Lavinias
 

I had a disappointing experience at Lavinia's last night. I know this is the busiest season and it's best to have reservations, which I did not. I arrived at around 6:30 and was told that they didn't have any open seats and it would be about a 45 minute wait. I could see that the tavern was pretty full but when I peeked in the room on the right there were several vacant tables. I was told that they were booked. Hard to believe that people would be coming soon to fill up all those tables, be served, eat and leave, in a half hour so that I could be seated there. Then I peeked into the dining room on the left which was all vacant except for one table full of diners. When I asked about that I was told that "we're not serving in that room tonight"....well, except I guess for the table full of people that were in there eating. The guy did not seem encouraging at all so I left, ended up at Lago where they are always friendly and welcoming. Just wondered what other people's experience has been.

We haven't eaten there yet--the two times we visited, the people we were greeted by clearly didn't care if we are there or not, so we've never been back.

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Where is Lavinia's.

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic.

At this time of year many restaurants suffer from lack of help as students have left to go back to college. They often limit the number of people not based on capacity but based on how many they can serve with the help they have. I went to lavinias last week and had two good meal but had made reservations but did notice many open tables. By the way it was not inexpensive for the fresh fish in fact as high as the woodshed

No staff
 

Just about every restaurant in the area is suffering from staff shortages, especially since the college kids went back to school. It is not fair to see empty tables and assume you could be seated there. If you want good service to your customers, you can only seat so many people per server. Otherwise ALL customers would be unhappy because their service would be poor due to their server being swamped. If they only have, for example, 3 servers for the night, only so many diners can be accommodated.

Not having been there, it's possible the bad news of a 45 minute wait could have been delivered better? But the reality of a restaurant respecting it's ability to provide quality service to it's patrons is not a "problem". As recognized, reservations are very important. The restaurant won't overbook it's ability to serve so you are assured a spot and reasonable service.

My wife, who used to waitress, says that a typical number of tables assigned to a server might be 6. So with 3 servers, only 18 tables could be served.

We went to the Woodshed the other day and there were MANY empty tables and a wait to be seated. They have a nice room behind the bar they would love to use but they cannot because they simply don't have the staff to man it. If they did, they probably could have accommodated twice the number of diners. Do't you think the owners would love the extra business? Don't you think they would love to accommodate people instantly instead of telling people they have to wait 45 minutes and getting an angry response.

I understand the frustration of waiting to be seated and seeing empty seats but I "get" the problem the restaurants face as well.

O
 

I had dinner at O on Sunday and they had the same issue. In fact the hostess was speaking to a patron about a waitress position that was available and if she was interested in an interview.

I give them credit. If they couldn't serve the tables appropriately then better to let them go empty.

I have never had a bad experience at Lavinia's. Always accommodating and the food is great


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Next door to Deweys Ice cream in Center Harbor.

It's got to be painful having to turn away business but this is the time of year when many summer employees have to return to school.
Unfortunately some just want time off before school and bail out early leaving their employer in a bind.

I have never worked in a restaurant but as an observer it would seem worthwhile to maybe h a buffet format for the remainder of the season and be able to operate with less service staff

That might fit the "style" of some restaurants but not others.

Personally, when I go out to a restaurant I am usually seeking the table service. If I have to get up to get my meal, I may as well order subs, pizza, Chinese, etc. to go and eat at home and save time and tip. Others may be perfectly fine with a buffet but I am usually not. There are also places providing ready to eat meals to go.

I agree, we would skip a restaurant that offered buffet style dinners if we wanted a nice sit down meal.

Yes, staffing shortages are a real issue in New Hampshire in general. Last I knew the NH unemployment rate was the lowest in the nation at 2.9%.

No wonder these restaurants can't find any help!




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I agree but if the alternative is bad service or closing all together I would take the chance, as an operator.

Or, offer a very limited menu with an explanation. I'm sure most people get it.

Many years ago places could afford to be closed half the year. As long as I can remember the Tamarac always closed right on labor day and for sure missed some late season business but they obviously calculated the cost of staying open vs income.

Here is a bit about reservations that may explain why you were quoted a 45 minute wait:

Each restaurant has an average time a table is occupied - usually related to the type of dining offered. In a fine dining establishment like Lavinia's, that average can be 2 to 2.5 hours. This isn't a reflection on the restaurants service, rather it speaks to the type of experience guests desire. Unfortunately, if a table is reserved for 7:45, the restaurant is unable to seat another guest there any later than 5:15 to ensure first that the seated guest has sufficient time to enjoy their evening, and second to be sure the reservation is seated promptly. By the way, this is a decision made by the restaurant to provide the best possible service, at the cost of "turning tables".

For those who prefer not making reservations, feel free to tell a hostess if you prefer a short dining experience. If you know that you would only like a quick delicious meal, they may be able to accommodate you with the knowledge that the table would need to be available for the incoming reservation.

As you all have noted, staffing is also a challenge, requiring that the restaurant owner limit the amount of guests based on the ability of their staff. Every restaurant owner would love to see every seat filled every night, and I applaud those that compromise their own bottom line in favor of their guests.

I appreciate that customers are loyal and will come to defend a favorite, but when the establishment leaves it up to the customer to hypothesize on why you're getting bad (or no) service, it's never going to turn out in your favor. especially with some of the charges here IE: rudeness, The explanations don't hold water. Being a cheerleader reminds me of the Red Sox playing Sweet Caroline when there getting killed. Reality and truth is a better approach.

Well, I'm not sure about loyalty or favorites because I have never eaten in Lavinia's. Just haven't gotten around to it.

