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

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: DainBramaged
It all depends on the restaurant. If it is a nice chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Red Lobster . . .

You eagerly chow down at oxymorons. :shocked:

Face it, you'll eat anything, no matter how mediocre. There'd have to be maggots in your matzohs for you to notice and complain.

 

[squiggledot]

I send it back. If they didn't get it right, then I shouldn't be eating it. That's what we pay them for!

 

[Xyo II]

Originally posted by: SonnyDaze
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.

I wouldn't say that Cracker Barrel is a really "nice" restaurant, but damn the food is good, and plenty of it. My parents used to take us there all the time.

 

[BoomerD]

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.

Several years ago, when Olive Garden first opened here,everyone was raving about the place, so I let my wife talk me into trying it...Food was served cold, waiter was TERRIBLE, (possibly the WORST service I've ever had in a "nice" restaurant) and he forgot part of the meal at the kitchen window.
Needless to say, I bitched...first to the server, then to the manager. Not much was really accomplished, (the manager did finally take part of one meal off the bill) but overall, it was a crappy experience, and I haven't been back since.
For those who say "don't blame the server if the kitchen screws up"...WRONG! That server took the order, so he/she is rewponsible for making sure it's right before bringing it to the table...If it just tastes bad, (maybe something new) than No, but if it's obviously undercooked, burnt, or incomplete, THAT is on them to catch...that is, IF they think they deserve a tip. Just taking the order and delivering it isn't reason enough for a tip...that is service that is included in the price of the meal...

 

[Tiamat]

my willingness to ask for a manager and send it back goes up as the price of the food goes up.

 

[Beev]

Depends how bad it is. If it's just not as good as usual or what I think it should be then I'll eat it. If it's just piss terrible though I will send it back, and if the next one is just as bad then I'm leaving right then. I won't waste my money on garbage.

 

[Captante]

If I'm paying for a meal & somthings wrong I'll either send it back & request that it be fixed or send it back & have it removed from the tab, depending on how likely I think the "special sauce" factor is to kick in.

The only way I hold the waiter or waitress responsible for the problem is if (1) a special request gets overlooked (2) food is cold or dried out from sitting under a heat lamp or (3) If I get a nasty/defensive attitude when I send the food back.

As a rule I start at a 20% tip when I walk in the door which can go up to 25-30% or down to 10% depending on the quality of service I receive... needless to say i get very good service at places I eat at frequently.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: 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.

No, we eat well.

 

[thirdlegstump]

I keep quiet, don't eat it, pay as usual and go somewhere else. I think it's rude and embarassing to complain about the food and then ask for a refund.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
eat it


just eat it

Get yourself an egg and beat it...

Actually, if the food's really bad, later that night I usually end up puking my guts out one end and sh!tting them out the other end...

 

[fitzov]

Work way up chain of command--talk to waitress first--they tend to have more pull with the cooks/manager anyway, and at least they are working for a tip.

 

[j00fek]

if it makes me barf id send it back. but unlike most people id just eat it and never go back.

 

[slsmnaz]

Originally posted by: deathkoba
I keep quiet, don't eat it, pay as usual and go somewhere else. I think it's rude and embarassing to complain about the food and then ask for a refund.

To ask or expect a refund is wrong but I will always send it back if it's no good. It's rude to expect to get what you pay for?

I will never ask for it to be free but I expect it to be correct. There are many people who do this just to get free meals.

And it's not the servers responsibility to make sure your steak is not medium when you ordered medium rare. I don't want them poking their finger in my food just to make sure. How the situation is handled should dictate how they are compensated.

 

[JDMnAR1]

If by bad food, you mean improperly prepared, then I won't hesitate to mention it to the server, politely of course. If it is just something that I decided to try and I don't care for it, that is my fault so there isn't anything that should be done.

 

[blazerazor]

What do you mean by "bad" food, like a well done steak when I ordered Medium rare (pink) or do you mean like a inch worm munching on my salad, dead roach under my baked potatoe, or a public hair on my plate undersome food.

 

[TravisT]

I'm assuming since you have "eat it anyway" in your poll that it isn't due to a fly being on it or actually tasting old, instead just not a very good flavor. If I dislike the food personally, then I typically continue eating it, likely won't eat it all but try to eat enough that I get close to full. I normally just won't return to the restaraunt.

 

[Syrch]

bad food as in rotten, i better get new or compensated, the wrong food i will simply ask for it to be corrected

 

[jfall]

I wouldn't dare send it back, they'd probably spit in it

 

[Manuwell]

Depending on my mood... but generally, I eat the stuff, minimum tip, never go back.

If it's really terrible or toxic (like amonia flavored seafood) here is my strategy =>

1) I mention the issue to the waiter and they do their best to fix it.
2) I ask the waiter/manager to taste my plate and then ask what he/she thinks about it.
3) Oops, I flipped my plate over (on the table, or preferably on the nice brand new carpet)
4) I eat it, I throw it up and then, I ask the waiter to take it back to teh kitchen 'cos it didn't taste good, even on its way back to teh plate. No refund asked.

I actually never have to go beyond than step 1, waiters are good to me !

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
To ask or expect a refund is wrong but I will always send it back if it's no good. It's rude to expect to get what you pay for?

I will never ask for it to be free but I expect it to be correct. There are many people who do this just to get free meals.

but its not reasonable to EXPECT good food everywhere. if i go to an established, reputable restaurant, and everyone in my group has a great dish and mine is horribly undercooked or overcooked (ill prepared), then ill ask for a new one.... because i got a bad DISH

if i go into a random restaurant, and the food sucks, especially if everyone else's food sucks, then it has to be accepted that it is a bad RESTAURANT... in which case theres no point in fighting

 

[Baked]

Talk to the manager and demand gift certificates.

 

[chr6]

Originally posted by: 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.

i've done this on several occasions, i find if you are polite and just explain what's wrong, you'll get the service you are looking for. marie callendars once didn't charge us for really REALLY bad tasting food, and TGIF's didn't charge and gave me $100 in gift certificates for a piece of plastic i found in my burger.

 

[silverghost]

I went to Nobu 57 (awesome Sushi place if you dont know what it is) in NYC for my girl's B-day. She was eating a salad we got and found a live worm on it! We just about finished it up at that time, but the waiter took it back, comped us the dish and provided some candies as a gratuity at the end of the meal. I left him a really good tip at the end also for the excellent service.

 

[fbrdphreak]

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 OG is very hit or miss. I didn't go back for a year or so after a bad experience, then my gf made me for the unlimited pasta stuff and it was an ok experience. Still never had a GREAT experience there tho, disappointing

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: 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.

I don't think Cracker Barrel is a nice restaurant Good food, decent price, but what do you consider nice? Magiano's italian is pretty nice, then you've got shirt&tie places like Ruth's Chris or whatever...