Franschhoek wears the crown of the Gourmet Capital of South Africa, with its Wedding Capital stature growing.  The wines of the valley also bring tourists to the area, together with its beauty.

 

The Eat Out 2009 results may have been an early indicator.   After many years with at least two or three restaurants on the Top Ten restaurant list, we only have one restaurant left on the list, and Franschhoek is in danger of losing its status to neighbouring Stellenbosch as the Gourmet Capital of South Africa.

 

We asked the accommodation establishments to give us feedback on their views of the service levels offered by Franschhoek restaurants to themselves and to their guests.   The feedback is offered anonymously, to protect the identity of the brave accommodation establishment owners and managers who provided their feedback, and to ensure that they are not banned from any of the restaurants, as has happened in Franschhoek!

 

Accommodation establishments are an important source of bookings for restaurants, with most guests relying on the recommendation of their hosts to recommend and book restaurants for them.  Only a few guests make their own restaurant bookings before arriving in Franschhoek.  

 

Spontaneous mentions of restaurants the establishments book for their guests for lunch or dinner are Kalfi’s, Allora, Le Bon Vivant, French Connection, Haute Cabriere, Dieu Donne, La Petite Ferme, Laborie in Paarl, Boschendal Le Piqnique and  Monneaux.

 

The restaurants that accommodation establishments send their guests to are the ones from which their guests return happy, with their expectations met or even exceeded, that offer a free collection and drop-off service as do Monneaux and Dieu Donne,  that offer a consistent quality of excellent food, excellent service, good ambience, good value for money, being able to make bookings without any problems or errors, being able to expect a positive reply when the guests are asked about their enjoyment of the restaurants,  superb setting, personal attention from the staff, being offered a table a day at certain restaurants but released by a certain time of day, and tend to be those at which the owners of the establishments enjoy eating at as well.

 

Some accommodation establishments do not send business to a specific restaurant, because they do not know it, because they or their guests have had a bad experience there previously, because they are too expensive, because the “booking service is sloppy”, because of poor service recovery when there is a complaint,  because of poor service from the waiters, and because of the food not being up to Franschhoek standards.    A bad experience reflects badly on the accommodation establishment, in that it recommends the restaurant, and therefore such restaurants quickly fall off the recommendation list.

 

Sometimes establishment owners are forced to book at other restaurants because their favourites are fully booked or have a closed function.

 

The accommodation establishment’s owner or manager is likely to recommend the restaurants that are their personal favourites.    This places a huge responsibility on them to recommend restaurants that will make their guests happy too.   Reasons for a restaurant becoming a favourite include the ambience, the service and food quality.

 

One self-catering establishment owner no longer recommends restaurants, having received negative feedback from her guests, and therefore she sends the guests to the Tourism Bureau, so that they can look at the menus and book the restaurants there.

 

Service levels of restaurants were seen to be good and not good enough.   Those that laud it, say it is good value for money, and improves all the time, the staff are friendly, and this can often make up for a slip in service delivery.    Those that criticize it, say that restaurants say they are fully booked when an accommodation establishment calls, yet take walk-in bookings.   They complain about “the emphasis is overwhelmingly ‘looks-like-French-cuisine’ but it is patently plastic when the entire package is evaluated.   Local-is-lekker takes a distinct backseat in Franschhoek”.  Service levels are seen to be dropping.

 

Suggestions to restaurants for improving service levels to accommodation establishments making bookings is to reserve a table per accommodation establishment until a certain time every day, because they are often booked out on the same day.   A restaurant map, as the Vignerons one, would be useful, it was suggested.   Better staff training, given the high turnover of staff in restaurants, to prevent the staff training on their customers, offering a wider range of wines-by-the-glass, offering wines at better prices, displaying accommodation information in restaurants, much like the accommodation establishments tend to display the menus of the restaurants, to not provide reservation numbers for bookings made, to not confirm bookings to the accommodation establishments, as they have no control over their guests’ actions, and to not request credit card details to secure tables at restaurants.

 

Restaurants would not be happy with no-shows, when accepting bookings from accommodation establishments, and this could annoy them in dealing with establishments. Accommodation establishments cannot be held responsible for the bad manners and actions of their guests, and make bookings in good faith.   The point was made that no restaurant can afford to be unhappy with accommodation establishments making bookings at a restaurant, for whatever reason.

 

Restaurants tend to not thank the accommodation establishments for the business they receive.    “It would be nice with the odd free (or price reduced) meal, even in winter when they are slow.  We have never received acknowledgement” said one guest house owner.   Another view is that Franschhoek is dependent on its restaurants for its gourmet status, and that no tourists would stay there if we did not have such good restaurants.  Also, some guests may think that one has shares in the restaurant, or that one receives commission when one recommends a particular restaurant too strongly!   One owner expressed the fact that he has not been to all the restaurants: “As locals we find the cost of “test’ dining at Franschhoek restaurants prohibitive”.  He states that his establishment probably therefore does not support the more upmarket restaurants.   “A formal thankyou will be nice” said one owner, while another said “restauranteurs do not need to thank you for your business…   A general note of thanks is appropriate and good and consistent service is also adequate.”

 

One exception is Haute Cabriere, the only restaurants that appears to understand the reciprocal relationship that should exist between the parties, in offering accommodation owners and managers a complimentary lunch once a year, just as the new season starts.   This enables the restaurant to explain its menu changes, and it gives the accommodation owners a good feel for what is on the menu.

 

Generally the readiness for 2010 is questioned and the service levels are not seen to meet the challenge of this important sports event.   But will 2010 impact Franschhoek at all, a manager asks.   Another view is that Franschhoek’s fine dining and wining may not be of interest to a fast-food and beer soccer fan, and it is questioned whether Franschhoek has enough large screen and fast-food type establishments to allow communal viewing for the soccer fans.   One owner said Franschhoek’s service levels should be perfect at all times, not just in winter 2010.

 

An accommodation owner was very vocal about Franschhoek’s businesses not being very welcoming to tourists and residents.   He complained about surly supermarket cashiers and shop assistants, beggars in the streets, dirty streets, faded road markings, potholes, tattered flags, bare flag poles, the “scruffy” Post Office, untrimmed street trees, unkempt gardens, unpainted buildings and walls, “scruffy” sidewalks, and “wonky” road signs, all of which create a poor impression of Franschhoek.

 

This article was first published in The Franshhoek Month, April 2009.