As to rudeness, it seems like the situation was explained politely but the explanation was unsatisfactory. They may have seated one group in the "closed" room because they had reservations and a table wasn't ready on time because some other group stayed longer than planned. I don't think it is necessary for a restaurant to explain and validate every nuance of how they organize their dining room.

I have been in the same situation (no reservation, busy restaurant) many times and after waiting to be seated for service was always able to chat with my server to find out even more information. Almost never have I felt the delay was unjustified. Rudeness and impatience goes both ways. I have seen many diners get huffy and indignant and not in the least bit interested in hearing a valid and polite explanation. They just want to be seated, NOW!!!

I just don't think it's fair to ding a restaurant dealing with an common local problem of limited staff and while disappointing, the description of Lavinia's explanation didn't sound rude.

I agree with everything you say, If I accept what the 1st 2 post have to say, that's not good. We eat out too often and never give attitude or are difficult in anyway. I see rude customers 10 to1 over rude employee's, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen though. I appreciate up front honesty from the host and will give any place a 2nd try, except if they rude to us.

Now I am hearing that staffing at this time of year is pretty common. That's too bad, and perhaps that explains it all. Actually when I was talking with my server at Lago she said that she travels an hour to her job. No, I was not at all rude. That's not my style. It's just that there were a lot of empty tables. And when I was told that one room was not being served, yet there were people in there eating, and the other room had tables that were reserved but I might be able to be seated in 45 minutes, it didn't make much sense. "I'm sorry but we're a little understaffed tonight" would have gone a long way. The bottom line is that I left there feeling like they didn't especially want me there. That being said, I did dine at Lavinia's one other time and had a very nice meal and great service. It just wasn't a good experience this time around.

I hope I didn't give the impression I thought YOU were rude. I do not think so. I HAVE seen several instances in the past year of diners confronted with the same situation, for the same reason, who were extremely rude. Such people had NO interest in a complex explanation. The whole point of my reply was to point out an underlying problem in the area (lack of help) and to explain why seeing a bunch of empty tables does NOT mean that service should be readily available. It probably would be helpful to magically shrink the size of the room and number of table to match the available service personnel available for the night. People would walk in, see the place completely packed, and recognize they have to wait or go somewhere else.

Understood Jeff, thanks. And I meant to say" problems with understaffing is common". I was not aware that this is such an issue. For sure, I love the restaurants in the area and wish them all well.

They've Improved
 

I feel like they've improved immensely. I went there about 3 years ago and found an ANT in my drink! I couldn't believe it, but hey...stuff happens. They brought me another drink and the meal was good.
I didn't go back for awhile after that experience, needless to say!! :eek: This spring I went for appetizers and drinks with my mom for a late lunch. I had no problems at all, the service was prompt and professional, I had an amazing salad, and their clam chowder was pretty good. It wasn't what you'd think of as "New England Clam Chowder" though. It had a bit of heat to it. I liked it, it just wasn't what I expected.

Some cool history of the place though - It's said to be haunted and it's also part of the underground railroad. So I do recommend it to anyone interested in history or the paranormal!! Just check your drink twice... :laugh:

Some cool history of the place though - It's said to be haunted and it's also part of the underground railroad.
__________________

It is haunted....the lady that restored the wallpaper worked at night so as not to be disturbed and was regularly visited by a man in 18th century clothing......also the present owner has video taken from his security cameras showing pans and bottles moving rapidly from shelves to the floor.
Be on your best behavior and you should be ok.....they are just mischievous ghosts .

I've been told there is, or was, a tunnel that crossed over to the old Garnet Inn. There is also something historical or valuable or noteworthy about the wallpaper in the main room.

You are right on both counts. During renovations, a concealed trap door was discovered that led to the basement. A false wall was removed and the tunnel was found on the east side of the building. It starts as brick and then turns to a framed mine like tunnel. I believe it went to a house next door that is no longer there. It is partially collapsed.
The wallpaper was handpainted by a French artist and there is only one other copy remaining in the world. It is quite valuable.

Stopped there last Sunday for drinks and apps. Surprised when the hostess said there was a bit of a wait seeing empty tables in the bar, but after reading on here why I now understand. Ordered our drinks and app (spinach and artichoke dip) awesome by the way came out quick and service was attentive and friendly. We will stop by again.

Lavinias - good for us
 

Went to Lavinias last Saturday. We(4) went at 4:30pm to avoid the waitress issues plus we had my 7 month old granddaughter with us. Sat in the front room with just another party. Wife had the duck, she mentioned it could have been cooked a little longer. Rest of us had Steak, Pasta and I had the Porked Loin which was very good. Granddaughter didn't make a sound. Other party mentioned that on their way out. By the time we left there it seemed there was enough waitress/waiters floating around. My only issue was that the menu seemed limited on what you could get. All in all, a nice night out on Columbus Day weekend with family.

Dave M

Here is the entrance to the tunnel.

Is there a book or something with the history of Lavinia's? Any other buildings in the area with history like this?

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If you Google "Coe House" there is a lot of stuff, mostly from the local historical societies. I recall some discussion on the Forum, so try that also.

Duck, unlike other fowl, is often cooked rare to medium-rare, as opposed to chicken and turkey, which is cooked through with hint of pink. While I like wild duck, friends who have ordered duck in a restaurant are normally advised that the restaurant cooks the duck on the rare side at ordering, or asks how they prefer the doneness (usually the former ). Sounds like you had a good night out.

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We have only had great experiences with Lavinias - The staff has only been extremely friendly and the food is always fantastic. We only go by boat to dinner in the summer and Lavinias is one of our favorites!


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