This is a painful review to write. I've always had a soft spot for this place and have always defended it from detractors who claim it's getting too touristy. And one of the main reasons I did was because of the attentive, professional service.
For example, more than a few years ago, my ex-wife and I went down there for dinner on our anniversary. Somehow they knew it was a special night. Somehow our waiter figured out it was our anniversary. And at the end of the meal, unannounced and unasked, a large slice of tres leches cake appeared, an item that wasn't even on the menu at the time. Our waiter explained it was a Mexican tradition. We felt the love in the place that night. That moment and that gesture made me a loyal fan. And I am a loyal fan. I can forgive a lot if I like a place.
Well. I may have to add my name to the list of local detractors.
It's not a food thing. Sure, the menu leans a bit hard toward the "cheesy beans" as an old friend would say. But German tourists have their own idea of Mexican food. And if El Charro wants to stay in business, it needs to keep those people happy. I accept that. And as long as the carne seca remains an inviolate classic, I'll be happy with the food.
Carne seca? A southwest classic and the restaurant has as good a claim as any to its invention. Wind-dried beef. Shredded, reconstituted, spiced and cooked. Good stuff with an absolutely amazing texture. I love the stuff. I've made the stuff. And without reservation, I can say that El Charro's carne seca is the best I've ever had. I crave it sometimes.
The rest of the menu? How bout a burrito? Yawn. A taco salad? A chimichanga? Something with lots of cheese? Way to push the envelope guys. But again, I can't blame them. It's a formula that's worked for decades. Who am I to criticize?
So I'll leave the food alone. What I can't excuse is the absolutely indifferent service.
I eat lunch early. I like to avoid the rush. So for the second time in a month, my Sweetie and I arrived at El Charro at about 11:15 a.m. The restaurant was almost empty. The interior dining room was completely empty. And for the second time in a month, we were guided to the table closest to the kitchen. And for the second time in a month, we were then completely ignored.
By completely, I mean that at least three waiters walked by us into the kitchen without a word or smile. By ignored, I mean I could hear several servers just around the corner, shooting the breeze. By ignored, I mean that even though I started banging my plate on the table and yelping, noone, noone came to see what the ruckus was about. By ignored, I mean that even though I walked through a cloud of servers on my way out the door, not one asked if I needed help.
(I have chosen to remove a portion of this post. I remove it not because I do not believe I have a right to express my subjective opinions, but because of the personal contact I have had with the owner of El Charro. I have found him to be a professional man of great integrity. As a favor to him and his family I am removing these negative statements.)
There have been other problems with the service lately. Missing food. Appetizers that suddenly appear along with dinner. The wrong food. Cold food.
Maybe El Charro is of the opinion it doesn't need local regulars. And if you don't need regulars, then who cares how you treat the tourists? They won't be back. So who cares?
And that's the message that El Charro is sending loud and clear. We're a legend. We have reviews and plaudits from national magazines. We don't need you. And we don't care.
I hear you El Charro. Loud and clear.
This review crosses a line it should not have crossed. Racial discrimination is not a charge that should be made lightly. I'll come back to that topic in a bit.
ReplyDeleteI have eaten at all five El Charro restaurants in Tucson many times over the years, and I can't imagine any of them--including the one downtown that is the location most often promoted to tourists--surviving for more than a few days on tourist business alone. There simply aren't enough tourists coming to Tucson.
I'm pretty sure that dismissing the local regulars is NOT part of their business plan or their company ethos. If it were, why would they put so much into their Power Card program, which is obviously geared towards repeat business from local residents?
Sounds like a business plan that wouldn't have kept them in business for 87 years (I think they opened the original in 1922): take the locals for granted AND mistreat the tourists because they are "one and done". I think not.
They wouldn't last long in business if they had the attitude that they can mistreat tourists because they won't be back. You don't stay on the lists of businesses recommended to tourists if you don't keep the tourists happy. Word-of-mouth isn't limited to just local customers. Tourists talk to each other, to their bus drivers and tour operators, and to their friends back home, too, about businesses that they liked and disliked. Concierges and tour operators wouldn't continue to recommend a business about which they hear consistent complaints of poor or rude service.
