Are NJ restaurants listening?

[adegiulio]

On two occasions this week, I have anticipated a restaurants shortcoming and altered my order to fix it. Both times I was disappointed with the results. First we ate at Outback (don't throw things at me, its great for a quick, casual meal). I am convinced that Outback undercooks their steaks by at least one level of doneness. I ordered my steak medium, hoping they would cook it to a nice medium rare. It came out completely rare. I ate half of it before asking the server to have them cook it a little more. I joked with him that I purposely ordered it overdone to cancel out their undercooking. He mentioned that he knows that they undercook their steaks, almost as a policy. Why they do this is beyond me, but thats another subject. Anyway, its frustrating to know they are going to f*ck things up, I alter my order accordingly, and still get my order f-ed up.

Last night we ate at Epernay. I think they overdress their frisee salad, so I ordered it lightly dressed. It arrived swimming in dressing, as if I didn't ask for light dressing at all. Frustrating....

So the moral of the story...Restauranteurs, please listen to your guests! If they order their food a certain way, please prepare it for them the way they want it. Failure to listen will result in fewer sales. Mad customers. Lawsuits... OK, maybe not lawsuits, but at the very least grumpy diners.

Ah, my kingdom for a really good frisee salad...

[Carlovski]

On two occasions this week, I have anticipated a restaurants shortcoming and altered my order to fix it. Both times I was disappointed with the results. First we ate at Outback (don't throw things at me, its great for a quick, casual meal). I am convinced that Outback undercooks their steaks by at least one level of doneness. I ordered my steak medium, hoping they would cook it to a nice medium rare. It came out completely rare. I ate half of it before asking the server to have them cook it a little more. I joked with him that I purposely ordered it overdone to cancel out their undercooking. He mentioned that he knows that they undercook their steaks, almost as a policy. Why they do this is beyond me, but thats another subject. Anyway, its frustrating to know they are going to f*ck things up, I alter my order accordingly, and still get my order f-ed up.

Last night we ate at Epernay. I think they overdress their frisee salad, so I ordered it lightly dressed. It arrived swimming in dressing, as if I didn't ask for light dressing at all. Frustrating....

So the moral of the story...Restauranteurs, please listen to your guests! If they order their food a certain way, please prepare it for them the way they want it. Failure to listen will result in fewer sales. Mad customers. Lawsuits... OK, maybe not lawsuits, but at the very least grumpy diners.

Ah, my kingdom for a really good frisee salad...

Probably makes sense for them, you can always cook it a bit more if the customer complains, can't go the other way...

Unusual though, I usually find the opposite, that you have to order it at least one grade rarer than you want. Especially in chain places.

[tommy]

i find that if i'm in a situation where i have to alter my order to make it "right", the odds of it ending up right are pretty slim to begin with, and so i don't have very high expectations. i would have expected more from Epernay, however. but kitchens do have missteps.

Edited August 13, 2004 by tommy (log)

[Curlz]

Kitchens certainly make missteps, but I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the first line of defense--the wait staff! I've had too many occasions where I've made a request along the lines of Ant's salad story only to realize that the waiter/waitress just didn't bother to write it on the order to begin with. If the kitchen doesn't get the message, you've got to wonder about the messenger!

[Lreda]

Anthony,

If you know these places have shortcomings, especially a chain, why go? The reason you're going to Outback is because it's less expensive than a restaurant that ages their steaks or uses a better cut. You get what you pay for. Also, by complaining about Outback here does no good. There are no restauranteurs, they're owned by a corporation. Eff em'.

Your server is to blame at Epernay, short and sweet. The server puts the order in and when they bring it out of the kitchen it up to them to tell whoever made the salad that it's over-dressed. In addition, the server should follow up a few minutes after it's served to see if it's up to your standards. Also let the host or Maitre'd know on the way out.

Otherwise, we are listening, at least I am.

Edited August 13, 2004 by Lreda (log)

[Taboni]

In addition, the server should follow up a few minutes after it's served to see if it's up to your standards. Also let the host or Maitre'd know on the way out.

I agree with you 100% Lou but you wouldn't believe the amount of people that I dine with that have complaints about such things when the food is served, but when the server comes back to check on things, they say everything is fine. It kills me because invariably I will get in an argument with my companions since I believe if you don't complain, nothing will change, and you therefore forfeit your right to ruin my meal by carrying on about it to me instead of to those that matter.

