How many of you would send a meal back to the kitchen?

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Would you send a meal back to the kitchen of the restaurant that you dine in?

For what seems ike way too many times, I've dined out with a friend, and the food we got was not to our liking! Then, when my 2 grand nephews came up this summer, the 10-year-old (pictured below), who is also a very alert food prodigy and gives his opinion on the food that he eats at restaurants, has told us that if the food he gets is not to his liking, he sends it back immediately!

We's seen him do this on several occasions! We've learned from him that if something isn't right, we should tell the waiter or waitress and ask that it be taken back to the kitchen for a replacement meal.

We've then decided that when something is wrong with the food that we get, it will be sent right back to the kitchen. This has happened to us way too many times, and we decided that when a meal is not to our liking (is cold, not appitizing) or whatever the case may be, we will not accept it.

Also, the service is a big factor as well! If you've waited too long for someone to come to your table to greet you and offer you something to drink, that also presents a serious problem as well. My grand nephew noticed that as well and told us that he wanted to talk to the manager of the eatery, to let him know that the service there was very poor & unacceptable!! And he did! We aplauded him very appreciatively!

So I ask; How many of you have encountered these problems in a restaurant that you've dined in? :excl:
 

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QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
I rarely send food back.

For one thing, on the few occasions when I dine out, I go to TNT restaurants where I know the food is great. The Boston area has hundreds of terrific restaurants.

For another thing, I am always concerned about my dinner companions being long finished with their meals when my "new" meal is just arriving. I hate to be inconvenient.

If the meal is edible, but not cooked exactly to my liking, I will eat what I like, and ask the server to inform the chef. In the event that I just cannot eat what I've been served, I will send it back. If a new meal is going to take too long, I'll just tell the server not to bring me a second meal, and to take it off the bill.

Lee
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
not in general. ppl spit in food & stuff when they have issues. we leave when food is sub-par, & that is that. they lose their tip, we gwt a decent dinner elsewhere. game over. we win. they lose.
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Also, if even my favorite restaurant is full to the rafters when I go in there and the waiting time to get a table or seats at the bar is going to be astronomically too long, I walk out and go elsewhere.

This may or may not have anything to do with the service, but why wait that long just to be seated?!! :ohmy: :piesmiley1::eating2:
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
that is a great sign, shermie-- that means that they have a robust & full list of clients, & they may have made reservarions, too.
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Thanks!

True, that may be the case, but regardless, I don't hang around longer than I think the time should be allowed to get a table. :sad::piesmiley1:
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
call ahead & get reservations, is how i get a table on due time.
 

Shermie

Well-known member
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Most places don't take reservations. They seem to like the concept of; Show up & hope to get a table for yourself & your party. :neutral:
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
I sent some rancid oysters back once but that's the only time.
 
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Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
A friend & myself had decided to split a large pizza at one of the pizza places that we go to.

We ordered a large pizza with pepperoni, meatball & bacon. After a while, the pizza was brought out, but it was a MUSHROOM pizza!! We sent it back for the one that we ordered!

Of course, we had to wait for the original / replacement pizza. The bartender on duty had comped us for the screw-up, and the pizza ended up costing us nothing. We only had to pay for the BEER.

That is another thing; Several times while in Las Vegas, we went to this place on The Strip for pizza. Once the pizza that I got was cold, the next time, we had to wait at least 20 minutes for beer. And another time, something was missing from the food order!!

The manager on duty had comped the whole table all those times, making the order totally for free! And as for the long wait for the beer, we got that one and the next one for free!

If one person in your party has to wait longer for his meal to be brought out, or if you didn't get your drink, then your whole table should be comped.

Another time while in Las Vegas & while in Washington, DC, we went to these other pizza places where we sat down waiting for someone to come over to the table and wait on us. No one ever did, so we got up and walked out!! :furious:
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
In another restaurant, everyone got their food on time except for me. I had to wait an additional 10 minutes!!

Then when we were done eating, we waited for what seemed like an eternity for the check so that we could pay for the meals, and then the owner said to us; "You need to get up & leave. There are people waiting for this table."!!!

Never went back there, either!!! Piss the customers off, they won't be back!!! :angry:
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
that is why you order a drink to begin with. then you have a sip, & chit-chat.
food arrives.
now, if that food is gross-- return that item. until then, we sip :margarita:& wait. a high-end place is not a fast food joint. restaurants i've worked/know to take their time to present you a gorgeous food/meal. if an item were unsanitary/recalled/old/tiring-- those items would be/tho ought not be, permitted on a burger that is half-gray w/ wilted lettuce ,a mealy tomato slice, & mayo when an allergen in mayo is a slight thought amongst those that have gone through proper training. their wait-staff ought have gotten info passed onto them- via their boss.

& then there would be those soggy fries. they have timers & cannot get that one correct. i learned on my 1st job how to cut fries properly. i learned using a knife way before, & luv that way as opposed to sheer laziness.
those bitches were frozen. no real fry is similar. hm.
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
that is why you order a drink to begin with. then you have a sip, & chit-chat.
food arrives.
now, if that food is gross-- return that item. until then, we sip :margarita:& wait. a high-end place is not a fast food joint. restaurants i've worked/know to take their time to present you a gorgeous food/meal. if an item were unsanitary/recalled/old/tiring-- those items would be/tho ought not be, permitted on a burger that is half-gray w/ wilted lettuce ,a mealy tomato slice, & mayo when an allergen in mayo is a slight thought amongst those that have gone through proper training. their wait-staff ought have gotten info passed onto them- via their boss.

