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Personal/Professional Culinary Pet Peeves

5K views 56 replies 29 participants last post by  cm-chef 
#1 ·
Last night my wife and I bought some sockeye salmon from our local grocery store.  When we got home and I was prepping the fish for dinner I discovered that the fillet I had purchased still had all the pin bones in it.  Nothing annoys me more than a seafood place that does not take the time or care to remove the pin bones from its fresh fish.  I know it is not hard to do and I am knowledgeable enough to do it myself, but it still pisses me off. 

That being said, I was just wondering what sort of things get under yours skin, either at home, at work or being out culinaryily speaking.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Aside from the usual:

-Rag Stealing

-Knife Stealing

-People not cleaing up their station

-Or annoying waiters

I would say a professional pet peeve is something like lets say, one useless item on a dish, delays an entire order or table... 

Or when i have to use a dull knife and no sharpening stone is near to be found. 

My personal pet peeve is, when my sister overcooks her chicken cooking almost until its blackened and looks like charcoal, because apparently she likes it that way... 

Or how my grandmother doesnt cook her paste al dente. 

Or how my father loves to reuse the same oil like 10-15 times until its basically dark brown because he is kind of a cheapskate and has no food knowledge or health knowledge.
 
#5 ·
This one just happen to my girlfriend. Trying to book a party of 20 for lunch in 15 days and called the restaurant 2 days in a row leaving a messages to the manager to call us back and get no reply. The third day emailed and no reply. The fourth day went into the restaurant and finally booked the room. Kind of felt ignore not sure if this is normal for most places.
 
#6 ·
We were out last night. Not a cheap place. The waiter took our order and then stuck his pad down the back of his pants.

My poor wife, she just glared at me because we were with new acquaintances, so I didn't walk like I usually do. I may be weird but the thought of somebodies hand going in and out of his or her pants just turns me off.
 
#7 ·
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I'm still eating my salad and the server comes and serves my entree.  I know that casual restaurants like to burn through tables, but it annoys the hell out of me, and you know, if you send it back, all they are going to do is put under the heat lamp until you are ready for it.  Worse yet, I've had servers try to rush me through my meal by dumping both salads and apps at the same time, and following it up with entrees mere minutes later.  My wife just cringes because she knows what's coming next!!!
 
#8 ·
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I'm still eating my salad and the server comes and serves my entree. I know that casual restaurants like to burn through tables, but it annoys the hell out of me, and you know, if you send it back, all they are going to do is put under the heat lamp until you are ready for it. Worse yet, I've had servers try to rush me through my meal by dumping both salads and apps at the same time, and following it up with entrees mere minutes later. My wife just cringes because she knows what's coming next!!!
I absolutely refuse to eat this way, and in some cases I get the manager over to insist the kitchen remake the entrée when I AM READY!!!!

I find myself having to tell the server upfront that I am not in a hurry and want to take my time eating here.
 
#9 ·
I fully agree with Pete, but in this end of the world (southern africa) the time between starter and dinner is almost non-existent and people want it that way. They actually complain if they sit for even 2 or 3 minutes without food in front of them!
To by-pass the problem, I order ny starter and only order main course when my starter arrives.

Another peeve is when the waiter takes away a plate as soon as it is finished instead of waiting for everyone in the party to finish eating. But again, locally that is the norm
 
#12 ·
Line dancing ......

mimi
I love dancing on the line xD.

I remember hours before an event it was me, the head chef and another line cook and we cranked up the music and only shut it off minutes before the event. Danced the entire time during prep, it was amazing.

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/peace.gif

Of course the moment service started we got serious, can´t let the customers se me grooving...
 
#15 ·
Line dancing ......

mimi
I love dancing on the line xD.

I remember hours before an event it was me, the head chef and another line cook and we cranked up the music and only shut it off minutes before the event. Danced the entire time during prep, it was amazing.

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/peace.gif

Of course the moment service started we got serious, can´t let the customers se me grooving...
Sounds like a blast and personally think kitchen dancing to be da bomb!

Altho I am talking about the servers stopping everything (seating included) and line dancing to country and western music (nothing against CandW music) up and down the aisles and even on the bar top .

mimi
 
#18 · (Edited)
I have a perpetual craving for the house salad (only place besides mine for a stellar Ranch dressing) and dinner rolls (whipped honey butter) at Texas Roadhouse.
Almost the entire entree menu comes with gobs of melted jack cheese (eek) but the chicken fried chicken nuggets are decent so Always order some for my salad.
The entire waitstaff wears tight blue jeans as well as equally tight shirts .
Every thirty minutes or so they break out the booty shakenest line dance for us..... their beloved dinner guests.
The ONLY other chain place we frequent would be Joe's Crab Shack.
Cannot get enuf of the mixed bucket o'legs!
Yes I realize there is nothing fresh about the seafood but really most places serve flash frozen (crab) anyways so in my mind this makes it ok.....right?
Well good ole Joe encourages spontaneous dancing as well.
They start the day in the aisles advancing to the tops of picnic tables in time for happy hour.
Yay.
The closer it gets to closing time a few of the friendlier servers climb up the barstools and from there to the bar top.
Now I have indulged in a bit of bar top dancing back in the day, but I can assure you it was fully clothed and always bought my own drinks, lol.

mimi
 
#19 · (Edited)
Oh mimi that does sound bad, pretty bad actually lol. 

Now you reminded me of one other things im not to keen on when going to restaurants, but its happens rarely. 

Waiters after they have been told or find out its your birthday coming along to sing you happy birthday thus causing all eyes to be on you for 1-3 minutes. 

I know its not that long, but i dont enjoy it at all.

