Tri Cities Restaurants (Johnson City, Bristol, Martin: transplants, theatre, school)

[Ted Bear]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Great call on The Dining Room. I think I referenced it in my visit thread but it was easily one of the best eating experiences of our trip. I have no idea why I am having so much trouble finding their web site so I could tell you what I ordered, I can only find their Facebook page. But it was really really good and at a surprising price, at least for lunch. Not sure what the dinner costs are. But yeah, sit outside in the garden.

Not sure that they have web site. They seem to rely on facebook (bad move).

Have not been there in a couple of months....but friends ate there last week. Food consistently good. Service consistently disorganized. How difficult can it be to train the dining room staff and really nudge the place up a notch or two? I just don't get it. They could really be outstanding with improved front of the house staff.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Interesting you said that. We were at lunch and not that crowded. But I was laughing at the number of times the waitress had to go up and down stairs to get to her tables. And she was on it, no complaints at all about the service and again on the patio that's a lot of walking/climbing for her to do.

Why in the world would a business, any business, not have a web site?????

[Rangerred]

Why in the world would a business, any business, not have a web site?????

There are many locally owned small businesses that solely utilize Facebook and Instagram as opposed to a traditional website. They don't want to deal with the time and expense that is involved with maintaining a website. You can also reach a wider audience with social media. In the case of The Dining Room, they have a Facebook page that is frequently updated.

[rccrain]

Traditional websites have improved but they can still be costly and difficult to maintain for a single operator. I see no need for them.

[DaveinMtAiry]

So if I'm interested in a restaurant and can't find a menu I'll probably go somewhere else. Before I go anywhere around here I want to know what they have and how much it costs. I may also need directions. Facebook does not contain menus, you can't book a table on Facebook, and it does not have a link for directions. I'm not techie but not having a web site for a restaurant is really dumb IMO. It doesn't cost that much and it offers a lot to customer and the restaurant business is all about service.

[wombattver]

And in terms of directions to The Dining Room - it's right across the street from the Courthouse on Main Street, but when I looked it up online, it had a totally different numerical address on the same street which made it seem like it was near the corner of Boones and Main, which it is not.

As for the lack of a website, I agree that I like to see the menu and prefer a website over Facebook. The lack of websites has been VERY noticeable to me in my one year here. Everything seems to be: "Call this number for more information," but the phone is not answered and there's no ability to see a schedule / menu / register / or buy tickets online. For example - the JC public schools bus company has only a number to call and no routes are posted online. I had to schedule my kid's camps / classes over the phone with Rocky Mount museum, gymnastics, theatre class at JRT. In fact, the JRT website page for the kid's class was 2 years out of date. I had to call numerous times to enroll and then they wouldn't guarantee the spot with a credit card over the phone - I had to deliver a check that day to hold a spot! Even the Appalachian Fair website is pretty bad and you can't buy tickets online. It's very frustrating for newcomers like me and gives the impression that many places are not very professional or up-to-date.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Yeah that is weird, this is 2015 right? It's especially strange when so many organizations are driving people to their web site instead of asking them to call and tie up their employees. That makes zero sense to me.

I need to correct something. There is a way to post a menu on a Facebook page but few, including The Dining Room, appear to do it.

[Bones]

[quote=DaveinMtAiry;40992718]Interesting you said that. We were at lunch and not that crowded. But I was laughing at the number of times the waitress had to go up and down stairs to get to her tables. And she was on it, no complaints at all about the service and again on the patio that's a lot of walking/climbing for her to do.

Why in the world would a business, any business, not have a web site?????[/quote]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Yeah that is weird, this is 2015 right? It's especially strange when so many organizations are driving people to their web site instead of asking them to call and tie up their employees. That makes zero sense to me.

I need to correct something. There is a way to post a menu on a Facebook page but few, including The Dining Room, appear to do it.

Dave, y'all lost me when you say the opposite....

In todays world communications is geared towards computer devices of some sort. To actually talk to a human being is next to impossible, but saves $$$ for the corporations...

Tripadvisor is a good source for places to eat with directions and menus posted sometimes....

[DubbleT]

One of the byproducts of that slower pace of life so many people move to this area for. I don't mind the tradeoff too much. Word of mouth is still the best advertisement and generally what I rely on anyway.

[Rangerred]

Yelp and Zomato (formerly Urban Spoon) are also good sources of information for restaurants. Maybe it's because I'm young but the lack of a website doesn't bother me in the least. Most every business has a very active social media presence and word of mouth is very effective. Idk it's never been an issue in the nearly 10 years I've lived here.