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Do you send back food?
- Thread starter tastybasslines
- Start date
i like to casually drop into the conversation when ordering that i'm a chef. this usually gets a manager or at least floor supervisor to my table very soon after it's delivered to "see how things are". often, this little snippet of info has the chef or sous delivering the order themself.
in lower-scale places, like the mid-level national chains, i straight up ask how old the cook making my entree is. anyone under 25 gets a no-go. for the most part these guys just don't care. there are exceptions to the rule, of course.
on a personal note, in 26 years in kitchens from local pizza to corporate national chains to 3 and 4 stars-- i've never personally sabotaged anything, or seen anything even close to the debauchery in the movie "waiting". i hear alot of griping and arguing over how "********" or whatever the guest is when a steak comes back wrong, but i really think you should have a little bit more faith. we want you to be satisfied. we want you to come back. when the boss sees food coming back, he just sees dollar signs going into the trash. there went your raise, idiot. there went your hours, too.
i sometimes forget how most people don't really know the ins and outs of food safety. for example, how many people posting here realize that MOST cases of foodborne illness happen IN YOUR HOME, not from eating out. also, let's think about the big news cases of contaminated food being recalled, or the warnings about what to avoid: how many of them are beef, pork, chicken, seafood, etc?--- the stuff everybody focuses on when they feel queasy after eating out--- not many. it's actually usually the food that is never even cooked-- spinach. lettuce. fruit. scallion. hell there was a local place here a few years ago that caused an outbreak with tea! (re-brewing the same bags) why is it always the meat people feel threatened by?
long post, but i had to chime in. most chefs, i would think, would prefer you get exactly what you want, and tell us when something isn't right. however, there's no gray area when it comes to steak. a medium rare steak IS NOT HOT IN THE MIDDLE!!! a well done steak IS NOT GOING TO BE JUICY!!!! and guess what.... a charbroiled steak will have some CHAR on it, go figure...
in lower-scale places, like the mid-level national chains, i straight up ask how old the cook making my entree is. anyone under 25 gets a no-go. for the most part these guys just don't care. there are exceptions to the rule, of course.
on a personal note, in 26 years in kitchens from local pizza to corporate national chains to 3 and 4 stars-- i've never personally sabotaged anything, or seen anything even close to the debauchery in the movie "waiting". i hear alot of griping and arguing over how "********" or whatever the guest is when a steak comes back wrong, but i really think you should have a little bit more faith. we want you to be satisfied. we want you to come back. when the boss sees food coming back, he just sees dollar signs going into the trash. there went your raise, idiot. there went your hours, too.
i sometimes forget how most people don't really know the ins and outs of food safety. for example, how many people posting here realize that MOST cases of foodborne illness happen IN YOUR HOME, not from eating out. also, let's think about the big news cases of contaminated food being recalled, or the warnings about what to avoid: how many of them are beef, pork, chicken, seafood, etc?--- the stuff everybody focuses on when they feel queasy after eating out--- not many. it's actually usually the food that is never even cooked-- spinach. lettuce. fruit. scallion. hell there was a local place here a few years ago that caused an outbreak with tea! (re-brewing the same bags) why is it always the meat people feel threatened by?
long post, but i had to chime in. most chefs, i would think, would prefer you get exactly what you want, and tell us when something isn't right. however, there's no gray area when it comes to steak. a medium rare steak IS NOT HOT IN THE MIDDLE!!! a well done steak IS NOT GOING TO BE JUICY!!!! and guess what.... a charbroiled steak will have some CHAR on it, go figure...
Why does wanting the burger the way they want it make them a jerk? Or do you mean they behave like a jerk?
I hate pickles, among other things. If there are pickles on my burger, it's dead to me, I'd either give it to someone else or trash it. If I paid for a burger without pickles, why don't I deserve to get one? I'm not it the habit of intentionally buying things just to throw them away immediately. Generally I don't see any reason to make a fuss, I just give it to a friend who will eat it or something, but if it was a pricey burger or I went out of my way to get it and still want one, of course I'm going to want another one.
Granted, it doesn't give you any reason to behave like an *******. Everybody makes mistakes, even the people making McDonalds burgers, but I still want the burger I came here to buy, alternatively I'd be happy with a refund.
You should think about it a little more yourself. What is common sense is that bacteria can not survive the temperatures found in cooking. The "safe" temperature for food is considered to be above about 150F because that is where bacteria die and all grills and griddles are far hotter than that or food poisoning would be rampant. The only possibility for contamination is the utensil used to cook the food and that is easy to deal with - simply get a clean one to use after cooking the returned item.
