Eating out

[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.