Is it rude to return something at a restaurant?

[jstaylor62]

I'm a very serious home cook, so when I eat out, I try very hard to manage my expectations. I know its difficult to have every item in a meal served hot at the same time, but its not impossible. For example, I make breakfast very frequently, so I expect my my toast to be fresh and hot.

Jimmy's Egg tends to make up toast ahead of time and put it into a drawer to keep warm. I make a point to ask for fresh toast and not toast from the drawer.

The Chuck House on Midwest Blvd tends to undercook their fries during the lunch rush. I know that the fry cook is probably just not letting the oil get up to temp again between batches of fries. So I specifically request that my fries be cooked completely. But fast food fries are my pet peeve. The picture of the fries on the menu shows a container overflowing with fries. If my fries dont match the picture, I ask for fries that match the picture on the menu.

The first time I ate at Wing Stop on SW 104th and Western, I got a batch of french fries that were literally covered in salt. It was so much salt, that I could hold the fry by the end and scrape off a small pile of salt. I went up to the counter to ask for a batch of fries that were not covered with salt and the supervisor refused. I tried very calmy to explain my disatisfaction with the fries, but he was not swayed. That was 6-7 years ago and I have not been to a Wing Stop since.
If something is horribly made or spoiled, then I have no problem at all sending it back. But if it simply does not taste the way I thought it read in the menu, then I just suck it up.

 

[RidgeHunter]

I don't send things back. If I order something I don't end up liking, it's the risk I take for trying new things. If it objectively sucks, then I chalk it up as a loss and don't eat there again. That's the risk you take eating out. I don't get the "you shouldn't have been charged for things you don't like". If you simply did not like it, you shouldn't have ordered it, and I don't see why you'd expect not to be charged for it.

I never understood sending things back. If it's not what I expected, it's my fault. If it's objectively awful, I don't want anything else from a kitchen that serves objectively awful food, and I certainly don't want the kitchen staff mad at me BEFORE I eat what they send out. Not all of them will fawk with your food in that situation, but some will, and you ain't gonna know who.

Not many things piss me off faster than someone in my party complaining incessantly about food. I was in a large party once for someone's birthday and this woman wanted the waitress to taste her salad dressing because she thought it tasted "off". Waitress offered to bring her another salad and dressing, and she kept insisting she taste it, like that's not an insane request to ask a stranger to eat your salad dressing which you say tastes funny. (she was a little drunk at this point) The waitress had fire in her eyes, but a smile on her face. I pushed my meal around on my plate like a 5 year old when it came. I'm sure they gave her some special dressing, and prolly fawked with all our food for good measure.

 

[inactive]

RH, Agreed but if it is a smaller place I eat at often, and they know me at least by face as a good customer, I'll trust them if something isn't up to par and I tell them. But that is very, very rare and mostly smaller ethnic places anyway (Chinese, Mexican, Vietnamese, Lebanese joints).

If it is a place that serves food off a hot bar (like an Indian restaurant, where many just keep the hot bar behind the kitchen and scoop it to order behind the scenes), they will usually let me sample a bit before ordering so determine if I like it. Props to them for that.

 

[RidgeHunter]

Yeah, if it's a small place and they know you that's different.

My sister was a waitress for years, you dont want to know what happens in those kitchens. Ignorance is bliss in this situation

My sister recently started serving in a fairly nice restaurant, and I refuse to ask her about what goes on. I know it doesn't happen a lot, but it HAS to happen.

Ignorance is bliss. As obsessive as I am with food handling, I'm surprised I haven't flipped out and not been able to eat out ever again. I just have to block it out, cognitive dissonance mang. I got a glass of Pepsi with lipstick on it at a greasy spoon once and I nearly passed out. Lawl.

 

[Blinocac200sx]

I don't think the OP is talking about something he just off and decided to try, but a dish he orders regularly and enjoys. I really do believe you should be able to expect some quality when you order food. Would you pay someone if hired them to paint your house, and instead they painted a picture of your house?

 

[RidgeHunter]

I'm not gonna be eating my house, so if I don't really care if the painters rub their bawls on it.

Quality is subjective. I know people that think Cracker Barrel makes a good breakfast, and though I've never been to prison, I imagine prison food is better than what that slop house churns out. So I just don't eat at Cracker Barrel. I mean I could barely choke down any of their breakfasts, yet I know people that eat their all the time and think it's great.

 

[ignerntbend]

Some of you guys really make me laugh. You won't tell a waitress how things are just because you fear that sp*t, Sn*t, E*r w*x, sm*gma, to* j*m, etc. will show up in your food? You really make me laugh. You're embarassing yourselves.

 

[inactive]

Somewhat relevant:

People knock Waffle House, but I think it's better than Cracker Barrel and some of the other places. The biggest plus? You get to watch them cook the food right there. I eat there like 3 times every two years, but that was always a positive to me. Is it gourmet? Heck no but they have always prepared the food as asked and cooked it well. Bacon, eggs, waffle. Hard to screw those up. Especially with me watching.

Also, a prison at the salt mine couldn't put more salt on the food than Cracker Barrel does. That chit is foul.

 

[RidgeHunter]

"This food is straight nasty, can you bring me something else from the kitchen this grotesque meal originated from not 5 minutes ago? I'd like to eat that."

 

[Blinocac200sx]

I'm not gonna be eating my house, so if I don't really care if the painters rub their bawls on it.

Quality is subjective. I know people that think Cracker Barrel makes a good breakfast, and though I've never been to prison, I imagine prison food is better than what that slop house churns out. So I just don't eat at Cracker Barrel. I mean I could barely choke down any of their breakfasts, yet I know people that eat their all the time and think it's great.

Trust me, prison food will make a can of Alpo look good.