[adegiulio]

Your server is to blame at Epernay, short and sweet. The server puts the order in and when they bring it out of the kitchen it up to them to tell whoever made the salad that it's over-dressed. In addition, the server should follow up a few minutes after it's served to see if it's up to your standards. Also let the host or Maitre'd know on the way out.

I don't rest all the blame on the server. Yeah, they could inspect the salad closely to be sure it was properly dressed, but the guy in the kitchen needs to be on the ball in preparing it correctly. Its a lot easier for them to get it right in the kitchen than it is for the server to try and figure out whether it's right or not. Not to mention, if the server does actually realize that it is wrong, the kitchen would need to make it again, resulting in waste. Some things, like steaks, can't be judged by servers at all. The kitchen staff needs to do their job right. Lets not pass the buck completely to the server.

With respect to the Outback issue, I am not trying to get Outback to change their ways by posting here. I'm just trying to use an experience to make a point. We go to Outback not because it's less expensive, but because it's more convenient. If the Brickhouse wants to open a place in Wayne that serves me a quick steak, where I don't have to put pants on to feel comfortable, I would go there. In going to Outback, I save myself time and hassle. It ain't about the money...

[adegiulio]

I agree with you 100% Lou but you wouldn't believe the amount of people that I dine with that have complaints about such things when the food is served, but when the server comes back to check on things, they say everything is fine.

Holy cow, this is so true. I must admit that I sometimes do the same thing, though most of the time I will say something. This brings up another point, if I receive a salad that I think is overdressed, what is my remedy? I complain, and if the server is on top of things, they rush my salad back to the kitchen to get another one. Problem is that all of this takes time. I need to first flag down the server, they have to take it back and explain the problem to the kitchen, then they have to remake it and get the server back into the kitchen to bring it out to me. That takes time, and while I am waiting for my salad, my dining partners (Amy ) are stuck either waiting or eating, either way it kills the meal. The kitchen NEEDS TO DO ITS JOB RIGHT. Dressing a salad lighter than usual requires no additional culinary skill, no more time, and no extra brain power.

[Curlz]

The kitchen NEEDS TO DO ITS JOB RIGHT. Dressing a salad lighter than usual requires no additional culinary skill, no more time, and no extra brain power.

The reason I used your salad example is precisely b/c a server can't see that a steak is over/underdone. But in many restaurants, there is someone else running plates from the kitchen to the customer; that person wouldn't know that you ordered your salad lightly dressed.

We can blame the kitchen only if the wait staff puts the order in correctly at the start; hopefully that same server will say "Note to self...the guy (thankfully) wearing PANTS wanted less dressing...let me see if it came out that way." And hustle on over to check.

[wfnugent]

I have always been reluctant to send something back because of stories my wife tells me from her days working at various better restaurants in Manhattan and the Hamptons. The kitchen staff were not always kind to the food they sent back to the table.

[tommy]

Your server is to blame at Epernay, short and sweet. The server puts the order in and when they bring it out of the kitchen it up to them to tell whoever made the salad that it's over-dressed. In addition, the server should follow up a few minutes after it's served to see if it's up to your standards. Also let the host or Maitre'd know on the way out.

I don't rest all the blame on the server. Yeah, they could inspect the salad closely to be sure it was properly dressed, but the guy in the kitchen needs to be on the ball in preparing it correctly. Its a lot easier for them to get it right in the kitchen than it is for the server to try and figure out whether it's right or not. Not to mention, if the server does actually realize that it is wrong, the kitchen would need to make it again, resulting in waste. Some things, like steaks, can't be judged by servers at all. The kitchen staff needs to do their job right. Lets not pass the buck completely to the server.

With respect to the Outback issue, I am not trying to get Outback to change their ways by posting here. I'm just trying to use an experience to make a point. We go to Outback not because it's less expensive, but because it's more convenient. If the Brickhouse wants to open a place in Wayne that serves me a quick steak, where I don't have to put pants on to feel comfortable, I would go there. In going to Outback, I save myself time and hassle. It ain't about the money...

if he wasn't so skinny i'd say that ant-nee is my brother. then again i could say the same about lou. very valid points, all around.

[adegiulio]

if he wasn't so skinny i'd say that ant-nee is my brother.

OK, am I the only one with "He ain't heavy, he's my brother" stuck in his head??

[Lreda]

The kitchen staff needs to do their job right. Lets not pass the buck completely to the server.

Yes, the kitchen staff does need to do their job right but if they don't know you want light on the dressing they'll make it the way the chef wants. The server needs to comunicate that to the kitchen.