Do you ever send restaurant food back?

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DigitalStefan@reddit

No. Under exceptional circumstances e.g. it was rotten, burnt to the point of being inedible or I found something alive in it, I wouldn’t just send it back I would leave and tell them to zero the bill.

Anything up to that point and I’ll just eat it.

I saw a quote that went something like “why worry about a restaurant bringing you the wrong dish or cooking your steak incorrectly? Just eat the food, be happy and move on” and I have internalised that philosophy.

I get it that if you only eat out rarely and it’s a real treat that you wouldn’t always afford, you have different expectations about receiving the dish you asked for and having it cooked and presented nicely. Personally, even though I don’t eat out frequently, I’m fortunate that when I do it’s within budget and it’s not a big deal.

If something is hilariously bad such as the server is rude or they brought me entirely the wrong dish I’ll just laugh about it as a mildly funny story afterwards.

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G4m8I3r@reddit

That quote is the reason why most restaurant’s etc serve substandard food

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DigitalStefan@reddit

I think you're confusing caus & effect with this take! The only substandard food and service I've ever experienced have been avoidable by me because I'd made the unwise decision to go into a restaurant very close to a tourist area.

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G4m8I3r@reddit

I just sent steak back last night (uk)

Asked for medium rare, it comes medium well, send back, the waitress comes out to tell me “he said it’s medium”……… I asked if medium rare (it’s not medium) obviously the next one comes back super rare, so I threw in the towel.

I think in the UK we’re too accustomed to just eating shit and saying thanks, if more people complained, standards would be higher

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RecentTwo544@reddit

PTSD from working in hospitality by any chance?

Mine manifests in tidying the table before it is cleared. Nothing except the plates (with cutlery neatly stacked on it) is left on the table. No food, no napkins, no mess. The plates can be taken and the table is basically ready to go after a compulsory wipe over.

As for food, as others said, only if something is objectively wrong with it.

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D1C_Whizz@reddit

Absolutely! My husband would always push me not to but I work too hard for my money for it to be wasted on substandard food.

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melanie110@reddit

Exactly my sentiment too!

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Ok-Engine7401@reddit (OP)

I honestly wish I had the confidence! Go you!

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D1C_Whizz@reddit

You don’t have to be rude. My strategy is to be polite and appreciative but clear that I had higher expectations. It almost always works.

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Ok-Engine7401@reddit (OP)

I'd probably be crying like "im so sorry but there's a knife in my food and I tried to eat around it but now I'm bleeding and might die please take it away I'm sorry" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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decrepitlungs@reddit

it can’t be that bad, man. grow a back bone.

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D1C_Whizz@reddit

Next time message me. I’ll coach you on it.

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Ok-Engine7401@reddit (OP)

Thank you, my fairy-complaimt-mother

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Andi-anna@reddit

Yup, I once sent a chicken dish back in a restaurant. I'd had it loads of times before but this one time I had a piece of chicken with a really odd flavour and an off chicken smell. I wasn't going to risk the food poisoning. I've also had a couple of friends send back dishes that came with nuts after they specified no nuts because of allergies.

If it the food was off, if it had an allergen I'd specified before ordering, if the order was wrong, if there was something unhygienic/dangerous like a hair or a piece of glass in it, or if it wasn't properly cooked (e.g. still frozen inside, not just that I asked for a medium rare steak and this is a bit closer to medium!) then I wouldn't hesitate to send it back. Otherwise I'd keep quiet too tbh.

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SpaTowner@reddit

Yes. I sent back a plate of haggis, beeps and tatties at an hotel in Golspie. The potatoes tasted burnt, there were no burnt bits in them but it was like when you are learning to cook and burn something, you don’t eat the actual burnt bits, but the burnt flavour permeates all the food.

They didn’t quibble and I ordered something else. It wasn’t until I was leaving the restaurant that the waiter said to me the mash was ‘smoked’. But honestly, if you’re serving ’smoked mash’, that’s something you mention on the menu. And it wasn’t a ‘smoky’ flavour, it was an ‘OMG can we salvage this’ flavour.

