The Cheapening of Z-Tejas

First it was the transition from the brightly-colored shirts with dockers to the drab white shirts with blue jeans. Today it was the change to the flimsy laminated paper menus. What's in store tomorrow in the continuing cheapening of Z-Tejas?

I have been a loyal and happy customer to Z-Tejas for at least five years now. However, when I see changes to the restaurant that clearly are cuts in style, service, and attention to detail, then I begin to wonder if I should continue patronizing your restaurant.

I first was impressed with the Z-Tejas on Ray & 54th St, with its grand open ceiling and waiters in their stylish turquoise, orange, and red pressed linen shirts. The atmosphere was welcoming and the waiters and waitresses were friendly and nice to look at. The restaurant, in a word, was classy. It really attracted the "in" crowd. The food was excellent. I never had a bad meal.

Then about a year or so ago, something changed. We came to eat and have fun like we often did. But something was different. Ahhh. It was the shirts. Those brightly colored pressed-linen shirts were replaced by what seemed to me as drab and boring, plain white shirts with faded blue jeans. "What happened to prompt this?" I wondered to myself, and aloud to my group of friends. That night, too, the food seemed a bit less spicy, a tad less unique, and definitely more bland. It's almost like they threw out some of the flavor of the food along with the colorful shirts.

We continued to come to Z-Tejas over the last year or so, more out of tradition, perhaps, than enjoying the once stylish surroundings. But it seemed the waiters were somewhat tired, or lacked the spunky attractive smiling attitude they once had. In fact, I haven't heard any waiter, in the last year or so, tell us about their favorite dish, or the fact that they used to have to memorize all the entrees. It's more of a "it's just a job" attitude now. The fun seems to have gone out with the colorful shirts.

Today, when we sat down at the table, my jaw dropped and my eyes rolled when I saw the flimsy laminated single-sheet ink-jet printed menus. The menus items were crowded together in a single font, with little or no delimiting between separate items. It looked like someone typed it in Microsoft Word last night without much thought for readability or style. Yet another stylish aspect of Z-Tejas out the window with the colorful shirts and hip waiters. I felt like I was at a cheap Mexican restaurant (except the cheap Mexican restaurant at least has a tri-fold laminated menu). The menus didn't even list drinks.

When the waitress came to our table, she asked, "Do you have any questions about the menu?" My reply was "Yes, why did they replace the nice bound menus with these cheap laminated ones?" She smiled and mentioned that a lot of people have complained about that too. "I can imagine," I said, as I rolled my eyes.

So, what's the next step in the cheapening of Z-Tejas? How about replacing the linen napkins with paper napkins, replacing the silverware with pressed 12-gauge metal, and removing the candles from table. Or better yet, use plastic chairs on the 4- and 6-top tables. How about waiters in t-shirts with cigarette packs wrapped in their sleeves?

I jest, but I do that to make a point: while it may be saving expenses to use white-only shirts and blue jeans, and using laminated menus, it really does make an impression on the customer. The style is gone. The excitement is all but vanished. The fun is history. The flavor is still there, but watered down.

I miss the old Z-Tejas, and will be sorry when I feel I can no longer eat there due to the failing customer satisfaction.