Do you just eat it or send it back?

[justabeachbrat]

Having worked as a waitress, steak house, while in college, I had no problem if people wanted food sent back if it was not what they ordered/or how they wanted it cooked. Getting pissed off at the waitress, no. I send stuff back if order is messed up, but am polite about it. A friend won't send a messed up order back but will go on and on about it, to the point I want to say, check please. I have asked to her to either send food back or just tone it down, and she says she doesn't want to get anyone in trouble.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by ForeverRoses

My husband and I recently went to a nice (read really f-ing expensive) Steakhouse and when the waiter brought me my food, she asked me to cut into it and then she took out a little flashlight to shine on it. Well I had ordered it medium-rare and as soon as I cut into it, she said that it was NOT medium rare- it was medium well. So she took the plate back and had the kitchen re-make the steak. I would have just eaten it the way it was!

The manager ended up coming over to apologize and he comp'ed our appetizers.

So, no, I don't usually send it back but this time the waiter sent it back for me!

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

I've NEVER heard of that happening, I hope you tipped her well!

It does happen. The more chances you have to go to nice (dimly lit) restaurants -- you will get the "flashlight treatment" AND the good service from the front of the house that goes along with that.

[Tom Earp]

The servers do just that, serve! They do not cook. Be nice to them as they work thier rears off and be very helpful in most cases. A smile and thank you is a great place to start.

Two things I cannot stand, bad food and poor service!

If it is not right send it back and state why or what is wrong with it.

If the service is bad, do not be bitchy about it, just do not tip well, they do not desearve it!

If the server is great, they get a much bigger tip from me along with a smile and a thank you!

They work for a living just like the rest of us do. Do the job right and the rewards follow!

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

It does happen. The more chances you have to go to nice (dimly lit) restaurants -- you will get the "flashlight treatment" AND the good service from the front of the house that goes along with that.

I was at Morton's one night for a work-related dinner meeting in the private dining room sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. These things are the best -- not only do I get loads of pens, post-its, and highlighters from this company...they pay for my steak and wine too!

Anyway, I ordered my filet Medium-Rare. When I got it, it was Medium-Well. I hate dry steak. I knew that I wasn't paying for my meal (the Pharma company's credit card was!) so I didn't play diva. Still, the server looked absolutely mortified that my order got screwed up and quickly took it back to the kitchen. He returned 2 minutes later with the GM, who presented me with a $50 gift certificate for my next visit. Not only that, he told the Pharma rep that they'd be comp'ing my meal.

[fantASTic]

Originally Posted by kathykd2005

Well, to be perfectly honest, even if you are POLITE, there are waiters and waitresses who could care less, and would still get annoyed by you sending something back. Because he has worked in the business for so many years, it's easier to simply order something else, as opposed to sending it back, and not getting what you WANTED in return.

Still, I must disagree. As a waitress, I'd be much more aggravated if the customer ordered a completely different dish. It's a headache for me, for the kitchen and for the manager who has to change the tab. It takes more time, which - regardless of the fact that they decided to completely change their order - means a lower tip, 99% of the time. If I bring back a steak and say, "Hey guys, this was done wrong, can we get it redone?" it'll take the shortest time possible. Entering another dish into the system puts it to the back of the line. I can ask them to rush it, but it's a pain for everyone.

Point is, I'd be pissed if someone ordered a completely different dish.

As to your last sentence quoted, if I order a new dish I'm not getting what I wanted, am I?

[kathykd2005]

That's not what I was insinuating, at all. What I meant by my last sentence was, getting something disgusting in return for being annoying and saying, "This isn't what I wanted, re-do it." I don't think you're understanding what I am saying here, or maybe we're just coming from two different perspectives. From my husband's perspective, he would rather have--as a chef--made something else for the customer if it was not to their liking, as opposed to taking back a piece of meat that was probably cold by the time it was returned, and put it back into the oven. Also, if a waiter/waitress is not in a good mood, he or she could drop it, or do something else (more disgusting) to it on the way to the kitchen.

Of course, there is always the option of "tipping" the server well, but in some instances, some people take offense to that--it could backfire; they may think you are talking down to them, and want to do something even worse to your food. Now, I'm not saying this is always the case, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Because my husband has worked in kitchens for many years, he knows what really goes on back there. I could tell you horror stories about some of the best restaurants, but no one wants to hear that. Just be careful when you go to a restaurant--that's all I'm saying.

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by kathykd2005

My husband is a very experienced chef. Simply put: you should NOT send it back. What you should do, is order something else, or ask for another plate. Never, NEVER talk down to the help. Even if they don't spit in your food or do something else, they could still just keep making your dinner service miserable by ignoring you, etc. My husband always cringes when one of our family members or friends sends food back. Unfortunately, you'd like to think that all restaurants have stellar service, clean adequately, and know health codes. Unfortunately, that is not the case in today's society.

