When do you send food back?

[gulfporter]

Hardly ever, even to my own detriment.  10 years ago I ordered a medium burger.  It came out blue-rare.  We usually share or taste each other's meals and when my DH asked for a bite I told him, no, it's just too rare.  But I ate it (hungry, in a rush, DH already had his meal, not the type to send meals back unless it is not what I ordered and not what I normally eat).  

 

Result:  E Coli.  Which I ignored a tad too long and ended up in the ER.  It was a long recovery.  

 

 

 

[gulfporter]

How about sending back "house" wine?  My husband says you can't send it back no matter how bad it is.   

 

Here in Mexico house wines were very often gawd-awful a dozen years ago when they cost 20-30 pesos a glass.  Nowadays they are mostly quite drinkable at 50-70 pesos a glass.  With the exchange rate difference, the US dollar equivalent is almost the same over those 12 years,  $2.50 to $3.50 and that includes tax.  

 

Maybe twice a year these days we will be served swill and DH says to just cowgirl up and drink it or order something else, but that complaining about an inferior house wine is tantamount to going to McD's and complaining there are too many kids there.  Then there's the issue of explaining to a Mexican waiter that the wine is "bad," since the server has likely never tasted wine of any sort.  If there is an owner around, maybe you could make that point.  

 

My guess is that if a glass of house wine here cost $10 USD (as it often does in the states), that he'd change his tune and complain.  He says no he wouldn't, but that has yet to be put to the test.  

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by gulfporter (log)

[Steve R.]

I’m sure we must have sent something back some time or other, but it’s been extremely rare (& probably not well done 😂).  Even when, maybe 25 years ago, my wife ordered an arugula salad & received a Boston/iceberg lettuce mix.  She pointed it out to the waitress, who, without any trace of understanding, replied “we ran out of arugula”.  But it didn’t go back.  Neither did we.

 

eta: just realized that corked wine is the exception here.  Lots of times we’ve sent that back.

Edited July 14, 2019 by Steve R. (log)

[blue_dolphin]

On 7/10/2019 at 11:39 PM, &roid said:

I’m interested to hear what choice of words people use when sending food back? 

As a typical uptight British person I can’t help but apologise to the waiter for complaining. Even then I still agonise that they hate me... 

I agree completely with the idea that we are paying so should expect food to be correct. Also agree that sending stuff back will ruin the meal for me and my companions. Ultimately I guess voting with ones feet in the future is probably as good a response as we can have. 

 

I'm with the majority who don't want to bring negative energy to the whole table but I've politely asked if there's a way that a barely tepid soup could be warmed up.  

 

On 7/11/2019 at 8:21 AM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

While i really don't send food back, I often leave a large portion of something i don't like.    Rather than complain, i explain that the serving is very large.   

The only time i was crossed on this was at a horrible 1* Michelin restaurant in a French village.    I had ordered venison '3 says".    That poor deer had died in vain.   Such bad treatment for product.    I quit about a third of my way into the plate.    The head of the dining room came over and asked about my meal.   i told her that it was lovely but just too large for me.     She said, "Take your time and eat slowly and you will be able to finish your plate."    I smiled with grit teeth, not telling her that there was not time in the universe for me to finish that plate.   

 

I'm more inclined to just leave it on my plate uneaten but if asked, I absolutely explain, calmly and pleasantly, why I didn't eat it.   If the server doesn't ask, I let it go and chalk it up to a learning experience. 

 

23 hours ago, gulfporter said:

How about sending back "house" wine?  My husband says you can't send it back no matter how bad it is.   

 

Here in Mexico house wines were very often gawd-awful a dozen years ago when they cost 20-30 pesos a glass.  Nowadays they are mostly quite drinkable at 50-70 pesos a glass.  With the exchange rate difference, the US dollar equivalent is almost the same over those 12 years,  $2.50 to $3.50 and that includes tax.  

 

Maybe twice a year these days we will be served swill and DH says to just cowgirl up and drink it or order something else, but that complaining about an inferior house wine is tantamount to going to McD's and complaining there are too many kids there.  Then there's the issue of explaining to a Mexican waiter that the wine is "bad," since the server has likely never tasted wine of any sort.  If there is an owner around, maybe you could make that point.  

 

My guess is that if a glass of house wine here cost $10 USD (as it often does in the states), that he'd change his tune and complain.  He says no he wouldn't, but that has yet to be put to the test.  

 

I'm kind of with your husband on the cheap swill.  If I were served a glass of wine that was bad, I'd call the waiter back and say that I'd like to order something else.  Life is too short for this cowgirl to drink swill 🤠!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

@blue_dolphin

Quote

I'm more inclined to just leave it on my plate uneaten but if asked, I absolutely explain, calmly and pleasantly, why I didn't eat it.   If the server doesn't ask, I let it go and chalk it up to a learning experience. 

 IMHO, most restaurants want to and think they are sending out good product.    I have trouble bringing to their attention that they aren't.    Most of the time, tables around us are happily chomping down the same plate I am leaving.    Usually I just chalk it up to my choosing the wrong restaurant.

Edited July 14, 2019 by Margaret Pilgrim
edited because I included wrong quote (log)

[Okanagancook]

Don’t eat out a lot because I would rather cook.

I remember a lunch with visiting friends at a very popular restaurant chosen by the friends.

I ordered a salad with grilled shrimp.  How can that be buggered up.

By using rotten boxed salad greens...that’s how.

I did not want to disrupt others so I ate the shrimp.

When asked by the server how everything was I pointed to the rotting greens.

The response was ‘well, you ate the shrimp’.  I was offered a dessert which I don’t usually eat.

Have not been back to said restaurant in 10 years.  

Imagine if you are there at night...it is a dark restaurant.  You would not be able to see the quality of the greens.

Makes me shudder.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Okanagancook (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

 

@blue_dolphin

Quote

 If I were served a glass of wine that was bad, I'd call the waiter back and say that I'd like to order something else.  Life is too short for this cowgirl to drink swill

 

I find that more and more restaurants, in order to educate diners and increase wine sales by the glass, are providing multiple samples before one chooses.    And are, at the same time, more than happy to replace a choice if it fails to please.     Probably cost effective in the long run, with higher wine sales and more repeat diners.  

[Margaret Pilgrim]

1 minute ago, Okanagancook said:

Don’t eat out a lot because I would rather cook.

I remember a lunch with visiting friends at a very popular restaurant chosen by the friends.

I ordered a salad with grilled shrimp.  How can that be buggered up.

By using rotten boxed salad greens...that’s how.

I did not want to disrupt others so I ate the shrimp.

When asked by the server how everything was I pointed to the rotting greens.

The response was ‘well, you ate the shrimp’.  I was offered a dessert which don’t usually eat.

Have not been back to said restaurant in 10 years.  

Imagine if you are there at night...it is a dark restaurant.  You would not be able to see the quality of the greens.

Makes me shudder.

That is so WRONG!    Cooking badly but at the top of your game is one thing.   Not having pride in your product or, worse, allowing inferior product to be served is inexcusable.    The house needs to find a new mid-life profession.