Eating out

[catnapper]

This is a major conversation at work -- who eats what, where, and how is the service. Ok, so perhaps we should be doing actual WORK, but its more fun to talk about FOOD.

What we've discovered is that we are divided into two camps: those who eat what they've been served without complaint and those who send it back. Those who don't send it back, swear that if they DID, they'd end up with spit on their food.

Before I admit how bad I am, I want to see what others admit! But I will admit I never hesitate to send things back. I'm paying for the service and I expect it correct. I DO tip VERY well. I also always tell the waitress I know its not her fault. Most times, I have favorite waitresses whom I ask for, because they know what I want and deliver it every time.

[Taz_Zoee]

I voted sometimes. And I have some recent examples to back it.

A couple weekends ago we were in Tahoe and went to breakfast at a little place. I ordered an omelet with mushrooms, spinach and avocado. The omelet was HUGE and I begin eating around the outside edge. Once I got toward the middle I discovered there was onions instead of avocado inside. YUCK!! I can't stand onions so I sent it back and they made me the correct food. Luckily Bruce didn't have a large meal so he helped me eat it since I was almost full from the outside edge of the first one.

Another example was the other night we went to Applebee's and I got my favorite chicken meal (Bruce got the same thing). When they brought it to the table there was a large black hair with grey at the end right there on the chicken. Since I could not identify it as mine, Bruce's or any of our animals I sent it back. The manager was at our table before the waitress even got the food back to the kitchen. They took my meal off the bill and made me another one (although I think they just removed the piece of chicken and remade that because the potatoes were cold in spots).

But an example of when I might not send something back is when I order steak. I usually like my steak cooked so it is either not pink at all or a very light pink in the middle. Sometimes it will be a little more pink/red than I'd like, but I won't send it back. It just depends on how it tastes really.

[Pinot's Mom]

Yes! I'll send it back; I haven't had much opportunity to do so, I might add, because I generally get food that's within the range of being cooked as I like it, but I do have one story. It actually highlites one of the reasons my husband and I stay away from chain restaurants as much as possible.

I order steak medium rare. I don't want it well, and I don't want it mooing, I want it medium rare and I do know what that means. That being said...
Several years ago we went to the "Outback Steakhouse". I ordered steak. There were MANY other issues with this meal, but I'll concentrate on the issue at hand. The steak was really still mooing - I couldn't even cut it - so rare! I sent it back - THREE TIMES! With that, and all the other issues, you would think a manager would come to the table. No. The waitress bubblehead kept coming back and saying "How's everything" - unbelievable! We gave up on the steak, asked if the manager was on site, and were told, yes, he's in the kitchen and aware of this!!! We said we wanted to see him. This IDIOT had the nerve to look at me and say, "That's the way we do things at the Outback"!!! REALLY!!!

I told him in no uncertain terms I would never patronize Outback, or any of the other restaurants owned by that company, and would make sure my friends didn't either, and we're a group that goes out pretty regularly. It had no effect. He didn't care.

[pomtzu]

I very seldom eat out, but when I do, I fully expect it to be as I ordered it. If not - it will go back.

[Catherinedana]

I haven't had to send food back many times. I can recall only two.

Once was at an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn where the meatballs in my meatball hero were GREEN !!! I left and didn't eat anything there.

The other time was a Thai restaurant and I asked that my food be mild. It came so spicy that I had to spit it out and thought I was going to die. The waitress tried to convince me that WAS mild, so I had the rest of the people at my table taste it. . .they all agreed that it was NOT. I told her that we could get the concensus of the rest of the patrons if she wished and she said no. They brought me more edible fare So they DID know the difference between spicy and mild after all!

Cathy

[Cincy'sMom]

I generally don't send things back. I am not at all picky and really only do when someone else makes me. I have ordered steak and been brought a burger and if others at the tabel hadn't said something I never would. I like all food, and as long as it tastes good, no big deal.

Pinot's mom, I have to agree with you on Outback. That chain seems to have no concept of what the various levels of cooking a steak are. You try to order what they list and it is not what you get. I rarely go there, but I have learned to not order what I think I want, but what they cook.

[kitten645]

I'm not terribly fussy about food so I don't send something back unless it's blatantly not right..lasagna frozen in the middle...Cold cold food. I wouldn't order a steak anywhere but a steakhouse (I actually like Outback!) I certainly know what I'd get by ordering a steak at Applebee's or TGIF. ick! I generally order on the safe side..salad..soup..I would NEVER go out to Thai or Indian because I know there's more I DON"T like on the menu and expecting the waitress to understand MY particular taste isn't going to happen. I only eat out as a social thing really. If I want something in particular, no one can cook myself something I'd like better than me.

[Karen]

I have food allergies, so if something is not right, I cannot risk eating it. I send it back. I am usually polite about it, and it doesn't cause a problem.

[Moesha]

I can't remember ever sending food back. I am not an adventurous person especially when it comes to food. I usually order chicken strips, because how can you mess up chicken strips? I have received ice cold fries or something like that. I just don't eat them. I hate drawing attention to myself.

[kuhio98]

Yes, I'll send it back if it's wrong -- against my specific instructions. Like, if the meat is undercooked or if I there is mayo anywhere on the plate when I specifically said no mayo.

But, I won't send it back if I just don't like the taste -- I figure they made it correctly (according to their recipe), but turns out I just don't like their seasoning or something.

I don't regularly eat at chain restaurants so recipes and seasonings can differ quite a bit.

[caseysmom]

We don't eat out much, even with my broken foot we haven't. Its so expensive and I would rather buy a nice cut of meat and throw it on the grill, its just to easy to be bothered with going out.

I don't think I have ever returned something when going out though, I have even sat and ate the wrong thing before.

[Medusa]

I didn't check off anything because my answer isn't on the poll. If I have to send something back, I leave. I don't trust them not to retaliate. Besides, if they don't get it right the first time, it's unlikely that it'll suit me the second time around.

[Casper]

Paranoia keeps me from eating out anywhere. I only eat what I fix myself.

[smokey the elder]

I would send it back if something about the prep struck me as unsafe (undercooked poultry or pork, "off" odor, etc.) If it's not what I ordered, but ingredients I don't like are either absent or can be separated out easily, then I'll chalk it up to a brain f@rt. If it has something I don't like as a key component then it would go back.

[beeniesmom]

I fit in the sometimes category.
I send it back only in two cases:
1) I recieve something I did not order... like fries instead of a baked potato.
2) If something is really cold I ask if they could kindly pop it in thier microwave because 'I took too long to eat it' and prefer it hotter.
They usually end up redoing it because they understand that it was thier mistake... not mine.