If you get bad food at a restaurant what do you do?

[D1gger]

If you are served bad food at a restaurant, do you send it back and ask for replacement meal, do you eat it anyway and just not go back?

If it is really bad I will send it back, but I try to be as nice as possible to the waiter/waitress because I always fear that they will spit in my food or do some other more horrible act before bringing the replacement meal.

How about you?

 

[sash1]

Originally posted by: D1gger
If it is really bad I will send it back, but I try to be as nice as possible to the waiter/waitress because I always fear that they will spit in my food or do some other more horrible act before bringing the replacement meal.

you watch waiting too much we don't actually do that, we just really want to.

 

[krunchykrome]

I'll either eat what I can or I wont eat it at all. It would really have to be an extreme case if I were to say something to the waiter or management.

The only time I can remember ever speaking to management about something at a resturaunt was when I took my gf out to a suit and tie resturaunt. Most customers in the resturaunt were in their 50's+, judging by the baldness, wrinkless, and white hair. Anyways, my gf and I are pretty young, early 20s and we were seated at a table closest to the door. when resturaunts do this, they feel as though you will be cheap in the resturaunt with regards to spending and tipping so why waste a good table on you. Funny thing is, I tip at least 20% everytime I go out to eat, and thats a bare minimum. I usually tip around 30%-40%. Anyways, we ate, tipped very well, and before I left I spoke to the manager and told him my issue with the seat and told him that I wouldnt be back, ever.

 

[LS20]

bad food doesnt affect my tips cuz servers dont cook it
i dont send food back cuz the new food might be worse


i eat what i can eat and nevre go back again

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
I'll either eat what I can or I wont eat it at all. It would really have to be an extreme case if I were to say something to the waiter or management.

The only time I can remember ever speaking to management about something at a resturaunt was when I took my gf out to a suit and tie resturaunt. Most customers in the resturaunt were in their 50's+, judging by the baldness, wrinkless, and white hair. Anyways, my gf and I are pretty young, early 20s and we were seated at a table closest to the door. when resturaunts do this, they feel as though you will be cheap in the resturaunt with regards to spending and tipping so why waste a good table on you. Funny thing is, I tip at least 20% everytime I go out to eat, and thats a bare minimum. I usually tip around 30%-40%. Anyways, we ate, tipped very well, and before I left I spoke to the manager and told him my issue with the seat and told him that I wouldnt be back, ever.

Wow you sure read alot into something as simple as a seating arrangement. Seems like something you might suspect, but not be certain enough of to act on.

Just my opinion though...


Edit: Oh and I eat it anyway. Who's to say I didn't just pick a dish that normally tastes bad.

 

[mchammer187]

what do you mean by bad?

like doesn't taste because its old, improperly cooked etc.

or bad as in it doesnt suit your taste but is supposed to taste that way

if it is the former i'll prolly complain but since I always try new things than how am I supposed to know it tastes this way

of course the second situation only applies when you don't know what something is exactly supposed to taste like

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: SlitheryDee

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
I'll either eat what I can or I wont eat it at all. It would really have to be an extreme case if I were to say something to the waiter or management.

The only time I can remember ever speaking to management about something at a resturaunt was when I took my gf out to a suit and tie resturaunt. Most customers in the resturaunt were in their 50's+, judging by the baldness, wrinkless, and white hair. Anyways, my gf and I are pretty young, early 20s and we were seated at a table closest to the door. when resturaunts do this, they feel as though you will be cheap in the resturaunt with regards to spending and tipping so why waste a good table on you. Funny thing is, I tip at least 20% everytime I go out to eat, and thats a bare minimum. I usually tip around 30%-40%. Anyways, we ate, tipped very well, and before I left I spoke to the manager and told him my issue with the seat and told him that I wouldnt be back, ever.

Wow you sure read alot into something as simple as a seating arrangement. Seems like something you might suspect, but not be certain enough of to act on.

Just my opinion though...

Well, I used to be a waiter (kinda explains why I tip soo much) at a decent table cloth resturaunt. So I know how management and waiters think, and believe me, they judge you as soon as you walk through the door.

 

[dxkj]

Man lots of spineless people in this thread.

You pay good money for food and wont say anything when it is bad?

 

[wheresmybacon]

If I'm eating at the restaurant and I haven't gotten it to-go, I'll send it back if it's burnt or if something else is egregiously wrong.

If I've gotten it to-go, it sort of depends on whether I eat it or not, but it's pretty likely that I won't complain and will simply never go back again. There's something about getting home and finding out the chef has preheated you a turd that makes me fume.

 

[novasatori]

why not do eat it and get money back??

I witnessed a guy in the booth across from ours eat his entire dinner, then call over a waitress and ask for the manager, the manager came out and the guy said - "This food was TERRIBLE I want it removed from my bill" so I though surely he must be joking his plates were absolutely SPOTLESS. WRONG manager says "yes sir, ok, we'll have it right off of there for you, would you like a free slice of pie/cake, which kind?"

so despicable, as obviously it wasn't bad - he didn't mention anything or make any gestures the whole meal, all while talking happily with his wife and eating the whole thing.

some people.

I subscribe to send it back, I usually order specifics on my meals as I'm a picky eater, and that's what I'm paying for, but if its not too bad I don't mind eating it.

 

[Dirigible]

I'll send it back, nicely explaining what I thought was wrong about it. The staff has always been helpful to me in return.

