If a steak is overcooked by a restaurant, what do you do?

[haha]

IMO restaurants are the world's biggest rip-offs. I might have sashimi at happy hour, in a place that would go down fast if their fish weren't completely fresh. I sit at the bar, I see the sushi chef cut the fish. I order a little, if I want more I order more. I tip well.

The situation where I might spend $60 to $75 for a meal that wasn't good, but I was afraid to send it back because of what the criminals in the kitchen might do to it (and me) would make me so angry tht I coujldn't bear it, let alone enjoy it.

Red Robin for a burger is about my limit.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

Yeah, I am a better than average cook(I think) and can prepare a meal to my taste most readily at home. And I agree with the OP that most non-seafood restaurants overcook fish(mine was last night, also too much butter sauce and the crabmeat topping was definitely not lump which I know having lived on the Chesapeake Bay in another life). My favorite restaurants are Mexican, Asian, or seafood. Living where I do here in western PA, there is only one seafood restaurant that I like, and I try to avoid what passes for Mexican or Chinese unless I go with friends who must have this fare. And a first-rate steakhouse should know the difference between rare and charred, no excuse for that. A lot of the time I just order an appetizer and a dessert.

 

[aaronc879]

I don't order steak very often. When I do I order it medium-well. If it's dripping blood or if I can't chew it then i'll send it back. If it's anywhere in between i'll eat it even if it's not "just right". I can probably count on two hands the number of times i've had steak. I've sent it back twice. At both places, management compted my meal. At one place they also gave me 2 certificates for a free entree.

 

[freebird5825]

I rarely eat out, and when I do and am in a steak mood, I have a very short list of places I will go for one. I always order it rare but not mooing. That always gets a laugh.
If it's a little more toward medium rare, I get over it quickly because I like that too. I cut it immediately while waiter is standing there (hang on a sec, please) and will request (nicely!) a replacement if it's too well done.
My favorite is a place really out in the middle of nowhere called the Buffalo Head Restaurant in Forestport NY. They go by the lumberjack rule with the prime rib - it is practically hanging off the plate on both sides for the King cut. I always take some home for stir fry or soups.

 

[OldGuy]

"How would you like your steak cooked?"
"Pink in the center, whatever that means to your chef."
Usually gets a grin from the server, and I almost always get my steak prepared the way I like it.

 

[donheff]

I agree with Jambo101. If you ordered med rare and got well done, I think that would be a different story. I would not send it back, but I would politely point out to the server why (s)he was not getting a large tip....and I would leave a little behind to show them as well. Whatever you do, don't send food back if you go to France...

R

So why did you take it out on the server? The cook screwed up.

 

[mickeyd]

I'd ask for a new steak exactly as I orered it (Med/Rare) and since I will have to wait more, I'll ask for a comp cocktail.

 

[Moemg]

The only time I sent steak back was when it was so undercooked it was inedible and I like med. rare but this was straight from the refrigerator ,ten seconds on the grill and on my plate .

 

[Orchidflower]

Having known a few chefs in my time, I'm really paranoid about sending much back to the kitchen--and then only will I send it back after being totally humble about it. Why? Too many stories have been told to me about chefs saying things like, "she wants it cooked more? I'll cook it more" and then throwing the steak on the FLOOR and jumping on it. Or the chef who pulled out his nosehairs and stuck it in the food to a customer who sent something back he felt shouldn't have been. Yup...now see why I'm paranoid? And these things really do happen every day in a restaurant kitchen behind closed doors....paranoid I tell you for a reason.

 

[Dawg52]

Having known a few chefs in my time, I'm really paranoid about sending much back to the kitchen--and then only will I send it back after being totally humble about it. Why? Too many stories have been told to me about chefs saying things like, "she wants it cooked more? I'll cook it more" and then throwing the steak on the FLOOR and jumping on it. Or the chef who pulled out his nosehairs and stuck it in the food to a customer who sent something back he felt shouldn't have been. Yup...now see why I'm paranoid? And these things really do happen every day in a restaurant kitchen behind closed doors....paranoid I tell you for a reason.

It's a peanut butter sandwich for me tonight.

 

[Lsbcal]

Having known a few chefs in my time, I'm really paranoid about sending much back to the kitchen--and then only will I send it back after being totally humble about it. Why? Too many stories have been told to me about chefs saying things like, "she wants it cooked more? I'll cook it more" and then throwing the steak on the FLOOR and jumping on it. Or the chef who pulled out his nosehairs and stuck it in the food to a customer who sent something back he felt shouldn't have been. Yup...now see why I'm paranoid? And these things really do happen every day in a restaurant kitchen behind closed doors....paranoid I tell you for a reason.