Every time I have asked for food to be cooked more I received the same portion back. I never received a new one.
close... it's 165F. and health code requires sanitizer on the line for use on cutting boards and utensils.
i think the problem is the food going back and forth more than once between safe temperatures and the "danger zone" (any temperature between 41 and 145). once food reaches 165F it is considered safe to hold at 145 or higher. by the time it reaches the table, the error is discovered, and it is returned to the kitchen, it most likely has fallen below 145. by code (i'm pretty sure this is national standard) you are required to take the food back up to 165 before being "safe" to serve. this will in most cases ruin it. it will dry out, get darker, wilt or flake apart; whatever. it's just going to be better in most cases to fire a new dish for the guest in lieu of "fixing" it. in addition, the codes also limit the number of times food can be reheated to ONCE. if it required hot prep, then cooled until ordered, you CAN'T reheat it by code. this is what confuses people, i think.
Yes, it's Benny slang for what we locals call the beach.
New Jersey...we put the FU in fun.
Pickle juice is insidious, once it touches the burger the whole thing tastes like pickles, even if you remove them. If customers ask something why is it so difficult to prepare what they ordered ?
If flipping burgers is too damn upsetting, you should consider another career path. I know you put a lot in your education to get there but still, you should relax.
I must be special then.
had food poisoning four times: pizza joint, Subway (x2), Red Robin.
+1. I worked in kitchens at 2 restaurants for 3 years, and spent close to 5 years waiting tables at 3 other places, and never, ever saw or heard of that happening. Maybe it happens at the odd fast-food joint where a 19-year-old is the kitchen manager.
It depends on the price & quality of the food and restaurant. At a recent Sunday brunch in an upscale place, I received a plate of sausage that was raw in the middle. Sent it back & it was replaced gratis. The waitress got a decent tip & we spoke to the manager about how well she handled it and our appreciation. I have no qualms about recommending the place to anyone.
If that happened at a local eatery? If it was a minor mistake - no worries. A big mistake means I would never eat there again. A local cafe had a "restaurant week" special. I forget what the appetizer was, but it was still frozen in the middle. Not only did I send it back, but I've been boycotting the place for over two years now. F 'em.
If that happened at a local eatery? If it was a minor mistake - no worries. A big mistake means I would never eat there again. A local cafe had a "restaurant week" special. I forget what the appetizer was, but it was still frozen in the middle. Not only did I send it back, but I've been boycotting the place for over two years now. F 'em.
if its a genuine mistake- like a totally different meal, i might. but if whatever is on the plate i'm served is something i like, i'd prob just go for it.
if its just crappy, i dont. i just dont go back.
if its just crappy, i dont. i just dont go back.
Never had anything so far off that I've sent it back.
Though I have found that very few places seem to cook steak properly (with the general exception of steakhouses). They always tend to overcook it, so ordering a notch or two less tends to get it the right way.
Though I have found that very few places seem to cook steak properly (with the general exception of steakhouses). They always tend to overcook it, so ordering a notch or two less tends to get it the right way.
I haven't sent food back eventhough there were times I should have. This has mostly happned when I've ordered beef and have gotten it undercooked to the point that even caryover heat wouldn't have gotten it to the point I preferr (medium rare). I have pointed out food flaws which in my experience have been minor. Last year I was in Savannah for a conference and told the server that the last clam I had in my entree was slightly gritty. I didn't want them to make a big deal out of it by the discounted the dish by 50%. I made sure to leave a big tip.
There was the time I sent back a salad because it had a screw head in it. Luckily, I didn't crack a tooth.
Yeah, but uncooked sausage isn't a minor mistake. That's how food poisoning happens. You'd have to send that back regardless of the type of restaurant.
And the appetizer that was still frozen in the middle? I'd boycott the place for using frozen food at all (except for ice cream) LOL!
Never for quality that wasn't up to par. If I don't like my meal I just don't return to the restaurant. If the order is wayyy not what it's supposed to be, I'll politely let them know that I actually ordered something else. If they bring me a chicken sandwich instead of the steak I ordered, I just eat the damn chicken, not a huge deal for me.
Tip from my ex girlfriend who was a pastry chef in a very high end restaurant: If you're ever dining alone in a schmancy joint, bring a small spiral pad of paper and a pencil, write the name of the restaurant at the top and leave it face up so the server can steal a glance of it when taking your order, and throughout the evening look around the restaurant, study your food and jot down your chore list for tomorrow on the paper. They'll assume your some kind of shadow critic doing a write up on the restaurant, you'll get top notch service and food.
I'm paying for it, it better be damn good. I have to earn my money, so the restaurant has to as well. If I need to send something back I tell them I do not want it replaced and I will not be paying for it.
I also try not to penalize the server for a cooks ineptitude.
I also try not to penalize the server for a cooks ineptitude.
