Yet, if you wanted to make your own, you could add the ideal cheese for melting – American.  Or, you can go a little more upscale and flavorful, even if the results won’t be quite as silky in the end.

I think you cannot go wrong with a cheesemaker that’s a mere few miles from where I grew up in America’s Dairyland:  Widmer’s Cheese Cellars in Theresa, WI.

Getting a big ol’ pile of shrink-wrapped bars is a holiday tradition, but you can have the delicious love, too – their prices online are identical to in the store.  You’ll only pay shipping, and they’re even pretty cheap in that regard, too!

For the top of the line, 10 year aged Cheddar is as rich and decadent as Parmesan, for slivers on a salad or whatever use you can dream up.  On burgers, I’d probably go a little more mellow, like Provolone, salty and tender.

Here’s to green chile meets meat meets cheese!

Grants.  A little burger joint wins favor with 2/3 lb slabs of beef topped with not only chile and cheese, but also bacon and guacamole.  Is that necessary?

Hmm.  Its only 60 miles away, not far at all, and certainly less hectic driving-wise than a trip to Santa Fe, especially the gorgeous view from 9 Mile Hill on your return trip.

Badlands Burger in Grants, NM will be featured in the upcoming Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail, along with its other competitors in the first annual Governor’s challenge.

There is good news, here, of course.  Service can be improved.  Easily.  Granted, each employee’s behavior might be tricky to change, establishing their habits and making sure they realize it ain’t just a job – its a SERVICE job. 

Tip pooling is helping to kill service levels.  Too many restaurants take all tips that come in during a shift and divide it amongst the staff, sometimes the kitchen staff as well.  The top performers – those that know your name, top up your coffee with a wink and a ‘here ya go, hon!’ – are tipped the same amount as the ones who disappear from sight, forget your order, and never smile.  I’ll write more about this, you can be sure about that.

However, this post was prompted by the atrocious phone skills I experience from restaurants.  For example, I just called one small place during their slow hours.  The first time I was met with some background talking, silence, and then a “click”.   I called back, and got the fax machine.  Now, if I were a new customer trying to locate them or even check the hours, I would probably give up.

Rules for phones at restaurants, in order of importance:

1. Answer the phone with a smile.  Allow all employees to answer the phone and make sure they know the operating hours, the street address, and possibly the name of the manager.  That’s all!
2. Have crucial but brief information in your voicemail greeting – something like this takes no more than 12 seconds to say (I timed it):  ”Thank you for calling Shish-Ka-Bob Restaurant at 456 Western Boulevard, open weekdays from 8 to 8 and weekends from 10 to 9.  Leave your message and we’ll call you back”.
3. Call people back if they do leave a message.
4. Do not let the voicemail box get full.

You might be suprised at how many restaurants do not follow most or even all of these guidelines.  In the shrinking restaurant economy, they need every single customer and anything that can be done to ensure a good experience will bring in new customers as well as increase their reputation for future visits.  Did I mention that answering the phone with a smile is FREE?  Unlike changing the menu, redecorating, hiring more staff, et cetera….

My favorite restaurants almost always have amazing service, either starched and impeccable to caring and friendly to a fault.  (Laverne at Mannie’s, I’m talking to YOU!)