Introduction to Mama Stella’s Ristorante ItalianoI have been to

Introduction to Mama Stella’s Ristorante Italiano

I have been to many restaurants in most states, and critiqued their meals, waiter’s courtesy, environment, and management. Today, I decided to critique two popularly known restaurants in the suburbs of Maryland. Mind you I have never eaten in these restaurants before, and this hopefully should be interesting. My very first restaurant is Mama Stella’s Ristorante Italiano. Mama Stella’s Ristorante Italiano is the kind of place where Clinton, a city in Maryland, patrons become family.

As I walked up to the restaurant, I noticed it doesn’t look like anything special from the outside. It looked like any other diner, apart from the wonderfully lit, big, bold sign outside which says, ‘’ MAMA STELLA’S RISTORANTE ITALIANO’’. Just looking at the brightly lit name grabs your attention, enticing you to eat there. Mama Stella’s creates a welcoming reception through a calming atmosphere. The first thing I noticed as I walked into the place was the wooden ceiling, two to four person tables, family dining tables and booths, the dimly lit lights, and the carpeted floors.

I was welcomed by a friendly wait-staff and a large group of smiling faces. I was also greeted by the sweet smell of freshly baked bread and a slight smell of seafood. I put my name in the reservation book and after a small wait, I was seated at a very good table. I was waited on very intently and checked up on frequently for drink choices and meal decisions.

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One particular dish that I had ordered was the Filleto Di Pesce Alla Livornese. This dish consisted of Fresh filet of white fish saut?ed in white wine, fresh garlic, and parsley. The fish was cooked to perfection. The color was perfectly opaque and not translucent. Not overcooked and neither was it undercooked. Just right for my taste buds. Luckily for me it was the first weekend of the month, so live entertainment with the works of Bobby Lyle as playlist was provided. It was indeed the best night of my life.

Introduction to Denny’s

The next evening, I decided to pay a visit to Denny’s, which was the second diner on my list. But before I headed over there, I decided to do a background history on the restaurant. Harold Butler and Richard Jezak opened a donut stand in 1953 and called it Danny’s Donuts. Butler’s stated promise was “To serve the best cup of coffee, make the best donuts, give the best service, offer the best value and stay open 24 hours a day.” Today that donut stand is a restaurant chain with a slightly different name, over 1,700 locations and a proven reputation for keeping Mr. Butler’s original promise. It’s a popular restaurant among the locals and tourists passing through Clinton, Maryland. No one can miss the brightly colored signed with the letters boldly written in red, DENNY’S. The moment I entered the restaurant, I was immediately hit with the tantalizing smell of the fried chicken wafted into the diner from the kitchen. The first thing I noticed was the vast amount of family and friends, sharing laughter and dining together. The restaurant had bright and attractive colors which projects the diner as spacious. You can never miss the sight of Denny’s plush wooden booths, family dining tables, two to four person tables, and even individual tables. I was greeted by a courteous, and accommodating server, who kindly ushered me to an individual table. Ten minutes after I was given the menu, the server came to ask what drink I would prefer with my entr?e. I chose the groovy mango smoothie for my drink. For my entr?e, I had a tender 13 oz. seasoned T-Bone steak with broccoli and whole grain rice. This entr?e came with a free dinner bread. The T-Bone steak was grilled medium-well and tender. It is hard to find restaurants that grill steaks medium-well and tender. The rice and broccoli was soft, not hard or too chewy. I had a pleasant dining experience with food of the most

well- crafted flavors.

Similarities Between Mama Stella’s and Denny’s

During my time spent in both Mama Stella’s Ristorante Italiano and Denny’s, I noted some similarity between the diners. Both diners use an a la carte menu, that is, a menu where food items are priced individually. In terms of tables service, both diners use the American-style table service, where foods are plated in the kitchen and then presented to guests. Another similarity is that both diners offer takeout services, where customers purchase food on-site to go, or call in advance to place order so the food can be quickly purchased. Both diners also utilize the use of social media, to advertise and grow their markets.

Differences Between Mama Stella’s and Denny’s

Unlike Denny’s, Mama Stella’s offers live entertainment every first and third weekend of the month. In comparison to Mama Stella’s, Denny’s are more advanced when it comes to advertisement. Denny’s advertise their market, not only on social media but on national television. Mama Stella’s advertise in newspapers and word-of-mouth advertisement. Also, Mama Stella’s only offer Italian cuisine, unlike Denny’s which provides a diverse amount of ethnic foods. I also took the pleasure of making small talks with the server, as well as the manger/ owner of both diners, who came to check up on me in between my meals. During these talks, I got to ask a few questions and with that I realized how different managements are. Since Mama Stella’s is an independently owned restaurant, the owner is the top manager in the restaurant. The owner is responsible for planning the menu. Even though the menu is static, the owner can decide to change menu items – that is either add a food item or remove a food item – when he prefers. Also, the owner is in charge of finance and staffing, that is, recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training staff. On the other hand, Denny’s management is different. Since it is chained restaurant, each branch is managed by managers – general and functional managers. These managers are not responsible for menu planning or change. They go according to the orders of the top manager, that is, CEO’s who oversee these chained restaurants. General manager oversee the whole restaurant, acting as a resource allocator, disturbance handler, spokesperson, leader, and liaison. Functional managers at Denny’s are responsible for staffing, that is, recruiting, selecting, orientating, and training staff.

Conclusion

In my opinion both diners have great qualities, in terms of appearances inside and out. The atmosphere is welcoming, conducive for dining and have great customer service. There are a variety of food item choices you can pick from on the menu. Food items are of quality, and reasonable prices. If you are trying to have a hearty meal with your loved one (husband/ wife/ girlfriend/ boyfriend), Mama Stella’s is your to go restaurant. The reason because, it has an intimate setting – with the dim light, d?cor, and jazz live entertainment. Denny’s on the other hand would be good for family and friend reunions, because of its vibrant setting – bright lights, d?cor, and chatty or loud tables. Denny’s is definitely not the place for intimate dinners.