It's also hard to imagine that your two experiences of receiving poor service when in the company of your Navajo girlfriend are the result of systemic, management-directed racial discrimination. There may be an isolated bigot on-staff at one of the restaurants, whose bigotry has as yet gone undetected by management, but an entire crew of wait staff ignoring you because they are bigoted against Native Americans? Especially given the fact that a large percentage of El Charro staff members are Hispanic, it seems like a stretch.
My wife and I have been going to the various El Charro locations for many years. While I am very white, with Irish and Scandinavian ancestry, my wife's skin is darker. We've never received poor service at an El Charro that I would attribute to anything other than confusion over who was serving our table, or perhaps some youthful laziness here or there.
Charging a company, its ownership, management, and staff of bigotry and practicing racial discrimination, and doing so from a position of authority on a public forum---that's a very big deal. You shouldn't throw accusations like that around on the basis of two poor experiences that could have been the result of any number of factors unrelated to your girlfriend's ethnic heritage.
If you suffered poor service, you have every right to say so, but with no evidence of the reason behind the poor service, you don't have the right to make accusations of bigotry.
Unfortunately Robish, it hasn't been on only those two occasions. And as I think I have made clear in a subsequent post, I apologized for implying that the ownership of El Charro supports systematic racism. My speculation ran to the motivation of the servers, not the ownership or the company in general.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the service I have gotten at the Downtown restaurant has been consistently spotty. The service while in the company of my girlfriend has been markedly and dramatically worse.
That poor service could have been the result of any number of factors, true. I'm frankly at a loss, however, to explain such consistent dismissiveness that seems to happen only when I am present with my fiancee. Again, this is my opinion, based on my experiences. I will also say that bigotry in restaurants and other retail establishments is certainly not limited to El Charro.
I do have the right to report on that opinion. As far as authority goes, I have none. In fact, I have no idea how you managed to find this blog, although you are certainly welcome.
I'm happy to hear that you and your wife have had a different experience. You're welcome to continue to monitor this blog and to disagree with me or anything written here.
As a final aside, I will say that stating that because the restaurant staff is heavily Hispanic that bigotry is unlikely, is a bit naive. In fact, enmity towards people of Native descent is an unfortunate and sad chapter of Mexican history. Beginning with the colonial system of castas in which people were grouped according to ancestry (and Indios were the bottom caste out of twenty or thirty) and continuing into the early twentieth century when the Mexican army attempted to ethnically cleanse Sonora of all Native tribes, there is long-standing between people of Native and Mexican descent. That certainly doesn't mean that all Mexicans hate Indians and vice-versa. But implying a shared brotherhood because of skin color is simply wrong-headed.
Rob, you wrote: "In fact, I have no idea how you managed to find this blog, although you are certainly welcome."
ReplyDeleteWhat, doesn't anybody read this thing?
Actually, my cousin in South Dakota found it through a google search (and I replicated his search, and it came up on the first page). My cousin and his wife will be joining some other cousins of ours in Tucson this weekend for a family reunion, and we'll be going to El Charro. He was simply doing a little research, and stumbled on your disturbing post, and alerted me to it.
So tourists do pay attention to reputation!
As for your points about racism, you are right. Racism is not just limited to Whites versus everyone else.
I went there and suffered no discrimination whatsoever. I was a little upset that they asked me to take off my white hood.
ReplyDeleteHa! Robish, in fact, no, until I actually emailed the review to Ray Flores at El Charro, barely anyone read this thing other than a handful of friends.
ReplyDeleteI know you have probably read the subsequent post, but just to let you know, Mr. Flores, myself and the managers of the restaurant are meeting on Monday to talk things over, which is very gracious of Mr. Flores. We have been in email correspondence which has been very cordial and both sides have apologized to each other for perceived slights.
I will post regarding the results of that meeting. Like I said, I've been a defender of the restaurant for years. That's why I've been so dismayed over our recent experiences there. I'm assuming that things will work out just fine.
By the way guys, if you really want to conceal your identities through plays on my name, be my guest. But it's really unnecessary. I don't bite. Promise.
I have seen you bite. And if you want to be a fair food critic I think you absolutely should bite. Mastication rules.
ReplyDeletePoint by you Khurram. Nice blog.
ReplyDelete