Sending it Back

[AllanMcPherson]

Hi everybody,

I was curious, what are your parameters for sending back a plate of food? There are the obvious, burnt or underdone food, something "gross" on the plate, and the like.

I got to thinking about this over the weekend when I was out having brunch with my wife. I had an omlette, described as "French style" with the triple fold. What I got was a western style scrambled egg mass with ham and cheese scattered through it. I debated with sending it back, just on principle, but in the end I didn't. Bottom line was I was tired after a long week and just wanted some hot food. Still, I basiclly let these guys get away with false advertising.

Any comments?

--Al

[Mezzaluna]

In a case like yours, Allan, I might have made a comment to the server. When I do send things back it's because the item was not cooked to order- usually because it's overdone, underdone or includes an ingredient I specifically asked to have excluded (bamboo shoots or beets are the top reasons ) I'll also send it back if a hot item is cold.

Of course, that last one sometimes leads to a pet peeve: microwave heating of items that should not be put in a microwave. Examples are steaks, eggs and delicate sauces. I don't mind if most soups are nuked a bit unless it's something like avgolemono soup, which would result in lemon-flavored scrambled eggs in chicken broth.

[KYHeirloomer]

Maybe it's a matter of semantics, Mezz. But IMO, Allan's food was not cooked to order. He asked for a dish to be prepared one way, it was made another.

I would have sent it back, myself. And maybe told the owner that next time he hired a menu designer the person should understand what was meant by the terms he/she used.

[Mezzaluna]

KYH, I'd agree, but depending on the place and/or location. My dad's idea of an omelet was to place dabs of grape jam atop a platter of scrambled eggs. That's an extreme example, but it's possible that a regional definition of a dish differs. I'm not sure about "omelet", but it's possible for other things.

Just a thought. Depending on my mood, I might send it back too. I see what you mean.

[KYHeirloomer]

Sure, there can be regional differences, Mezz. But, if so, somebody who lives in that area would be aware of the difference. Allan wasn't a tourist passing through. He lives there.

Although I understand your point, I think you chose a poor example.

Your dad had a particular food preference, which is his right. But when there are standard definitions it's only right that a customer expect what's written down.

Your dad did not create a menu on which the word "omelet" meant "scrambled eggs with grape jam." And I'm sure that if he ordered that in a restaurant he would specify what he wanted, recognizing that what he meant by an omelet was not the standard dish.

This just happens to be a pet peeve of mine. The folks who design menus get an unconscionable amount of money for what they do. Seems to me, for that kind of gelt they should know what they're talking about. Unfortunately, more and more often, it turns out they don't. Basic culinary language is, apparently, foreign to them. Or they recognize the words, and just use them, helter-skelter, cuz they don't know what they mean.

Ranks right up there with cookbook directions that tell you to "saute in a little white wine....."

Then there is the "it don't have to make sense if it's artsy enough" school of menu design.

My favorite example of this would be the new menu at Sonny's. First off, it's such a radical departure from anything in the past, they had to send somebody around to every location to explain the menu to the owners, cooks, and wait staff. No kidding. And then, it seems, many of the signature dishes are missing. Turns out they're not. Sonny's still offers them on a regular basis, the menu designer just didn't feel it necessary to include them on the menu!

Huh? Somebody wanna 'splain that to me?

[AllanMcPherson]

KH and Mezz,

Sorry to start this thread and dissapear! The two of you pretty accurately reinacted my internal debate. I guess the issue for me is one of principle, this sort of sloppy menu execution is yet another example of a dumbing down of our (North American) food culture. And lets face it, its not that "smart" to begin with. I've got to say that I take no pleasure in sending food back, or complaining. That said I do have a policy of ceasing to eat if something isn't up to snuff. I think of it as my last chance test. If the BOH bungles my meal (and I mean does something wrong, not merely serving something that I personally don't like) the FOH can swoop in to save the day. Its really sad that so many waiters see a plate of food with literally a bite taken from the main and simplely ask if I am done. There was a steak house / wine bar in Ottawa that served me one of the worst steaks I ever had. Over cooked, cold, and served with side that the staff had cut into to check doneness facing up. I took a bite and gave up. My waitress instantly set the wheels in motion to set things right. When I declined another steak I was comped my wine and a nice cheese plate. Very classy. They kept my business.