Yee gads, I'm staying home! Seriously, I rarely have steak out but always order it by describing how pink I'd like the meat and asking if that's "medium rare" to them or what. Luckily, I can take it most ways except bloody-red and leather.

 

[harley]

IMO restaurants are the world's biggest rip-offs. I might have sashimi at happy hour, in a place that would go down fast if their fish weren't completely fresh. I sit at the bar, I see the sushi chef cut the fish. I order a little, if I want more I order more. I tip well.

The situation where I might spend $60 to $75 for a meal that wasn't good, but I was afraid to send it back because of what the criminals in the kitchen might do to it (and me) would make me so angry tht I coujldn't bear it, let alone enjoy it.

Red Robin for a burger is about my limit.

Since we've moved to the beach and get a lot of visitors (at least in the summer), we get taken out to dinner fairly often. As others have stated, I take pretty much whatever comes, and use that to help decide whether to come back or not. We found a place in Bethany Beach just recently that was amazing, and haven't found a single other person who has ever eaten there before. I'll keep going back until they start screwing up regularly.

When we go out ourselves, we tend to stay in the cheaper range. The food is decent, predictable, and affordable. We're out more for the fun than the comestible experience.

Just as a side, I worked as a cook many many many years ago. I can't remember a single instance when we messed with anybody's food just because they sent something back because it wasn't cooked right. If they were a**holes to the waitress, that was another question.

 

[Caoineag]

This happened to me a few years ago at a high end steakhouse in Houston. I ordered my steak medium rare and the steak came out very well done. After placing the steak on the table, the waiter asked me to cut into it to see if it was cooked to order. He saw how well done it was and immediately took it away. He replaced it a few minutes later with a perfectly cooked steak. That's the way it's supposed to work.

Personally I have never had to send a steak back because the few times they have overcooked (well done is not med rare), the waiter/waitress has snatched the steak and made the cook redo it. Usually a manager stops by and comps me the steak or gives me a free salad or something as well. I think its happened to me 4 times and I tend to like steak alot.

 

[SarahW]

I agree with Jambo101. If you ordered med rare and got well done, I think that would be a different story. I would not send it back, but I would politely point out to the server why (s)he was not getting a large tip....and I would leave a little behind to show them as well. Whatever you do, don't send food back if you go to France...

R

You should be tipping the server on their level of service. They did not prepare your food.

 

[Kroeran]

Whenever I have made a fuss about bad service in a restaurant or a hotel, I felt bad about it afterwards.

like the time I arrived at the Manhatten Waldorf on my honeymoon and the desk clerk did not believe me when I told him is was our honeymoon! The confetti all over the car should have been a tip off. The used cigarette in the ashtray in the room was a nice touch as well.

My current attitude is that if a restaurant can manage to actually bring me something edible, I cheerfully take it and thank them for the effort.

Not only do I feel sorry for the poor slobs slaving away at these terrible jobs, I believe sending food back or behavior that in any way is disrespectful of restaurant staff refects badly on the complaining or whining customer in the eyes of his or her fellow diners, and is a social buzz kill.

If the owner is too stupid to not put in place a secret shopper program in order to detect service deficiencies, he deserves to lose his business and move back to cooking for a wage or whatever.

 

[NW-Bound]

I order steak sometimes because of the markups on the food. Menus these days are designed totally for the bottom line. Pastas with a few expensive ingredients sprinkled around (shrimp, etc.) other fancy concoctions, names and presetations are hideously marked up.

I have read that roughly, food costs account for 1/3 of a restaurant's revenue. Labor cost is another 1/3, and the remaining 1/3 goes for fixed costs.

It is however harder to mark up a steak, like you said. So, some other dishes like pasta have to be marked up more. So, that $15 plate of pasta would cost you $3 to $4 to prepare at home, and that is about right.

About steak, I usually order it medium and wouldn't care if it comes out one notch too rare or too done.

 

[Rambler]

So why did you take it out on the server? The cook screwed up.

Just as often as it being the cook's fault, it is the server's. Have you ever seen their writing? I have. Sure, a lot of stuff is computerized, but it is just as bad. It is easy to push the wrong buttons.

Another thing that some folks know but many don't is that in some restaurants the tips are shared between the servers and the cooks. It was that way when I was a server many moons ago. I have a few friends who are or have been servers who are also in the same situation. Its not everywhere, but enough to say it is this way in many places.

So, when I tip well, I am tipping the people who took part in providing my food, not the server as an individual. When I tip poorly, it is done with the same philosophy.

R

 

[CuppaJoe]

I wouldn’t say anything unless it was undercooked, from medium rare to medium would be okay with me as I do waver between those two choices. But I think it is better to tell the waitperson because the cook might be inexperienced. I worked a summer making salads at a hotel. One day they pressed me into service flipping burgers, after minimal instructions. I learned very quickly when the first burger was brought back.

