Cuisine au Beurre.

[newalaan2]

Just noticed the Buerre/Better error. Predictive text is entirely to blame. I agree with a general dislike of children working in 'family run' restaurants.

Agree with you pennyboy, typical of Deli Diner, at least when it first opened.

Thanks for the restaurant and bar reviews from your current trip thus far Arsenal, updates always appreciated prior to an upcoming trip which I have at the end of January.

Having children take the order without supervision I think does put off some customers and I'm not sure if restaurant owners realise this, it's often a problem with thais and their children as parents seem to give quite a bit more leeway to kids in Thailand than the west. Bf makes a big fuss of having the snack and sweet racks looking good in his shop because the kids tend to have the say where they buy snacks, the adults just follow suit and buy their more expensive items there too, so bf reckons the kids are the ones he needs to attract.

At Deli Diner it doesn't bother me that much as the older girl, from memory, has decent English and has never got an order wrong so far (especially with the excellent point-at-the-menu-item method!) even now knows my usual coffee order, and will ask first if I want my usual or if I want the menu when I sit down. She takes orders rarely and sometimes I have seen the main waitress go check with a customer after the girl takes the order to make sure it's correct or advise something, so i'm not quite sure why they let the kid do it in the first place.

To be honest I find very little difference in quality, price or service between Au Beurre, Petite and Deli they all produce tasty, reasonably priced dishes but favour Deli for the coffee, their occasional British Special (i.e.Cottage Pie etc ) when I tire of the sticky rice menu back in the room and the option to itemise your own breakfast (as, like suggest by another poster find the Full English far too much for my needs). Also I've never had a complaint to make in all the times I have used them, in fact I can't think of an occasion where the meal hasn't been first class so if a table on the front section is available will always go to Deli first.

[a447]

Having children take the order without supervision I think does put off some customers and I'm not sure if restaurant owners realise this, it's often a problem with thais and their children as parents seem to give quite a bit more leeway to kids in Thailand than the west.

Perhaps it's an Asian thing, as in the various Asian restaurants here you'll often their kids taking orders.

Why aren't they at school, I wonder.

[sglad]

...She takes orders rarely and sometimes I have seen the main waitress go check with a customer after the girl takes the order to make sure it's correct or advise something, so i'm not quite sure why they let the kid do it in the first place.

The presence of a family member tends to keep staff on their toes. Kids are observant and will report back to parents what they see especially if they've been instructed/trained by their parents to keep an eye on things. When she's big enough she'll be put in charge of the cash register if she hasn't already. This is quite common in Chinese and other Asian businesses. The minions do the work under our tight supervision and we watch them like a hawk. The till and accounting we manage ourselves. It's about trust - family comes first. Very different from farang businesses. They spend a huge fortune starting a business, with much fanfare and spectacle, then leave it in the hands of some inexperienced buffoon or ex hoe and then go out whoring themselves. Business collapses, they get bitter and then blame the Thais for everything.

Another reason is training. The girl is being trained to take over during a future emergency. It builds discipline and communication skills. It gives her a sense of ownership in the family business. When you feel you have a part in something you will take greater care of it. We used to work/hang out at my grandparents' food and noodle shop after school and during school holidays. I learned a lot and it beat staying at home alone, with both my parents working full time.