[eloki]

Today I had a customer return a meal (on the menu it says crispy skin salmon), because the salmon has skin on it. Geez....

[Gunnar]

bwahahahaaa....probably thought Crispy Skin Salmon was a type of salmon like Sockeye or King.

"The Crispy Skin Salmon, a native of the South Pacific. This fish has the rare distinction of hauling itself onto land to sun itself on the beaches of tropical islands. Due to the similar texture and color of its skin it was thought to have been originally related to the Crispy Skin Trout, found in and along the banks of isolated streams of Southern California."

[foodpump]

Personally witnessed by myself at a buffet:

"Oooh, what's this?"
"Smoked salmon M'am"
"Oh. Does it taste, like, you know, fishy?"

What do you say? No, actually it tastes alot like chicken?

[chefelle]

I had a customer INSIST that I put banana in a hazelnut chiffon cake I made for her. I don't even keep bananas or banana flavoured ANYTHING in the shop.

Same customer orders another cake...insists that that cake was not the same as the one I made for her last time. I tell her it is indeed the same cake. She says no--the last one was TALLER.

Same customer orders yet another cake....insists that this cake was not the same as the previous cake she purchased from me. I was VERY thorough in getting all the details from her because I KNOW she is a pain in the rump. She wanted strawberries for a garnish. So I loaded that thing up to the gunnels with strawberries...it was most definitely banana free....it was tall....it had strawberries....What's her beef? The last cake had a few strawberries dipped in chocolate!

I give up.

This is the same customer who doesn't want butter or sugar in anything because it's "too rich" but goes nuts for my pecan pie tarts (no pun intended). One of us is insane...and I'm sure it's not me!

Don't even get me started on the vegan nutter (no offence to vegans but this lady truly was nuts) and the stunt she pulled at the last restaurant I worked for....

[chefelle]

My baker's assistant gave me a great line for the pain in the rump cake lady....when she says that this cake is not the same cake as the last one I can say "No--this is a different cake. You ate that cake. You can't have your cake and eat it too!"

[ED BUCHANAN]

hAD A PATRON ORDERED BLACKENED REDFISH. She sent it back because she did not like the darkened color?????????? I told waiter to tell her she was guilty of discrimination.

[Rivver]

Steak Tartar and Tuna Sashimi sent back because it was raw and I swear to you they asked if I could make the Steak Tartar Medium!!!! and and also fully cook the Tuna.

I guess the cracker barrel doesnt serve Steak Tartar?=)

[oldschool1982]

While working at a place near Atlanta, I got an order for a well done Filet but the guest wanted no Char and not butterflied. Considering this was a 14oz filet and the thing was dang near 4 inches think I tried to explain that it would be virtually impossble to not get any char, especially using the grill we had.....wood fired.....and not butterflying it. Still insisted but I figured out how to get this done and sent it out. This thing was beautiful, for a well done steak that is . Just a light marking but it took all sides to do it.

They sent it back and said it was too rare and wanted it fixed. I swear there was not a lick of pink to this steak....but the catch was that the guest insisted on a new steak. Now I'm a firm believer that the guest is always the reason but this time I about lost it. Unfortunately the owner insisted that we accomodate them.

So...... I threw a new steak on. Now, I didn't do anything that would be seen in a movie on Comedy Central like "Waiting" but I did, out of spite..... destroy the steak allbeit by cooking method but that's it. I think this was also the only time I ever did this but there was a rough time at that place with ending up working 18 hours a day for the 3 days prior and then3 fights with ownership about various things that day..........

We had a microwave. Only one, as I hated them, but we needed to heat desserts. Owners insisted too. I marked the steak, nuked it (won't say how long ) and then refinished it on the grill.

This thing looked like a grey, shriveled up hockey puck. Delivered it personally to the guest, waited for the guest to cut into it and asked if it was okay. Guest said that was fine.

Later on, the server said the guest sent compliments to me for making the very best steak they had ever eaten.

[chefelle]

I had one customer ask me if I had any vegan free desserts. And yes, I can honestly say that all of my desserts are PEOPLE FREE. Honestly....

[shroomgirl]

long ago and far away, a guest complained about the stringy melted emmenthaler on the french onion soup....? it's not parm, it has elasticity.

My favorite are the ones that don't like something and haven't tried it yet.

Nuked steak, right up there with deep fried.....
I was once a recipient of a nuked prime rib, Natichodoes LA circa 1983.....there's a jeune si quoi that only a microwave contributes to texture of proteins.

[RSteve]

Originally Posted by oldschool1982

....but the catch was that the guest insisted on a new steak. Now I'm a firm believer that the guest is always the reason but this time I about lost it. Unfortunately the owner insisted that we accomodate them.

I'm quite surprised that anything other than a new steak was an option. The code in most municipalities requires that once an item leaves the kitchen and is served, it cannot be returned to the kitchen for additional preparation and re-serving. This is, to the best of my knowledge, immutable code everywhere, if the item has been touched, in any manner, by the customer.