More recently I sent a ciabatta sandwich back in a cafe because it was meant to be toasted and wasn’t.

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oscarx-ray@reddit

If it's wrong, cold, or unsanitary, absolutely. I'm paying a premium for it, I'm not going to eat something unpleasant or something that I didn't order. I'm just very polite about it.

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NoFewSatan@reddit

Only really if it's something I wouldn't eat. If I order a ham and mushroom pizza, and they give me a pepperoni pizza, I'm fine with that. If they give me a pizza that's fully just coriander, that goes back.

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jan_tantawa@reddit

Only once when I was brought completely the wrong dish. I told the waiter as he was bringing it to my table and he instantly apologised and then fetched the correct one.

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Gulbasaur@reddit

I had that happen three times in the same evening once.

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Zealousideal-Wash904@reddit

I did once at Wagamama as there was no chicken and prawns in my noodle dish but I think that’s the only time; I get your anxiety about complaining but when there’s literally no meat in your meal then that’s the time to speak up.

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Far_wide@reddit

This is the best example as it's something almost funnily incorrect that's indisputably clearly the case (rather than "I reckon this is too salty").

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

There was once in Wagamama actually that we sent a dish back for being too spicy. It was insane on the chilli, like someone's hand slipped or something. The waiter looked dubious then returned saying he had tried it, and did look shocked saying "it is very hot, I'll get it remade". I like heat but I couldn't have finished it, so they are getting it back either way I guess.

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AwayFirefighter7007@reddit

Only if it's inedible but I cant remember the last time that even happened. Basically I wouldn't complain if I just didn't like it. If the waiter/waitress comes back to check on our table, I would try and always let them know e.g. saltiness, over/under. I used to work as a waitress for many years and it is beneficial to recieve honest feedback so it can be rectified for future guests also retain the reputation of the restaurant.

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Lazy_Crab_3584@reddit

If it's not right I send it back. I've had mates mock me mercilessly in the work canteen because we all got given cold chips, still frozen in the middle. I was the only one that took mine back for a new batch, the rest either left the food they'd paid for or ate slightly frozen chips and they made out like I was the weirdo.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

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intangible-tangerine@reddit

If it is unsafe for me or my companion(s) to eat and I have already clearly stated dietary needs when ordering then yew I will send it back and I don't mind being blunt if they are difficult about it.

Has only happened a few times as most places are very diligent when it comes to food safety.

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oudcedar@reddit

Yes. Not often but maybe a couple of times a year, mostly if they got the order wrong I but sometimes if it tastes very wrong.

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steveakacrush@reddit

Yes definitely, if the food isn't good I'm not going to eat it.

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retailface@reddit

Only once. The manager agreed that pizza wasn't supposed to shatter when you cut it, so a replacement was no problem.

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ReindeerQuirky3114@reddit

I think I've done this exactly three times ever.

The most recent time was in Spain about 12 years ago. I had ordered a steak, and the waiter asked (in English) how I would like it cooked. I replied that I wanted it rare, and then repeated it in Spanish "poco hecho", and indeed the waiter confused my choice in both languages. When it arrived it looked like it had been on the grill for half an hour. It was like chunk of leather. Luckily we attracted the attention of the same waiter, and he was very apologetic.

The previous time was at an Indian restaurant near Folkestone. I can't remember what was wrong the specific dish I sent back, but just about everything went wrong. Before they brought the food, they made a big show of handling the heated dinner plates, which were in fact stone cold. I'm not sure any dish had anything to do with what we ordered, but it arrived in dribs and drabs, and most if it was pretty cold by the time it arrived. We were a party of 8 people, and in the end we got to the point of laughing at how terrible it was. At the end of the meal they offered us desert on the house. This was the first hot thing I had served to me - the plate on which a kulfi was sliding around as it rapidly melted. The place has since closed down.

And more seriously, at a Chinese restaurant we went to fairly often, we had to send a dish back because there were prawns in it, when we had told them that my Mum, whose birthday we were celebrating, had a seafood allergy. They promised they could make the dish without prawns, otherwise we would have chosen something else.

