How likely are you to return cooked food ?

[Astro14]

How likely are you to choose a restaurant that screws up?

How did they handle it?

I have yet to ever consider returning an item at our favorite Italian place, for example.

Sirena | Sirena Serious EATalian Virginia Beach

Many years ago, I did get a steak, a nice cut, at one of my favorite places, that was way overdone. I had asked for medium-rare. It arrived well done. I pointed it out to the server, who immediately agreed that it was wrong. The chef himself came out, apologized, brought me a new, medium rare steak, and the manager comped the cocktail I had had along with the steak.

They handled it very well. Server got a big tip. We are repeat customers. Even had a big party there last year.

To this day, I recommend them, and we are repeat customers because they handled it well.

Becca

www.beccavb.com

 

[burbguy82]

I don't complain unless it is pretty bad. If it is pretty bad, I never return.

 

[ZZman]

I had an aunt that always tried to get some knocked off the bill by complaining. embarrassing.

I also had a friend that would make a big deal if a spoon had water spots on it at a restaurant. Again, embarrassing.

 

[GSCJR]

We like our pizza well done so unless it's burnt, it's either just right or under-cooked. This is perfect:

My wife likes her steaks cooked. No red. I have a wider range of preference.

+1

Doneness is too subjective, that's the real problem. You're correct, that pizza is perfect, but it's considered burnt or overdone for most, IME.

 

[burbguy82]

I had an aunt that always tried to get some knocked off the bill by complaining. embarrassing.

I also had a friend that would make a big deal if a spoon had water spots on it at a restaurant. Again, embarrassing.

and ill bet that aunt got some other items other than food on her plate sometimes.

 

[JustTrynaHelp]

Yes they will pee in the pancake batter, spit in your sammy or worse.

That is actually a felony… Tampering with food I don't know the exact law but it is a felony to do things like that to peoples' food when you are cooking.

With the food allergies I have, I have gotten used to sending things back when they are not right… we are talking full service restaurant here.

You are paying good money, they put in your order, if it comes out incorrectly it comes out incorrectly. I am always nice about it though, as I used to wait tables for a living.

 

[sloinker]

That is actually a felony… Tampering with food I don't know the exact law but it is a felony to do things like that to peoples' food when you are cooking.

With the food allergies I have, I have gotten used to sending things back when they are not right… we are talking full service restaurant here.

You are paying good money, they put in your order, if it comes out incorrectly it comes out incorrectly. I am always nice about it though, as I used to wait tables for a living.

Yes! But are you allergic to spit, boogers, green lungers, dingle-berries or other bodily proteins? I agree that these people that would do such a thing should be incarcerated. Hard to catch. There was a movie some years back where the maid cooked some of her famous pie with poo in it for her employers. I told my wife I would spend the remainder of my years in prison after I tortured/murdered the maid that served it to me. I'm a peaceful guy but a careful disappearance of a maid that will never be found is maybe worth the prison time if caught.

 

[ripcord]

I had an aunt that always tried to get some knocked off the bill by complaining. embarrassing.

I also had a friend that would make a big deal if a spoon had water spots on it at a restaurant. Again, embarrassing.

That kind of thing just grinds my gears. Nothing torques me off more than self entitled jerks.

My wife has slight tendencies that way. She stopped (at least when with me) after I left a few $50 tips for having to put up with us.

 

[Pablo]

We went to a fancy-erse restaurant, guest famous chef. Wife had to be there. OK OK

The dish I had must have been oversalted by 5 chefs down the line. I took a couple bites.........NO. I mentioned it to the waitress when she reappeared. No I didn't want a replacement.

They didn't make me pay for it and comped me some other side dish.

I never actually whined like a stuck pig. I just said "......any chef worth his salt would have never let this out of the kitchen, such a chef should be ashamed and should hang it up already. If I was a cardiac patient sensitive to sodium I would be dead and my wife would sue you for millions.........I will contact the owner, this is not the last of this you will hear...."

 

[y_p_w]

I've gotten a few freebies for complaining about one thing or another (like my food being taken away before I was done), but I probably wouldn't return any food unless it was absolutely inedible.

However, these days there are ways to complain without making it too personal. There's typically some sort of survey these days if you pay through a tabletop device that lots of casual dining chains use now. It's really odd too as I've even seen credit cards handed to employees, and they just put them through the same tablets that could otherwise be self-serve. But then at the end there's often a survey where one can comment on service, food, etc.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I’m kinda 50/50 on it. If it’s really bad it’s going back. If it’s meh I’m at least talking to the manager.