Tony’s Place is crammed into a tiny building next to the Fine Arts Theater. The owners offer a menu of Italian food. They’ve got the checkered table clothes, dim lights, and crusty bread. They also know how to make a hearty red sauce. Too bad they use it to drown delicate fish. They also seem to lace everything with truckloads of garlic.
The service needs some work, too. Our waiter didn’t know what the specials were. Nor did he think to refill our water glasses before we asked. With a combination of fake-friendly chatter and outright nagging, he made us order, finish up, and clear out. He seemed to see us only as automatic tip machines. The food and low prices bring the customers in the door. The service should not push them out.
The tone of the passage is