joan

I agree with Intrepid1. These stories are just that - fiction. Other than seetheworld's experience of having to watch the staff eat the returned food (gross!), can anybody actually give me a firsthand account of their food being tampered with? Or even of observing food being tampered with?

Those of you who work(ed) in the restaurant industry and say that devious things are done to the food of complainers, must work in LOW CLASS places. As an owner (22 years) of a successful restaurant, I can tell you that NEVER EVER would we tamper with a patron's food. Especially a complainer - my goodness how stupid would that be? If I ever caught one of my staff tampering with the food, they would be fired on the spot, no question about it.

Go to a place with a good reputation, and you can be sure they'll "make good" on any problem you have. That's why they're still in business.

seetheworld

You make a good point Joan.

My sons both worked as table runners for a fine local restaurant and if they brought the wrong dish to a table (not that it happened often) once it was placed on the table it remained as a "gift" or it was disposed of -- No switching. We love going there because we can always be assured of a fine product. Mistakes can happen but it is how they are fixed that make a lasting impression.

LoveItaly

Hi seetheworld, I sure agree with your comment that mistakes happen but it is how it is dealt with that makes the impression.

I go to a local restaurant that sometimes messes up and ends up putting corn or cheese on my food although I talk to the server and know that they write it properly on the ticket. About 10% of the time the chef goofs up and I cannot except the dish. I am always pleasant about it. I always have the manager come over and apologies and things are taken care of immediately. So I keep going back.

The experience that I had at a newish restaurant in my city on Easter left me feeling the chef was completely in control (even though he is an employee and not one of the owners). He will not serve primerib unless it is rare! No discusssion, period. I talked to the owner afterwards and evidently the owner is "afraid" to upset the chef. So they sure lost my business.

We have a new restaurant that was taken over by a person who has owned a darling coffee shop in our city for about 15 years. Their second location is wonderful and I have eaten there quite a bit the last couple of weeks. The owner and the staff knock themselves out to make sure that their customers are happy and that is the way that it should be. Not absolute gourmet food but good food (too much actually) and a place you can count on day in and day out. That is nice. I am sure they will be as successful as they have been at their first location.

As far as feeling bad if I don't go back to a restaurant that does not know how to take care of problems, I don't. I was in business to long to respect a business that does not know how to treat their customers/clients properly. And I am a very loyal customer of businesses that do.

alya

Tried a local restaurant for the first time today and ordered Portabella mushroom and roasted garlic pizza.

When it came the mushrooms weren't fresh they were marinated and tasted very vinegary - yuk!!!

I tried 2 slices before I narrowed the nasty taste down to the mushrooms and pushed the pizza aside. The waitress took the price of the pizza off the check and therefore got a good tip. She did offer to order a different dish for me but by then i didn't want to try anything else.

DH ordered a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and said it was very good - because of the waitress (we didn't ask her to not charge for the pizza) we'll give the place a second chance

shaz60

The female half of a couple that we go out to dinner with on a regular basis always sends something back. Since this is her only horrible trait, I decide that it balances one of my horrible traits. She is a registered dietician and has worked as a waitress for many years. Since she has no fear I guess I don't either but usually you have to wait so long for a replacement that it hardly seems worth it.

LoveItaly

Oh chaz, we had a relative that always sent his food back without fail. We loved him bunches but it was so annoying and really messed up the dinner for everyone else. He even got teased about "how come you are always the only one that gets a dish that was not prepared properly", but even that didn't faze him. My DH thought of it as an attention getter or control issue (this relative was way up there in the Military). Wonder if anyone every did "anything" to his food, LOL.

travelinwifey

LoveItaly, I have no doubt your friend in the military did have things put in his food for certain, when FIL started in the military as a cook he told me the stories of what men did to the officers that got on their bad side....you don't want to know.