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Agitated_Strain_6260@reddit

Only once, I was very heavily pregnant and wanted a steak so asked for it well done, clearly pissed off the chef because it was absolutely cremated. I called the waitress over and said I can't eat that, she explained that he didn't like to do them well done so i complained to the manager! He was so apologetic and comped? The whole meal. I like my steak rare but I didn't think it was safe during pregnancy! Wasn't being an arse.

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Sorry-Programmer9826@reddit

We sent something back just last month because it was cold in the middle. And previously a glass with a lipstick mark on it.

We've never sent anything back because "it wasn't very nice" but if there's something objectively wrong with it it's going back.

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OldBoyShenanigans@reddit

My other comment said I never have. But you have reminded me that I ordered a drink, and it had a lipstick stain on it. I took it back to the bar, and all he did was wiped it off and handed the glass back to me. I was pretty young back then and didn't push for a fresh glass and fresh drink. I wish I did.

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Ok-Engine7401@reddit (OP)

What the fuckkkk. If it was a customer I knew well, I would ask if they want it poured into a different glass (they generally didn't care lol) - if I didn’t know them I would automatically make a fresh one

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OldBoyShenanigans@reddit

Making a new one is stating the obvious (never met the barman before). For memory, it was around the time the rule came in that bars were held accountable for each drink poured and had to write up each drink that had to be discarded.

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Ok-Engine7401@reddit (OP)

I don't really understand people sending things back if they simply don't like it. Cold/raw/undercooked I understand, but I'd be too scared haha

As an ex Barmaid, I absolutely agree with the lipstick - but personally it doesn't bother me as long as there's a 'clean' side lol. I'd always check glasses but sometimes one slips through the net, so I'd always offer a free replacement

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Loose_Acanthaceae201@reddit

Only if I don't want it replacing.

I once ordered macaroni cheese as a side dish. I received macaroni overboiled in milk, topped with a loosely torn up slice of white bread and a stingy spoonful of grated cheddar. I sent it back after the first forkful and declined any replacement or substitute.

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Background_Fox@reddit

Yes, but only when it's undeniably bad rather than just flavour - for example, a fish that was still frozen inside, and a batch of chips that had blue plastic melted on a couple of them for some reason.

I have sent back a few grill items to be cooked longer when I was pregnant and they were definitely a little too rare, but that'll be getting the same item rather than expecting a refund or whatever

I've never had a problem sending anything back, as long as you're polite all is good

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OldBoyShenanigans@reddit

I can't ever remember sending a plate back, and never have had a problem with hair or foreign objects.

I was with a friend who order a medium to well done steak. Came out rare and still bleeding. She sent it back, came back in the same state, we thought they had microwaved it. Got sent back a second time. I can't remember how it came back a third time, but none of us were happy.

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sparkly_wolf@reddit

Twice in over 40 years!

First time Frankie & Bennies served me a lamb shank still frozen around the bone.

Second time my friend and I both explained our allergens and chose allegedly safe dishes. Both came out with our respective allergens visible on them. We left without eating or paying (they couldnt comp our drinks and get us out of there fast enough)

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a4991@reddit

Yes absolutely. If it’s not correct to what I ordered, then I’ll apologise to the waiting team and point out the issue and ask for it to be corrected.

It’s no big deal, they deal with it all the time, and everyone makes mistakes so I don’t need to be difficult with them.

I have several allergies that developed over the past 5-10 years, so I need to take precautions but it’s also taught me not to settle for something incorrect.

If you ordered a dress online and it was the wrong colour or size, you’d send it back, this is no different.

Having said this, I would never send something back because I didn’t like the taste - that’s on me for risking something new.

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Far_wide@reddit

Yes - strangely in two of the most expensive restaurants I've eaten in, and both for the same reason - a dish being served inedibly salty.

Most recently, a feted Italian restaurant in Rome. It wasn't a pleasant vibe anyway, haughty and unwelcoming, but I thought the food would be amazing. I was then served an amatriciana with guanciale that was the saltiest thing I've ever tried to eat. After two bites my heart started pounding, and I sent it back without hesitation and didn't care for them to try again - that bad. The table next to us clearly had the same issue as they had shoved all of their meat to the side of the plate (which I thought was insane until ours arrived and I understood).