 

[Leonidas]

You should be tipping the server on their level of service. They did not prepare your food.

That's a good point that too many people don't understand. A waiter/waitress can't tell if your steak is medium as opposed to medium rare until you cut into it. But I do judge them on how they respond to problems. The server should spot glaring errors before you do (like getting chicken when you ordered steak) and should be able to effectively deal with problems you notice. If they can't do that then it will be reflected in their tip. But even then I still tip a decent amount for the rest of the service they provided, as long as that was done well.

If I get something that is obviously inedible and should have never left the kitchen then I consider it a major failing on the restaurant as a whole and I ask for the manager. Like the time I ordered crab legs and even before the waitress put the plate before me I could see that the crab legs were gray. This restaurant is one of those that uses any available server to bring the food to the table (which I think is completely contradictory to the service model) and the girl who brought the food was clearly confused about what to do when I asked, "is it supposed to look like that?" A manager was nearby and I had to call him over and ask the same question because the mystery waitress had wandered off without doing anything. He fell all over himself apologizing, yanked the food and I could see him chewing the kitchen crews' asses before returning with a much improved version of my dish (along with a comped meal and a card giving me a future freebie as well.) The waitress who did everything but the actual serving of the meal was great, so she got a decent tip because I wasn't going to trash her for something that she had no involvement with.

We keep going to the same place because my wife always manages to get great food and loves it. My experience varies, sometimes the food is great and other times it's just okay. And the place has equally varying service levels as well. Sometimes the server is an outstanding professional, and a couple of times the service was as if it was delivered by an inexperienced teenager on their first day (it may have been). I did give a significantly reduced tip to one girl who was horrible, but I gave her a hint when she presented the check. "You know, it's usually customary to ask people if they're done before you take their plate away. Especially when there's still food on it." Seriously, I turned my head to talk to the person next to me and when I looked back my food was gone and she was disappearing into the back before I realized what had happened.

I've never not left a tip. My mom was a waitress and so was my wife at one time, so I just can't do it. But if the service was ever so horrible that I felt that way, it would probably be more justified to have a conversation with the manager explaining why I'm not ever coming back and why I'm not leaving a tip. If the service was that bad, the manager needs to be delivering the message to the server.

 

[Martha]

The wife of a friend of mine always finds something wrong when she goes to a restaurant. Bad table. Funny tasting water. The food too cold. Food not cooked right. I don't go out with them anymore, it is way past embarrassing. I am sure they have a local reputation and I would be surprised if there wasn't some subtle revenge being taken.

 

[NW-Bound]

I wonder if some people may act fussy to portray a distinguished and superior taste. Are they so picky when by themselves at home?

 

[W2R]

I wonder if some people may act fussy to portray a distinguished and superior taste. Are they so picky when by themselves at home?

My mother's companion in her last years (after my father died) was like that. Bill would complain to the waiter about something every single time we ate out. I think that his reasoning was just as you say, to portray a distinguished and superior taste. He grew up in a hideously poor and deprived environment and in his mind, I think this elevated him in some manner to a member of the upper class.

In some way I could sort of understand why he felt the need to demand special attention given his lifetime struggle to rise above his parents' station in life. Still, it was terribly embarrassing for all of us and ruined our dinners out with him. My mother privately asked him to stop. He managed to cut back on it and only complained about 1/3 of the time after that.

As for his behavior at home, he didn't cook and I did not know him before his wife died. When he ate my mother's cooking he would never complain.

 

[bbbamI]

I wonder if some people may act fussy to portray a distinguished and superior taste. Are they so picky when by themselves at home?

Nah...they probably eat three day old Kentucky Fried Chicken out of the bucket and throw the bones on the floor....

DH does not complain about the food he eats since I'm the one that does most of the cooking. Any complaints will mean he can cook the next time. I wish he would complain every once in a while...

 

[NW-Bound]

I remembered this recent story about a man who simply stated that his steak was not cooked quite right when asked by the restaurant manager at the end of the meal. He was not asking for a "comp" but the manager insisted on giving him another steak to take home. See what happened next in the link below.

Next time you are asked about your steak, remember to say "Please pass my compliments to the chef."




Chef sacked for pubic hair steak | Metro.co.uk

 

[haha]

The more of this thread I read, the more I wonder why I would ever go out to eat, beyond Mickey's or Jack in the Box, or a student dive or some place where if the meal doesn't poison you, you feel like you got your money's worth.

Or Happy Hour. Happy Hour never disappoints. If the snacks are good, it's great. Otherwise, you are getting smashed anyway so you won't notice.

I've been doing Happy Hour for almost 50 years. Only a few other social things I have enjoyed that long.

Ha