There are shows on tv every now and then that show what happens when secret cameras are in the kitchen and I saw where someone sent their steak back and the cook dropped it on the floor before serving it back to the customer. I'm sure it happens a lot and count me as one that does not send food back, we just never eat there again

travelinwifey

LoveItaly-oops, not friend, relative. My dad does that too from time to time, a courageous soul

LoveItaly

Oh travelinwifey, I just read your post, LOL. Ick and Ick!! Uhm, guess I can assume that is also true of the men that have to work in the officer's home as well?? I am afraid of the answer. The female relative was quite the "general" in her own way with the staff if you know what I mean.

OMG - ignorance is bliss sometimes, we were always served delicious meals but I don't want to know the details. Thanks again for sharing travelinwifey

Marilyn

I have a friend who worked for several years as a health inspector for her county. Just remember: it hasn't killed you yet, and ignorance is bliss.

LoveItaly

Hi Marilyn, that is so strange that you just posted your comment as after I wrote mine I had the same thought. I am still here, alive and well. Great minds do work together, right? Happy weekend to you two.

Marilyn

Hello, LoveItaly! Hope things have eased a bit for you. Enjoy the weekend -- weather is supposed to improve.

tracys2cents

I don't SEND back food, I get up and take it back myself, then watch while they get my order corrected.

Then of course I never return to the restaurant because I'm known as the kitchen-crasher!

Fodorite018

Travelinwifey--LOL! My DH is a retired Naval Officer...and I remember way back in his early career he told me he was always VERY nice to the cooks I know several times we had meals with him on the ship and the crew would come chat with us and they were so nice. I think I am glad my dh was liked! lol!

travelinwifey

Mms, now you can give your husband confirmation of his worst fears! And I'm sure the cooks treated him well. As for the stories, let's just say it has to do with 1 & 2.... double ick

I also have gross out stories from my spouse's work and things in food in Las Vegas buffets but as it's been written above, ignorance is bliss

Fodorite018

Travelinwifey--LOL! Yes, doesn't surprise me. Not sure if that is a good thing or not? At least retirement was good! lol!

atlswan

Count me as a wimp when it comes to sending food back. It has to really be bad for me to do that. I did send back some chicken once that was clearly undercooked. I won't eat that ever.

One time I just didn't like what I chose and the waiter noticed I wasn't eating it. It wasn't badly prepared. I just didn't like it. He immediately asked what I wanted to replace it and got it for me. That was unexpected and very kind.

My mother is a coffee lover. If her coffee ever arrives cold or old, she lets the server know about it. I can remember going out with her once and she got old coffee with her lunch. She asked the server when it was prepared and the waitress said, "In the morning." Mom shot back, "Yesterday morning?" I almost crawled under the table. The waitress brought her a freshly made cup but I have my doubts as to whether or not the food we got was totally untampered with due to Mom's less than kind reply. Thankfully, she hasn't replied like that since.

It's all in the attitude of the request, I think. If you're nice about it, most of the time servers will comply without acting rudely.

Patrick

I'm reminded of an incident at a supposedly very upscale restaurant here in Naples some time ago. Several of us were having dinner. One guy had a steak he literally couldn't eat, having removed pieces of gristle from his mouth a couple of times, he finally gave up. When the waiter came by he asked why he wasn't eating. Our friend refused to complain, but one of our other guests told the waiter that the steak was nothing but gristle and too tough to eat. The waiter whisked it away and as we ate, we expected him to return with a new steak. After some time, we asked the waiter where the new steak was. He replied, "the chef said if you didn't like that one, there's nothing he could possibly give you that would please you. We only serve the finest steaks." He walked away and our friend went without dinner.
The restaurant has since closed.

LoveItaly

Oh Patrick, sounds like what will happen with the "once" fantastic restaurant in my city. Other residents have said they are not going back to it as the chef insist that you have the food the way he wants you to have it or you don't get it. The restaurant is not long in business IMHO.
Take good care.

jorr

Take it from someone who has worked at four restuarants in Europe and the US in his day. If you give the server attutude you shouldn't eat the food that is brought back to you. Jerk customers often get their food nastied-up. I worked as a cook but I know the servers do this sometimes.