[oldschool1982]

Steve, this was 16 years ago in 1993. The business standards and health codes regarding returns hadn't gotten that far yet. We even had recook/refire tickets to make sure the food wasn't sent out to the wrong table by mistake. Back then, steak was one of those things you brought up if it wasn't to the guests liking, replated and sent it back out.

Although not to early in my career...it was early enough that I hadn't come to the conclusion that I would just fire a new one, no questions asked. Although I will say that most other dishes...ie; salads, sands, pastas and apps were all re made. Just part of a personal and industry learning curve. It's just about a guarantee that most anyone who started in this business after 1995 would be shocked at what we were able to get away with back then.
Thinking back......I know I am .....just a bit.

[PeteMcCracken]

"Steve, this was 16 years ago in 1993. The business standards and health codes regarding returns hadn't gotten that far yet...."

Gee, as a "fry cook" in 1969, I knew better than to "recycle" food that went out to a table!

Even "wrapped" crackers, butter, bread baskets, etc., were discarded.

It is beyond my comprehension that ANYTHING that leaves the kitchen for service could possibly end up anywhere other than the TRASH!

[Just Jim]

Originally Posted by PeteMcCracken

"Steve, this was 16 years ago in 1993. The business standards and health codes regarding returns hadn't gotten that far yet...."

Gee, as a "fry cook" in 1969, I knew better than to "recycle" food that went out to a table!

Even "wrapped" crackers, butter, bread baskets, etc., were discarded.

It is beyond my comprehension that ANYTHING that leaves the kitchen for service could possibly end up anywhere other than the TRASH!

Really?
You've never had a guest ask for a steak to be cooked just a little longer, and then accomodated that request?
That's hardly what I think of when I hear the phrase "recycle food".
Recycling, at least to me, would mean giving the returned food to a different customer.

[oldschool1982]

Originally Posted by PeteMcCracken

"Steve, this was 16 years ago in 1993. The business standards and health codes regarding returns hadn't gotten that far yet...."

Gee, as a "fry cook" in 1969, I knew better than to "recycle" food that went out to a table!

Even "wrapped" crackers, butter, bread baskets, etc., were discarded.

It is beyond my comprehension that ANYTHING that leaves the kitchen for service could possibly end up anywhere other than the TRASH!

Gee, it's just the way the business was back then and my experience in the Chicago and Atlanta markets. It's not like I'm making this sh!t up.
Pete, I started in this business in 1977, back then every hotel and just about every restaurant I worked at, (as a busboy to dishwasher to line cook) even a premier place like the Stouffer's in Oak Brook IL had a recycle bucket at the dish table for butter, cracker packages and if it were the case....1/2&1/2 containers. They started to disappear more in the 80's with awareness to food contamination thanks to NIFI and local codes but there were common-place in those markets. There were even some hold outs until the early 90's....if I remember correctly McKendrick's steak house in Atlanta Georgia had a butter bucket and they opened in 1995 but I was just a Sous at that place and it wasn't my policy. Having just been let go as the Exec of another place I kinda needed the job to....let's see.....pay for my condo and food maybe. So.............

My father, who actually was an Aircraft Mechanic by training and trade (and a dam good one for over 50 years with UAL), took a second job as the night manager/cook just after they went on strike in the very early 70's. The place was called The Little Corporal. It was in the United of America building in the downtown Chicago Loop. The stories he told me made my stomach turn as a little kid and then found them to be true when I actually went to work.

Personally, I hated many of the standards back then and when I started to work in positions I could affect change, I did so. But as a busboy /dishwasher or Utility cook....... if I wanted the work and experience, I didn't buck the system..... that is unless I wanted be unemployed and or see the business end of a plate, hotel pan and even knives that the Chef would have conveniently thrown for even suggesting that we didn't recycle his precious butter or peeling and scraps. He!!, we even had slop buckets in the coolers for onion, carrot, celery, tomato, potato scraps as well as beef trim chicken bones/skins scraps for stocks. Again, it was just the way it was back then and part of my point......... what we got away with.

There is no way I am condoning the return of food to a guest and God forbid a different guest now or in the last 20 years unless it was the policy of the owners or my superiors or a general and local industry practice. It's all part of a leaning curve and..... In fact.... something I explained in the second paragraph of my post.

Although not too early in my career...it was early enough that I hadn't come to the conclusion that I would just fire a new one, no questions asked. Although I will say that most other dishes...ie; salads, sands, pastas and apps were all re made. Just part of a personal and industry learning curve. It's just about a guarantee that most anyone who started in this business after 1995 would be shocked at what we were able to get away with back then.
Thinking back......I know I am .....just a bit.

Then again, I guess, even in 1969.... Californian's were just leaps and bounds ahead of us lowly then Midwesterner and (then and now) Southerners.

Oh yeah! My apologies to Eloki, the original poster and starter of the topic. I had no idea that a simple off the cuff comment and background to a story of something that happened umpteen years ago would have derailed the original topic. I'm done with this one.