone who makes a little effort can easily find out who I am. I logged in with Facebook here to make it easy.
I am sorry if my blog post has in jeopardized your financial investment and I applaud you for taking the risk, particularly in these challenging times. And I think it is great that you are employing local people and students.
As I said in the post, I think the food is good, perhaps great at Ba Bar. It certainly is at the other restaurants like Monsoon. But as an investor, I think you need to intervene on the management side of Ba Bar. There is a real problem there. This is NOT a case of service problems around the edges. As you can see from the quotes I added to the blog these are appalling transgressions of service.
Please do the Seattle restaurant scene (and yourself) a favor and rather than complaining about your financial risk, let us know that you have heard us (yes, it’s not just me) and keep us up-to-date about what will be done about it. I’ll happily revise, remove, re-post my comments about Ba Bar when you have. Thanks for being an restaurant entrepreneur in Seattle.
The point I’m trying to make here, is this is a problem that spreads. Here’s a recent tweet about another restaurant in the local chain:
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didn’t make sense to stay and eat it. Meanwhile the waitstaff are perfectly nice but have a vacant look in their eyes as they wander apparently aimlessly around.
Everybody knows they left their heart in San Francisco (everybody of a certain age), but what about Seattle and the great Pacific Northwest? It turns out that there are many songs about our fair city, state and region and by an eclectic group of people: for example, Robyn Hitchcock, Frank Zappa, Perry Como, Nirvana, Public Image. That’s quite a line up but unfortunately listening to most of them is a somewhat torturous experience (thanks to 
The popular spots vary by sex, but in general upper arms, back, wrist and ankles appear to rank highest. Men tend to lean heavily to the upper arm while women more frequently choose spots that won’t show in public (e.g. lower back, ankle). Where you put it can have social meaning of course so do a little research just in case you are not aware of the message you will be sending. Bottom line is that pretty much any part of your body can be tattooed (yes, even there, and it’s a popular spot).
quick assumptions: 
The Needle is one of those flash behavioral memes that sweep the country and then vanish as quickly as the came. The most recent of these was planking, which had people pictured lying face-down in odd places. But needling is one I can get enthusiastic about, probably because it’s our Seattle icon.
Let’s start with the good news: Seattle ranked #2 on best places to live if you have allergies according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Portland ranked #1, which is mildly ironic since it was a question from 
For better or worst there are many medicines and treatments that claim to help, from over-the-counter and prescription antihistamines, decongestants, steroids, immunotherapy, acupuncture and many more (
Since you live in this great state there are some things you ought to know about us and our onions. We’re the third biggest producer of onions in the U.S. and produce over 16% of the crop of dry (i.e. not green) onions. But our claim to fame in the world of onions is the Walla Walla.
In 2007, the Walla Walla Sweet Onion became Washington’s official state vegetable. Walla Walla Onions are to us what Champagne is to the French, what Parmigiano-Reggiano is to the Italians, what Scotch is to the Scottish… you can’t grow or get a Walla Walla onion anywhere else: it’s our protected agricultural vegetable under federal law. And it’s Walla Walla season right now (until mid September).
Cheese and caramelized onion tart
Caramelized onions in a salad with arugula, corn, tomatoes, fresh herbs and whatever else is in your refrigerator. (
Local car experts are on Questionland this week 