Originally Posted by kathykd2005

Well, to be perfectly honest, even if you are POLITE, there are waiters and waitresses who could care less, and would still get annoyed by you sending something back. Because he has worked in the business for so many years, it's easier to simply order something else, as opposed to sending it back, and not getting what you WANTED in return.

Obviously, being polite helps on many occasions, but if you catch someone on an off day (which will happen, many times) you may get more than you bargained for. I hate to be so negative, but to be perfectly honest, this is just the way we view restaurant service. Like I said, we'd all like to believe that the business is excellent, but if you've worked in it long enough, you don't see the world through rose-colored glasses anymore.

These comments, and others you have made, are absolutely horrible and ridiculous. And for your husband to be telling you these things, then he must be guilty of them too.

Originally Posted by AGDee

I took my kids to Buffalo Wild Wings last week and my daughter ordered a different sauce for her boneless wings than she usually does. Turned out, it was way too hot for her. When the waitress came by to ask us if everything was ok, I started to tell her that the sauce my daughter ordered was too hot for her and I was going to ask if I could order an additional plate for her but the waitress said, before I could finish "I can get her a different one!" I tipped her very well. It didn't seem fair that they had to toss a whole plate of food like that and I was willing to pay for a new order, but they were great about it.

Bdubs is pretty good with their service on things like that.


Coming from a manager of a pretty decent restaurant, I'd rather a customer complain to the server or a manager if something is not right. Then we can do something to fix the problem and keep the customer happy and wanting to come back. If something isn't right, SEND IT BACK. But don't send it back for stupid things, like there isn't enough romaine in your salad. Or that you didn't know there was seasoning on the steak... duh??

I one time had a customer call two weeks later to complain about something and I told her that if she had talked to a manager at the time we could have helped her out... she didn't remember what the server looked like or her name and when I told her that I'd need to know who it was to take care of the problem she accused me of not caring about her problem. If you plan to call back and complain about something, PLEASE remember the server's name or what they look like! Better yet, complain at the time of the incident, not later. And let us know how you like your food. That can help us managers and owners fix things that need fixing.

[Scandia]

I send it back.

Yesterday, the waitress brought me a salad that had bacon bits. I immediately told her that I could not eat it and sent it back. She brought me back a regular one without them. I thanked her and later told the cashier how good a service I got regarding this.

[LeslieAGD]

I send it back, but I am always polite to the wait staff (ie - try to smile, say "please" and "thank you" constantly).

I am usually the difficult person at the table who has to order everything on the side so, when my food is exactly as I ordered it, I generally tip above 20%.

[Honeykiss1974]

It depends on what's wrong with it, but in general I usually don't send anything back (like if its missing a veggie, or med rare and not med well). If its something that I can not eat at all (like cantelope) then I just order something else.

And I'm always nice to my server anyway (I was a waitress for 2 weeks and that was enough!) so my demeanor doesn't change or anything.

[cheerfulgreek]

I remember I ordered dessert after dinner which is rare for me, but the apple pie with ice cream looked really, really good, so I ordered it. The server was such a bitch from the beginning. When she brought my pie, it was cold, so I asked her if she could heat it up. I was really nice about it...at least I think I was. When she brought it back, the ice cream was melted and the pie was so hot it was smoking and the color changed slightly to a darker brown. When she put the pie in the microwave, she didn't even bother to take the ice cream off. I didn't eat it. Oh, and I left a penny for her tip, and I told her manager on her.

[kathykd2005]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Oh, and I left a penny for her tip, and I told her manager on her.

I remember when I was about 10 my older brother did this to a server at Friendly's. It was cruel, but she really deserved it.

[AGDee]

I took my kids to Buffalo Wild Wings last week and my daughter ordered a different sauce for her boneless wings than she usually does. Turned out, it was way too hot for her. When the waitress came by to ask us if everything was ok, I started to tell her that the sauce my daughter ordered was too hot for her and I was going to ask if I could order an additional plate for her but the waitress said, before I could finish "I can get her a different one!" I tipped her very well. It didn't seem fair that they had to toss a whole plate of food like that and I was willing to pay for a new order, but they were great about it.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by kathykd2005

I remember when I was about 10 my older brother did this to a server at Friendly's. It was cruel, but she really deserved it.

Good for him.

[kathykd2005]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Good for him.

Well, she made rude comments to my (now) sister-in-law and she didn't serve anything she was supposed to serve. I think that was reason enough in that case.