fitzroyalty

Atter extensive wine tasting in Rutherglen and dinner at Warden’s in Beechworth on a Saturday night, I was surprised at myself in waking up the next morning feeling energetic and hungry. After a quick walk around Camp and Ford streets in Beechworth comparing cafes, bakeries and menus, we chose Gigi’s. The coffee was good and strong and the breakfasts were formidable.

We ordered the bacon and poached eggs on sourdough with tomatoes and chutney, and the pancakes with bacon and maple syrup. The eggs were very fresh and the bread delicious. The pancakes were the fattest I have ever seen and that would normally mean they could be doughy and undercooked inside, but these pancakes were perfect. The bacon on both dishes was flavoursome and not too salty.

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When choosing restaurants and accommodation based on their websites and third party reviews and recommendations, some interesting trends emerge. I’ve found that there is a high degree of correlation between a business with a great website and a business that provides great service. I’ve never been somewhere where their website was significantly better than their service. Many places with bad websites have equally bad service. It seems the effort required to have a good website is a reliable indicator of the effort required to deliver great service.

Businesses that have a website with current content, not a ‘coming soon’ that has been there since 2005, earn trust. Sites without randomly incorrect apostrophes earn respect. Restaurants whose sites don’t include menus are to be avoided. Wineries that invite you to their cellar door but fail to include their street address or their opening hours should be treated with suspicion.

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