You make a good point about the restaurants and their costs versus revenue,nits the same here. They put the lowest quality food they can get away with on the table for the highest price they can get away with (mostly). It's a business after all.
The cloth thing...I've seen places wipe the table with a cloth they just wiped up a mess/spill on the floor. Needless to say I never went back. I think if we observed what happens in a commercial kitchen we'd never eat out!
I like the sound of those places you mentioned, each with a unique reason to go there. I think it's good to be able to give reasons like that and not just say, it's cheap or I like the croissants. I have a few like you mention, solid reasons to go back, but I'm like you and don't really eat out that much, this has been largely the case since the pandemic.
The boss you had made you eat where he wanted to eat and didn't like you bringing your own lunch? Sounds like a boss I'd stab not want to work for.
Anyway, do you prefer quality or quantity when you eat out at restaurants and do you think atmosphere is important to your dining experience?
I did quit rather abruptly after about 16 months, when I realised that the only thing I ever looked forward to was for the workday to end so I could go sleep until it started again. I didn't read, I didn't cook, I never left the house except for the monthly meetings at the head office, and I never saw my friends. My hubby had to buy cheeseburgers at McD on his way home from work, since that was the only place open at 3am. All my energy was spent on not screaming at my boss when he gave me tasks that wasn't my job to do, and usually with tools that didn't match the task.
"Make a list of all the students taking this class so we can add them to the online learning platform. In excel. I've added a login for you to the student database."
"Excuse me, I'm IT-support, not student admin, and anyway, the software the list will be imported to only accepts .csv NOT excel junk. And I shouldn't have access to the student database. Security reasons and GDPR. I can show the teacher who needs the list how to do it though, if you tell me who it is."
"DO IT IN EXCEL. I WANT IT IN 45 MINUTES. I CAN FORCE YOU TO WORK AT THE OFFICE INSTEAD OF AT HOME."
Quality! I can always order an extra dish if I need to, right? :) Atmosphere isn't so important since I usually read when I eat, unless I have company, and then we provide the atmosphere ourselves. I care more that a place is clean and comfortable than that the furniture is expensive and trendy. You?
I tend towards a balance of all aspects really.
Atmosphere is important, I'll walk if it's too noisy, not even sit down, and the same if it feels awkward or has an odd vibe. Value is subjective, as is quality, although I'm not a fussy eater and look for a balance there too. I don't tend to lean towards fine dining? You know half a pea, a stake as big as my thumbnail, one or two drops if gravy dotted on the plate and a few blades of grass for decoration...all presented on a plate the size of half a table and for the low low price of $367! That's not my style. I'm a simple man so like simple and quality food.
I like good quality food, genuine food, and am happy to pay for it.
The service needs to be good. I don't need bowing and fawning, just eye contact, a smile and a modicum of interest in a customer who pays their wages. I don't think it's too much to ask.
Anyway, that job you had...seems like a pretty bad place to work, I'd have left too.