Rant/Review (Yellow Cab of Baltimore)

410-685-1212
http://www.yellowcabofbaltimore.com/

I would not recommend Yellow Cab of Baltimore!!!

Living in the city of Baltimore, sometime driving does not make sense. So I have an iphone pull up a cab on an app... I've used this company 4 times. I've had 4 issues.

Drivers not show up for an hour... Called back the company and they sent out another cab in 20 minutes or so. This has happened 3 times. Twice was the same drivers who did not show on different events.

The one time that the cab did not show up for an hour, and we had called the company for a new cab to come out. We had paid for the cab via credit card... The cab that never showed up and we were charged my card 46.50... I know crazyness...

The yellow cab dispatch didn't really do anything... After the 3rd call I got the corporate information for Veolia Transportation. After decrypting there secret code to get to an operator. And about 4 phone calls over 5 days. I got my refund. This is a crazy process. They did not make it easy and I would not recommend using them.

Rant (Late Night Commericals)

So I was watching TV late last night and saw about ten commericals for La Cordon Blue, ITT or Lincoln Tech. All had success stories from chefs and bakers in the industry who have awesome jobs. The colleges and tech centers are selling dreams... Very Few graduates from those schools will be owning their own restaurant or a executive chef without either past experience or years of experience.

As a Culinary School Graduate from Johnson & Wales University Charlotte Campus I had the realization of how much culinary graduates make in their first year and following years after that. Then, how much these programs cost. I love the passion people have for cooking but if you have ever been on a campus of some these tech schools the campus is always old and run down and second rate instructors.

I would recommend locally:
Baltimore International College
AACC HCAT Program

Top Culinary Schools in the Country:
Johnson & Wales University (RI, NC, FL, CO)
Culinary Institute of America (Upstate NY)
Institute of Culinary Education (NYC)

Rant (Artscape)

Artscape is an enjoyable outdoor art festival that I have been going to for years. This year I looked at the food selection a little more closely, and saw nothing that appealed to my senses. The highlight of the food selection was a fresh squeezed lemonade. Most of the food was deep-fried or grilled foods from vendors that varied from Thai and Indian to cheese steaks and seafood. Also at the top of my list was funnel cake and turkey drumsticks. The quality and quantity was not up to par for the price of the products. Greasy and poorly presented does not make a good showing for your business at one of the premiere art festivals in the region.

Rant (Customer Service)

Where has all the customer service gone? The food service industry is a hospitality industry this seems to be forgotten by some employees and establishments. I have been eating out a lot lately (maybe writing a food blog has something to do with it) and some service has been amazing and others downright brutal.

I do have varying levels of expectations when I go out. I am trained as a chef/pastry chef. My eyes catch more than most others, because I have had many years of training in that field (from quality of service, timeliness, to sanitation). My varying levels of expectations do change when I'm at a fast food joint verse a buffet verse a fine dining establishment as they should. But customer service and hospitality are basics and they need to be taught and done well.

Today, I stopped at a mid-priced modern bistro in Baltimore for lunch. I had horrible service and requested from the server that the cook come out from the kitchen. The same cook who had cooked my very delicious and well plated meal. I then proceeded to tip the cook right in front of my server. You know the server won't hear the end that for a while. Maybe his service will improve.

I will go to a place with great food and terrible service a few times but I will not go to a place with terrible food and great service more than once. Just remember everything matters in the food service industry and if something bad happens people will tell ten friends (or write a blog about it) if something good happens they only will tell two or three people about their experience unless it was amazing.

So servers, hosts, managers, and owners be nice to your customers, show some hospitality, and the tips and shifts will probably look a little nicer that way.

Rant (Eating like such Americans)

A lot of people eat like such Americans; I was out with friends at a traditional thai restaurant. The table next to us had ordered a grilled ny strip steak, pad thai, a house salad with low fat blue cheese on the side and a bottle of Italian wine pinot grigio. This is not the first time I have seen this happen. I understand we are a melting pot nation, and love the variety of choice of food we have and the combinations that chefs give us. If I am going to a thai restaurant I want thai food. If I want steak I go to a steakhouse or grill. I don’t know why those people chose to go to this thai restaurant, it could have been for the décor or the ambiance, and the quality of their thai food is really that amazing. If the restaurant serves amazing food, and the owners, chefs, cooks, servers and staff really love what they do and the food taste amazing. Why would you not order the special or some item on the menu that fits the cuisine of the restaurant where you are eating?