& then there would be those soggy fries. they have timers & cannot get that one correct. i learned on my 1st job how to cut fries properly. i learned using a knife way before, & luv that way as opposed to sheer laziness.
those bitches were frozen. no real fry is similar. hm.



But in a fast-food fast-pace place like Mickey D's, BK, Wendy's and DQ, their fries come in frozen - hence the theme fast food.

They would not have the time to make homemade fries. For that, you'd have to go to Five Guys, if there is one near you. Their burgers are pure-d fresh - never frozen and their fries are cut from fresh potatoes right on the premises. The reason why their food tastes much fresher & better!! :bbq: :chef:
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
in that case, sherm, u get that, that u pay for. high-end food is delicious. if you've a kiddo w/ u, tho, i can see taking them to get fast food. they luv fast food. my nephews, included. burgers or pizza.
that does not mean that their service/food should be sub-par. i would so call corporate. we have a 5 guys. those college folks frequent that place. they're near several colleges. i've gone there, too, & their food is yummy. although i'm not in that region too often, so, i'll stay w/ food w/in my block & 2 main stretches near me.
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE high-end food! Fast food is unhealthy, as we all know, and should only be eaten in moderation.

As my grand nephew would say, I like to sit down and be waited on in places like steakhouse restaurants & seafood restaurants. :piesmiley1::eating2: :bbq:
 
K

Kimchee

Guest
If you think about it, most restaurant food isn't the most healthy. Huge amounts of fat and salt in all of it, with some exceptions. ;)
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Part of the reason why transfats have been eliminated from being used in all Massachusetts eateries.

A little tougher to get them to stop using so much salt though. Chinese eateries though, HAVE to eliminate MSG in all dishes that you order, except appetizers if you ask them to. :weber:
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
We avoid "high end" restaurants like the plague, and when we do eat out, it's in Mom-n-Pop places where we get TNT meals, and where they value our business. We are well known to a number of eateries in our area, and even get taken care of by our favorite servers in a couple of them. I've been burned too many times in places like Outback, Ruby Tuesday's and Friday's. This is why we most often just eat at home. When we travel, we ask the desk clerk where a nice family restaurant is, and 99% of the time they lead us to a great place where the owner is also active in the business either as the chef or the manager out front. I've seen too many places where the help looks like they were just scooped out of the gutter, and to me, that reflects on the quality. Yes, I DO judge a book by its cover when it comes to my food. If the help looks like they need a bath, haircut or clean clothes, they usually do, and I won't return to a place like that. Not surprisingly, those places usually don't last very long anyway. If I send back food, I will not take another meal in exchange. The kitchen already has me pegged, and I don't trust them to mess with my food. As luvs says, they do all sorts of nasty stuff in the kitchen when the customer is not happy. Home cooking is always better, IMO.
 

Doc

Administrator
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Yep, I've sent food back.

If I'm experimenting, trying something on someone else's recommendation that I've never had before I will not send that back as it was a gamble on my part, unless it is under or overcooked. IE not the way I ordered it. If I simply don't care for it, i chalk that up to experience and don't order that again.
 
K

Kimchee

Guest
I have to admit that part of my 'send it back' decision rests upon the cost of the meal. The more I pay, the higher my standards.
I'll send it back if it's undercooked or has 'things' in it, or if my steak is way overcooked. Otherwise I'm pretty tolerant. They just won't get return business.

I think part of the problem is I'm a good cook, and I go out to eat to get stuff I can't or don't want to cook at home. So when I eat a meal and say "I can do better", well, they lose me as a customer.
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
To me, it is cheaper to eat at home!! Especially if I don't have the money to do it with!

I'm pretty good in the kitchen with meals and making ends meet, and I can whip up a meal from practically nothing at times!! When I have an abundance of food in the fridge and freezer, then my culinary skills go into overdrive.

I can eat a nice salad and be satisfied!! :fridge::blob_blue::weber:
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
If you think about it, most restaurant food isn't the most healthy. Huge amounts of fat and salt in all of it, with some exceptions. ;)[/QUOTE

not so. maybe in a fast food settting,- we served high-end food where i've worked- room was not allotted fer error. you fmade a mistake- too bad fer you.
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Which is why most restaurants these days are offering healthier choices in food, such as salad, leaner meat, seafood, fresh veggies & more.
 

Doc

Administrator
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
If you think about it, most restaurant food isn't the most healthy. Huge amounts of fat and salt in all of it, with some exceptions. ;)[/QUOTE

not so. maybe in a fast food settting,- we served high-end food where i've worked- room was not allotted fer error. you fmade a mistake- too bad fer you.
So, luvs you have first hand experience.
Have you ever seen a coworker spit on someones food before it is served. Is that rumor ovestated ...or something to beware of?
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
So, luvs you have first hand experience.
Have you ever seen a coworker spit on someones food before it is served. Is that rumor ovestated ...or something to beware of?


i would fret not, doc. in my time of employment w/in culinary industry jobs, i saw nobody spit.
 
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