1972 was a seminal year in St. Louis restaurant history. Among the palate-changing establishments opened then was The Jefferson Avenue Boarding House, the creation of Richard Perry. Perry, an Illinois native, offered classic, yet updated, American food, with an emphasis on fresh, even local, provisions. This was very early, indeed, in that movement that’s become a significant part of American food culture. Richard Perry’s name was mentioned in the same breath as Bradley Ogden, whose Kansas City restaurant followed the same path before he went west to San Francisco and opened Campton Place and then the Lark Creek Inn, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame. He really was one of the pioneers of the American food renaissance.
Unlike them, however, Perry has not created a group of restaurants that he oversees. Instead, he’s pursued other paths, including teaching. Currently, he owns and operates the Farmers Inn & Prairie Kitchen at a crossroads in the midst of the cornfields on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area.
At the desk in the front hall, from which Perry presides over the goings-on, there are copies of a leaflet that at first looks like a carry-out menu. But take a closer look. It begins:
WE ARE IN BUSINESS TO SERVE YOU
YOU CAN HELP
And then Perry goes on to write the following tips:
1. RELAX. The whole idea of dining in a restaurant is to restore your well-being. Enjoy the fine things that life has to offer and revel in the diversity of humanity. We confidently expect your food and service to be outstanding!
2. BE KIND. When dealing with someone on our staff, either in person or by phone, assume that he is a human being like yourself. Let him have the pleasure of helping you. If that doesn’t work…
3. DEMAND PROPER SERVICE. There is no excuse for slow service, even when you might want a leisurely meal. We expect your meal to proceed at a smooth, unhurried pace. However, something is wrong if you wait too long for a dish. Thirty minutes from the time you ordered it is enough. If a longer delay happens to you, we will not charge you for the dish.
4. COMPLAIN. If you don’t, who will? It takes only a minute, you will feel better, and we will all benefit.
5. BE PERSISTENT. If necessary, ask for the dining room manager. Ask for the owner. Sometimes, those at the top have no idea what mayhem transpires down below.
6. BE ARTICULATE. You know what you want; we may not. Be as specific as you can, and spell it out–simply and clearly.
7. BE QUICK YOURSELF. If something is wrong, pounce. Don’t wait for months to let us know. Worse, don’t just forget it and never come back.
8. PRAISE. This action is just as important as complaining. It spurs us on, and is our reward for creative and constructive work.
Pretty good basic Restaurant 101. But the next page goes thusly:
WHAT TO EXPECT AT FARMER’S INN & PRAIRIE KITCHEN
A GUIDE FOR OUR GUESTS
1. We will greet you with a sincere smile–everyone on our staff understands that pleased guests are the backbone of our business.
2. We will provide an outstanding ambience:
-A clean, handsome dining room.
-Crisp, clean napkins
-Spotless dishes, glassware and silverware.
-Outstanding music selections.
-Carefully controlled levels of sound, lighting and temperature.
3. We will train our service staff to know our menu in detail, and to make suggestions designed to enhance your meal. Our staff will be friendly, and act professionally, not arrogant or snooty. They will not interrupt your conversation to inquire if everything is all right.,
4. We enjoy helping you celebrate special occasions; merely inform us early. We also find it easy to provide separate checks if you request that service before ordering; it is not so easy if you wait until the end of the meal to let us know.
5. We will greet you at your table within sixty seconds of seating. We will promptly serve your water, and also present our menus. We will carry a small, selected list of fine American wines, and other spirits. We will dispense a large, accurately-prepared drink made from premium spirits.
6. Our soups will be seasonal and tasty, and so will our sweet corn fritters.
7. We will offer a creative, seasonal menu using as many local products as possible.
-All of our fruits, vegetables, meats and fish the freshest available.
-Most everything made from scratch in our own kitchens.
-Menu items listed in writing so that you can see the prices.
-Food presented attractively on the plates.
-No cooking in the dining room.
8. We will give you our full atention regardless of the size of your bill.
9. We will give you the luxury of a leisurely-paced meal, unless you request an earlier deadline. We will gladly seat you up to our closing time, and will provide full service until you are through. We will not rush you in any way, or indicate that we are closing the restaurant by such actions as piling chairs on the table, or turning up the lights.
10. Some of our dishes are designed to be only lightly cooked, and therefore, we cannot serve them piping hot. We will be glad to cook them longer if you wish. Simply tell the staff in advance of your preference.
11. We expect our food to be the highest quality and we will prepare it according to the highest professional standards. Moreover, we expect it to taste wonderful!
12. We will brew fresh coffee from the finest Colombian beans, and also offer full-flavored iced tea and other beverages.
13. We will present a selection of fresh desserts designed to appeal to today’s nutritional concerns–you will feel guilty if you pass them up,.
14. We will present an accurate bill within sixty seconds of your asking for it.
Perry doesn’t press the leaflets on his customers–he’s not pushing it on them. But we think it’s a good read, worth sharing.