Be it at chain restaurants or mom and pop places, if its my birthday or someone elses birthday do not come sing at our table, ill open one exception if we are getting free dessert, if we are gonna get free dessert they can even lift me and crowd surf me across the restaurant LOL. 
 
#21 ·
1customers who listen to Doctor OZ, and think that wheat is bad for you. This isn't even counting the people that think they are "allergic" to gluten (I support the people who have legitimate issues).
2last minute customers
3more than one substitution per table.
4militant vegans (I'm perfectly in favor of healthy eating, just talking about the militants)
5 the fact that waiters earns 3-4 times what a skilled, experienced prep cook and 2-3x times what a skilled, experienced line cook earns

6 when front of house is goofing off joking, talking about their dates, flirting with each other instead of working and then a customer returns a meal (rightfully so) because it is cold.
 
 
#22 · (Edited)
OH another one. 

At self service restaurants when people get the food and try to take it to their plates, usually far away from the food, causing food to spill into the hot cubes/boxes or causing it to spill on the floor. 

Is it honestly so hard to take the plate close to the food, get the food withthe tongs or spoon and put it on the plate, instead of basically carrying the food to your plate, carry the plate close to the food. 

I have had to clean up to many messes because of things like this... 
 
#24 ·
Wow, there are soooo many....

1...Messy stations...not cleaning as you go....middle of service and your station is a total wreck!!!

2...Placing hot pans on cutting boards.....

3...Line cooks that don't pay attention.....Order in!! Huh?

4...Not cleaning and flipping pans after your shift is over....nothing worse than showing up in the morning to dirty, half-empty pans...So you spend your first 30 minutes properly cleaning the station...

5...Front of house filling the restaurant with no regard to the kitchen...."Hey just seated 50 people....sorry guys..!!

6...Wait staff who think they know more than the head chef....

7...People who take the last item out of a box and leave it for some one else to take out of the freezer or walkin!!

8...Someone who cuts fish and leaves a dirty cutting board and knife...YOUR knife there with dried up fish all over it.!!

9...Someone who preps food and feels they must do it differently each time instead of following the established house recipe..

10..Wait staff who complain any time there is a different brand of ketchup, tartar sauce, Mayo, tomato, etc...because it's "different"....

11..Wait staff that finger _F's the food when taking it out of the window because it doesn't look the way "they" want it to look...

12..Wait staff that ignores the head chef when telling them their food is in the window while they pile whip cream and chocolate syrup on a dessert plate while gossiping with 3 other wait staff that should have been cut an hour ago.....

13...An owner that tells you the beans are cold.....just after you showed him/her via thermometer that they were 140 degrees....

14...Wait staff that likes to microwave every bowl/cup of soup, even after establishing that the soup bains are holding the soup at proper temperature...

15...This food is cold.....despite sitting under blazing heat lamps for the last 10 minutes because your lazy ass wouldn't come and take it out of the window..

16..Wait staff that decides to tell head chef how to make a good soup...

17...Wait staff that has been working at said establishment for 5+ years and consistently asks stupid questions regarding menu, "is the seafood gluten free?", doesn't know the menu, etc...

18...Newly hired "salad girls" who make salads with no gloves because her supervisor, the head waitress, who has been working there for 10 years...has failed to train her that foods ready to eat should be handled with gloves....and I'm the A-hole for asking her to put gloves on.....

I could go on...lol..
 
#25 ·
Wow, there are soooo many....

1...Messy stations...not cleaning as you go....middle of service and your station is a total wreck!!!

2...Placing hot pans on cutting boards.....

3...Line cooks that don't pay attention.....Order in!! Huh?

4...Not cleaning and flipping pans after your shift is over....nothing worse than showing up in the morning to dirty, half-empty pans...So you spend your first 30 minutes properly cleaning the station...

5...Front of house filling the restaurant with no regard to the kitchen...."Hey just seated 50 people....sorry guys..!!

6...Wait staff who think they know more than the head chef....

7...People who take the last item out of a box and leave it for some one else to take out of the freezer or walkin!!

8...Someone who cuts fish and leaves a dirty cutting board and knife...YOUR knife there with dried up fish all over it.!!

9...Someone who preps food and feels they must do it differently each time instead of following the established house recipe..

10..Wait staff who complain any time there is a different brand of ketchup, tartar sauce, Mayo, tomato, etc...because it's "different"....

11..Wait staff that finger _F's the food when taking it out of the window because it doesn't look the way "they" want it to look...

12..Wait staff that ignores the head chef when telling them their food is in the window while they pile whip cream and chocolate syrup on a dessert plate while gossiping with 3 other wait staff that should have been cut an hour ago.....

13...An owner that tells you the beans are cold.....just after you showed him/her via thermometer that they were 140 degrees....

14...Wait staff that likes to microwave every bowl/cup of soup, even after establishing that the soup bains are holding the soup at proper temperature...

15...This food is cold.....despite sitting under blazing heat lamps for the last 10 minutes because your lazy ass wouldn't come and take it out of the window..

16..Wait staff that decides to tell head chef how to make a good soup...

17...Wait staff that has been working at said establishment for 5+ years and consistently asks stupid questions regarding menu, "is the seafood gluten free?", doesn't know the menu, etc...

18...Newly hired "salad girls" who make salads with no gloves because her supervisor, the head waitress, who has been working there for 10 years...has failed to train her that foods ready to eat should be handled with gloves....and I'm the A-hole for asking her to put gloves on.....

I could go on...lol..
Sounds like you just got off of yet another shift of:

"Standard Operating Procedures"

STOP

I feel ya!
 
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