Rant: Does A Restaurant Deserve A Second Chance?

Last week, a friend and I dined at a restaurant which was new to me. The menu looked very interesting, with some more unique offerings, so I was curious to visit. We ordered several appetizers, but I was disappointed that the dishes were just average, at best. They didn't live up to my expectations based on the descriptions in the menu. I had hoped for so much better.

After this experience, I probably will never dine there again. Even though the cocktails were good, the service was good, and I liked the decor, it wasn't sufficient to overcome the average food. There are so many other restaurants that I can patronize, places which offer much better than average food. There's no real reason why I should return to this restaurant. 

Restaurants may have only a single opportunity to satisfy a customer. There are a number of problems which could potentially stop that customer from ever returning to the restaurant. The service could have been atrocious, cleanliness might have been an issue, pricing might be too high, etc. There is so much competition in the restaurant industry, so customers have plenty of options. Why accept mediocre food when you can easily go elsewhere? 

What would cause me to give this restaurant a second chance? 

As the food was the issue, there isn't much that might convince me to return, unless maybe they got a new chef who did some major renovations to the cuisine. Even then, I might wait to see the restaurant reviews, to determine whether any positive changes had occurred with the new chef. 

This happened once before, as I stopped dining at a certain restaurant, returning only when they took on a new chef, someone I knew and whose culinary skills I very much respected. And when I returned, the cuisine was so much better, and I was pleased I gave the restaurant a second chance.

However, second chances are a rarity. We should be willing to give restaurants a potential second chance, but they need to convince us how they have changed for the better.