If you get served crappy food in a restaurant, do you just take it?

I mean, pick at it, leave the rest, leave your minimum tip and just decide not to go back to that restaurant but don't say anything?

Or do you make a big deal to explain to the waiter exactly how the food is screwy, not what you expected, barely warmed up/still frozen, the specific way in which it is lousy, get them to get the manager so you THEY can see what you're talking about, etc.?

I'm the first kind of guy. My mom has always been the demanding, second type of customer who takes no crap and explains the exact deficiencies of the food while I cringe in my seat and crumple my napkin. She's actually right when she does this, but it still makes me uncomfortable. Sometimes the manager will make her a new meal or substitute a different, better dish for the crappy one.

If the service is awful, there's probably not going to be a tip coming. AT ALL. PERIOD.
And I will not pay for sludge.
Duckie

because I'll just put up with it otherwise (I used to work at TGI Fridays, and saw Wait Staff spit in food)

I usually get comped something, like dessert or a couple of drinks.

and then tell the food server, I really didn't care for it. I will go back to the restaurant one more time and try something else. If I don't like it that time, then I won't go back.

you want people to tell you what's wrong. Otherwise how could one fix it?

I always tell the manager in a nice way...saying.."am business person and appreciate feedback whether good or bad"

We are Chinese by ancestry. When you are a regular in a place, you become a sort of informal family there and get to know the "lao ban" or manager usually (if they have any clue about the biz that is), they will come schmooze their regulars. It does kind of give you some ball busting rights. But I never feel comfortable exercising them.

She's not angry or anything when she does it. Just very matter of fact.

or still frozen, then that is unacceptable. But if you just don't like it, well
no one promised you would, so sending it back doesn't seem right to me.

I used to have a friend who would always ask for things that weren't on
the menu (like a side order of cheese) or combinations that were not offered.
This behavior made me cringe.

trying to be difficult when he does this, he just has a funky palate/stomach that can't tolerate a lot of things well, leaving him to make odd requests to leave certain things out etc. Still love him though.

I make my girlfriend pitch a bitch

And when someone complained about the food and asked the waitress to send it back to the kitchen to make it better,the cook spitted in the plate.So when I eat in a restaurant I'm not complaining.Yuck !

:wow:

I worked in restaurants too--

I'm not proud to admit it, but I've done my share of stuff to nasty people's food. It was wrong of me. At the time I felt justified because some people can't bring themselves to treat servers like human beings no matter how nice you try to be...

like frozen, etc, I would quietly explain to the waitstaff what is wrong.
I was witness to a teacher on a field trip one day nitpick everything imaginable.
It was a pure power trip, and sickening to behold.
We spread the word and every kid that was able pitched in and left
that poor woman a wonderful tip to try to make up for what she had to endure.

I like my steaks bloody but I won't fuss if they're a bit better done. I DON'T want to find that the pheasant I ordered is raw inside or that the broiled lobster tail isn't even cooked. I do my best to be polite about it but I'm NOT going to eat something that will make me sick.

You shouldn't either.

which has happened twice. My husband is the all time non-complainer, though. Any restaurant would be happy to have him as a customer. He was once served a dish he didn't order, and he just kept quiet and ate it. He didn't want to "embarrass the waitress."

Like have I eaten there before and know the quality is usually better?

If I have, I might say something or I might just choose to not order that item again and give them another chance by ordering something different the next time.

There are so many factors at restaurants--having worked in several.

But generally I will hold them accountable somehow.

If it's a chain restaraunt anyway. Most of them have a website with links to send feedback and most times they will send you an apology and a gift certificate for a future trip.

I never send food back as I'm afraid of the spit revenge and also because chances are, it won't come back any better and also, if everyone elses food is fine, then you don't want to be eating by yourself.

I've found that if you complain to the manager, a lot of the times they'll apologize but won't readily offer to comp your meal or even offer a dessert. All they ever want to do is get you another meal and I don't want that, as I explained above. (Plus, I don't want to get into a hassle with someone, I'm trying to have a nice dinner. And for some reason, food managers always want to argue about what's wrong.)

Also, it seems that if the food and service is REALLY crappy, then alot of times it's due to poor management, so it doesn't do much good to complain to the manager at the restaurant. But I figure if you send a complaint to corporate, then maybe if corporate complains to the local restaraunt, then maybe things will improve.

Sometimes I am a bitch and sometimes I am not. I might even be a bitch and then say I am sorry. Ya never know. I have been in the food service / hospitality industry for 15 years and I feel as though I usually know what I am talking about.

If the plate or utensils are dirty, or if the food is improperly cooked -- that's a health concern, and they can be very co-operative if they realize I'm not blaming them personally. (A plus is that sometimes they think I'm a health inspector!) And if the problem is of that nature, I usually don't want to hang around that restaurant anyway, because I've lost my appetite. Besides, I've heard enough stories from "backroom" restaurant staff that I'm wary of "sending it back to the kitchen".

My mom sometimes nitpicks (well, she used to work for Public Health, so I guess she's entitled).

I'm generally pretty easy-going in restaurants (I know a lot of people in food service, so I sympathize) -- but if they're careless or mix up my order, and there doesn't appear to be a good reason for it, I like them to acknowledge that it's a problem. They're off the hook if they apologize or offer to knock a couple of bucks off my bill.

If I just don't like the food much, and there doesn't appear to be any obvious reason, I'll finish what I can, pay and tip as usual, and just not order that item again. I have a pretty high tolerance for bizarre food (you should see MY cooking!) so this situation doesn't arise often.

I haven't had to kick up a fuss -- let alone in front of the other patrons. Yet. (I've decided I'll keep that in reserve for something really, really bad!)

water glass filled a lot quicker.

I try to do everything with a smile unless things are getting out of hand. Then, just don't fuck with me.

Never complain about food if you have more coming from the kitchen. And I would never send anything back.

:scared:

Better to complain and ask for an adjustment on the bill at the end of the meal than to play gastro-intestinal roulette.

I draw the line at bad service, though.

i like my steaks med-well, but i've gotten them back med-rare and i can't eat any meat that doesn't look cooked. i know that customers can be a pain in the ass, but i think its horrible for cooks to spit in food just because they are annoyed that they have to fix something.

I will say something, but politely and in such a way that I do not embarrass my fellow guests.

Also, it depends on how bad it is. Just barely bad, I probably won't say anything.

There's no need to make a big scene. Just call the waitstaffer over and in a low voice explain that you're very sorry to bother him/her, but the food is unacceptable for whatever reason, and that you'll need a different order.

At some restaurants, sometimes bad food is just their way of making a particuliar dish. For example, I think that chili should be hot, meaty, and not have noodles. Some places around here serve tomato soup with noodles in it as chili. Their regulars know what to expect and might like it that way.