 

[DainBramaged]

It all depends on the restaurant. If it is a nice chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Red Lobster, I would tell a manager. Those places would bend over backward to get you to be happy and come back. If it was a small restaurant owned by Dimitri Valakonakos, the local prick, no, I wouldn't complain.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: DainBramaged
It all depends on the restaurant. If it is a nice chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Red Lobster, I would tell a manager. Those places would bend over backward to get you to be happy and come back. If it was a small restaurant owned by Dimitri Valakonakos, the local prick, no, I wouldn't complain.

LOL, did you just pull that name out of your a$$ or is that the name of a real prick in your area?

 

[nageov3t]

how bad?

if it's totally inedible, I'll totally send it back.

if it's a little under/over cooked, a little cold, etc, I'll eat it anyways. not a big deal.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

It depends what you mean by bad - I came to a restaraunt to eat some good tasting food, if it is cold and has been sitting for a long while or made wrong, I will say something and ask them to either reheat it, fix the issue, etc.

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome

Originally posted by: DainBramaged
It all depends on the restaurant. If it is a nice chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Red Lobster, I would tell a manager. Those places would bend over backward to get you to be happy and come back. If it was a small restaurant owned by Dimitri Valakonakos, the local prick, no, I wouldn't complain.

LOL, did you just pull that name out of your a$$ or is that the name of a real prick in your area?

I just pulled it out of my ass.

 

[brtspears2]

Wrong - as in burned, undercooked, I send it back.
Not tasty - I still eat it and never return to the restaurant

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: DainBramaged
It all depends on the restaurant. If it is a nice chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Red Lobster, I would tell a manager. Those places would bend over backward to get you to be happy and come back. If it was a small restaurant owned by Dimitri Valakonakos, the local prick, no, I wouldn't complain.

in college i went to a friend's bday dinner with my gf at olive garden. they forgot my gf's food. twice. that is, they forgot her food, then they forgot about forgetting it. over an hour after everyone had eaten and half the people in our party had left, her food came.

i asked to speak with the manager and told him that the service was unacceptable. he disagreed. he would not pick up her dinner or give us any discount of any sort.

i sent a letter to corporate HQ and received a letter back telling me they were sorry that happened, but offered no coupons or complimentary anything.

that was twelve years ago. i haven't been back to olive garden since, nor will i ever go back.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: hungfarover

Originally posted by: DainBramaged
It all depends on the restaurant. If it is a nice chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Red Lobster, I would tell a manager. Those places would bend over backward to get you to be happy and come back. If it was a small restaurant owned by Dimitri Valakonakos, the local prick, no, I wouldn't complain.

in college i went to a friend's bday dinner with my gf at olive garden. they forgot my gf's food. twice. that is, they forgot her food, then they forgot about forgetting it. over an hour after everyone had eaten and half the people in our party had left, her food came.

i asked to speak with the manager and told him that the service was unacceptable. he disagreed. he would not pick up her dinner or give us any discount of any sort.

i sent a letter to corporate HQ and received a letter back telling me they were sorry that happened, but offered no coupons or complimentary anything.

that was twelve years ago. i haven't been back to olive garden since, nor will i ever go back.

Yeah I had a similar experience at a top notch restaurant here in NC....Cracker Barrel, I think it's called.

Anyways my wife and I order and then they bring mine out and tell us they're still getting hers together (fried fish I think).

15 minutes later the waitress comes out and says they were out of fish and would my wife like to order something different. I said "Oh hell no!!" (Yeah I actually used those words in that nice restaurant)

Waitress looked at me weird and asked if I'd like to speak to the manager. "Oh hell yes!!" (Yup said them words too).

Manager comes out and apologizes. Gives us both meals on the house and a coupon for 30% off our next meal.

I still go there now but I can't get my wife to order fish anymore.....She thinks I'm just gunning for coupons.

 

[FoBoT]

eat it


just eat it

 

[50cent1228]

don't eat it

 

[doze]

Send back badly cooked or burnt/rotten food food, but if you don't like the taste then just don't eat it.

 

[Aftermath]

I would just eat it. But in "real life" I'm a doormat. My wife is a lot better about showing a spine in situations like that. She's complained more than once and we've gotten the meal for free each time. (These were low-key places like Denny's or TGI Fridays.)

 

[spidey07]

Ask to see the manager.
Cordially and calmly explain that the food is not good (really cold, way undercooked/overcooked)
Let them do something about it - normally the "bad" meal for free, or preferrably something else.

This happened twice at o'charleys so I won't eat there again because it rare to actually get "bad" food.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
I'll either eat what I can or I wont eat it at all. It would really have to be an extreme case if I were to say something to the waiter or management.

The only time I can remember ever speaking to management about something at a resturaunt was when I took my gf out to a suit and tie resturaunt. Most customers in the resturaunt were in their 50's+, judging by the baldness, wrinkless, and white hair. Anyways, my gf and I are pretty young, early 20s and we were seated at a table closest to the door. when resturaunts do this, they feel as though you will be cheap in the resturaunt with regards to spending and tipping so why waste a good table on you. Funny thing is, I tip at least 20% everytime I go out to eat, and thats a bare minimum. I usually tip around 30%-40%. Anyways, we ate, tipped very well, and before I left I spoke to the manager and told him my issue with the seat and told him that I wouldnt be back, ever.

That'll show them... you got the cheeseburger platter and tipped the waiter 20%. Meanwhile, all the people at the nice tables were ordering surf-n-turf, filet mignon, etc. and tipping 15% which still worked out to more money.


I just had a HORRIBLE dinner the other night. I picked through it a little bit, and ravenously ate the leftovers from the rest of my family.
edit: But the waitress was excellent... our drinks never ran dry; she was very prompt, etc. I still tipped 20%. It wasn't her fault that the cook did a lousy job.