--Al

[Highland Chef]

Hi Allan,
Just to add my input here, I feel you should have sent the dish back without any reservation on your part. While I understand that you just wanted some hot food, what was presented was not what you ordered. As one who agonizes over every plate, I would never allow what you described to leave the kitchen in the place of what we had specified you would receive. I would agree if it was a minor matter, but what you described is not acceptable.

[kuan]

Yeah, send it back. Maybe they'll learn. In the last week or so I've had at least three subpar experiences.

1) Coq au Vin raw.

2) Left out the guava jam and didn't tell anyone.

3) Substituted bratwurst for leberkase on the plate and didn't say a thing to me.

4) One bad mussel, unevely cooked risotto.

None of it went back, but I made sure to tell everyone about it. Don't be shy man, say exactly what you should say, that this wasn't what was on the menu.

The worst part is when servers try to argue with you. When I told my server about the risotto, he said, it's supposed to be like that. D'uh! I don't need no smart lipped servers.

[henry]

I used to business travel a lot and a lady that I traveled with told me she would never send anything back for fear they would "do something" to the food other than correct the problem. You hear stories about cooks that might do spiteful stuff to returned food, but I don't know if they're true or not.

Since then, I never send anything back, but I do let the server know about my unhappiness. Also, if the restaurant has a website, I might send them feedback about my experience via email.

So, in your BOH experiences, have you ever seen a cook "do something" to the food other than the proper correction?

H.

[KYHeirloomer]

I'm wondering if geography doesn't play a role in all this.

I noticed, both in traveling and when I lived there, that Midwesterners are more reluctant to send something back (or even comment on it) than are people who live on the coasts.

Maybe I have a parochial view? Or maybe there's something to this?

[Mezzaluna]

Midwesterners are more reluctant to send something back (or even comment on it) than are people who live on the coasts.

We're way, way too polite sometimes- I'll agree, and I'm a lifelong Midwesterner. Have a look (tuck your tongue in your cheek first- check the source) : State Of Minnesota Too Polite To Ask For Federal Funding | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

[kuan]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

I'm wondering if geography doesn't play a role in all this.

I noticed, both in traveling and when I lived there, that Midwesterners are more reluctant to send something back (or even comment on it) than are people who live on the coasts.

Maybe I have a parochial view? Or maybe there's something to this?

Must be some sort of passive aggresive thing. They'll tell you everything is great and then never show up again. In fact that's what I did today.

[DC Sunshine]

Originally Posted by henry

I used to business travel a lot and a lady that I traveled with told me she would never send anything back for fear they would "do something" to the food other than correct the problem. You hear stories about cooks that might do spiteful stuff to returned food, but I don't know if they're true or not.

Since then, I never send anything back, but I do let the server know about my unhappiness. Also, if the restaurant has a website, I might send them feedback about my experience via email.

So, in your BOH experiences, have you ever seen a cook "do something" to the food other than the proper correction?

H.

Henry,

I'm the same as you - won't send it back but just leave it, when they pick up the almost full plate, I let the server know. Have got varying responses from doing this - quite often been offered another dish or a voucher for a freebie next time.

I've seen first hand what can happen to returned plates when I worked in a kitchen (wasn't a top line place). One involved a steak and some spit and nuking it - ewwwww. So yeah, I tend just to leave it.

I'll also leave the knife and fork together on the plate to indicate I'm done, but with the fork facing down. Anyone else do that? Its supposed to indicate displeasure, so I'm told.

Had what was supposed to be a steak, mushroom and guiness pie the other night. It was a game of hunt the beef - about 20 mushrooms and only 2 bits of beef - aaargh!!! And this from what is supposed to be an award winning restaurant - won't be going back there.

[teamfat]

Wow, this dragged out an old memory. Many years ago I was working as a land surveyor, we were laying out power lines in southwest Wyoming. We had a few long, hard, miserable days in the field. Treated ourselves to dinner at the, uh, finest restaurant in town. I was REALLY hungry, tired, thirsty, et cetera.

When it comes to some cuts of beef, I'm a "wipe its nose, clip its horns and run it by the table, I'll do the rest" kind of guy. So when I ordered the prime rib special, I asked for a nice really rare slice. A while later the server brings the food, puts a plate of brown, crusty stuff in front of me and says something like "We thought it might be too rare, so we pan fried it for a while."

If she had said "We are out of prime rib, so we rolled this moose turd in broken glass and covered it with creosote - hope you like it." it probably would have ended the same. I ordered another drink and ate my "prime rib" without complaint.

mjb.

[bestmomeva]

everything's fair game