If I'm paying top dollar, then I expect at the very least for it to be edible. It can be bland, overcooked, even a bit cold, but not so salty that I can't even possibly eat it.

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Ok-Engine7401@reddit (OP)

Absolutely agree! I'm genuinely not sure what I would do in a situation like that, because I'd panic too much

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Far_wide@reddit

You call over the waiter and say " I'm sorry, I'm finding this far too salty"

They look shocked and ask if you'd like something else or for it to be corrected. At this point you can do that, or just say 'no thanks'.

Then they should, if they have any credibility, remove that item from the bill. Unless you've managed to eat a huge amount of it.

But yeah it's obviously awkward and I can see why you'd find it not worth it to do. Bit lame to go hungry and pay through the nose for it though.

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Riquende@reddit

A long time ago our group sent back two chicken burgers at a local gastropub as they were raw inside. The grandad of the kids they were for actually got a bit argumentative over how it could have happened and we ended up barred from the place... which was fine because a) why would you want to go back somewhere that had happened and b) it shut down just a few weeks later and would eventually open again under new management, this time just with a pizza oven.

Last year in a Copenhagen restaurant I refused a bottle of wine for the first time, it wasn't rancid or anything but just something seemed off, and the replacement was so much nicer. Felt like a proper grown up and the staff were absolutely fine about it.

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FormalAd604@reddit

My husband absolutely never would send food back as he doesn’t want to draw attention to himself, so just wraps everything in a fuck tonne of napkins so the waiting staff don’t realise he’s left food…?

Case in point, watching football on Wednesday in an Aussie sports bar in Prague. Absolutely lovely place, husband orders a burger and they don’t ask him how he wants it cooked. Husband didn’t think they ever would, they assume he’d want it like most locals have it, very pink in the middle.

In all honesty, it’s a fair mistake, but we also got the impression the bar staff cooking were students who just whacked the food onto the grill/into the oven on the hottest temp and when it looked cooked on the outside, assumed it was absolutely cooked. Our first experience with food there was a molten hot garlic baguette with some cold garlic butter (close to melting but not quite done) in the middle.

So the burger is kinda pink in the middle but my husband just cracks on, it’s not to his taste but it was edible. Then he gets to the middle and it’s just raw mince meat.

At this point he’s eaten it all pretty much so they can’t take it back and stick it on the grill but instead of saying to the waitress and showing her it was raw, he wallpapers it and asks me to put some on my plate so they don’t think he had an issue with anything.

I would either mention something “for next time” or send food back if it was immediately 100% not right when I first got it. I used to work in a restaurant, husband worked in a bar for a few weeks and ID’d a kid for a J20.

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ItsShaneMcE@reddit

I do. I also say “if that’s what the chef deems acceptable to send out, I’d rather not have a fresh one. I’ll have a refund so I can go elsewhere”

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yolo_snail@reddit

I honestly don't think I've ever been in a situation where I've needed to, other than when they've literally brought the wrong food!

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No-Club3690@reddit

I have once at a lunch place where they serve me a seafood salad that smelt rotten, to the point of my friend gagging.

When I sent it back they argued "food served is within expiry date" so I asked them to try it, which they refused.

Just paid for drinks and never went back (a Le Belgique)

Other than that, no i haven't because I can cope with it so long as eating it won't make me unwell

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Ok-Rain6295@reddit

Only if there’s something wrong with it i.e. cold, raw, not what I ordered. If I just don’t like it then that’s on me.

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-myeyeshaveseenyou-@reddit

I’m a chef, only ever sent food back once as a customer. It has to be pretty bad for me to do so

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Shittificated@reddit

I’ve done so a couple of times, although under exceptional circumstances. One time was because a dish was lukewarm. Given it cost me the best part £20 for that dish alone, I wasn’t enjoying it cold. Other times it was because stuff like “requesting whatever creamy bitter sauce that I don’t want overpowering my food is left off my dish” wasn’t carried out.

I try my absolute hardest to find quality restaurants if I am going out, so it’s a rare occurrence to send food back.

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