Do you typically send back food at a restaurant if you are unhappy with it?

Nope, I don’t want my food spit in.

No, I just go somewhere else next time.

No, it would have to be really bad for me to send it back.

Only if it’s ridiculously messed up. I’ve waited tables way too long to be very picky.

Last night, we had a 30 top that stayed for about 2 hours (in the middle of the rush). A lady actually ate her entire chicken fried steak, then demanded a new one because it had too much “crispy stuff” on it.

Yes, politely and with the specific thing I want changed. It’s not often I have to do that.

If it’s an issue about how it has been cooked, possibly, or if something is terribly off. If I just don’t like it, never. I consider it my fault for taking the risk.

@syz same for me

It would have to be really bad for me to do that, so no, not “typically.”

I’m far more likely to not return to a particular restaurant.

Never! I’ll always eat what is served. Always!
If the food was a disaster I’ll go elsewhere next time.

It depends upon the level of the restaurant. The better the restaurant and more expensive the plate, the more apt I am to do it especially if a cut of meat is overcooked.

If I’m at a restaurant, I’m with someone. I figure the date is more important than the food any day. If I send something back then the other person is inconvenienced and it delays the dinner. I would accept the food graciously even if it was totally burnt, raw or rotten, with a smile. The date takes precedence over everything – food be damned.
I’d find another restaurant to try next time -and there would be a next time.

@Lupin – totally agree

If it’s cold (soup, coffee); I send it back.

It depends where you are.
If you’re at a classy expensive restaurant yeah send it back. The chefs are supposed to be better than abc.

If you send it back at Applebys, you run the risk of chef tainted the food more.

There would have to be something really bad for me to send it back, but I have. Last night we went out to eat & they brought my husband something totally different than what he ordered. He ate it & said nothing but when we got up to leave, I told the hostess. They need to know when they screw something up.

Of course I do :)

@Lupin – I don’t know why but I don’t believe you! lol
I went out to eat the other night and while I was eating I bit into something hard that wasn’t supposed to be there. I showed the hard stuff the waiter who brought it to the owner. It turned out to be fragments of mussel shells but there were no mussels in my dish. I didn’t want to continue eating it because I didn’t want to bite into anymore shells. All the owner offered to do was make me more food but I felt sick. After arguing for like 5 minutes she finally took it off my bill. I think if something foreign ends up in the food it should be deducted automatically. There is no reason for foreign material to end up in the food.

It’s a fact. I will not complain even if it is a fancy resaturant. I might write a letter later or write a bad review. I put the piece of shell on my spoon an lay it on my plate without saying a word.
I have been with other couples where one person sends their food back and it is not pleasant for the rest of the group. Yes, they sometimes get a free meal out of it but we will not go out with them again.
I repeat, the date is the most important part of the evening.
Now if there was a finger in the food….

I honestly can’t remember any occasions where I had to do this. I’m pretty specific about what food I want and how I want it prepared so it leaves little room for error. I believe too that I order dishes that are hard to screw up in the first place so that fact is probably in my favor also.

@Lupin I love people like you!

I totally understand when my customers send food back that is unjustifiably messed up, like if the steak is not cooked right or there is a foreign object in the food. But there are some who complain just to complain… or get a free meal. In that same vein are the people who whose orders are ridiculously picky and detailed. You would be amazed at the amount of “cut this,” “substitute that,” that goes on. Those people, I do not feel sorry for when the order comes out wrong.

I think the only time I’ve sent something back is if it’s still raw (and thus hazardous to eat) or if I’ve made a specific request that wasn’t followed that makes the order inedible to me (for example, I abhor guacamole and I’m always very specific with “No guacamole” when I order Mexican food.)

I don’t send it back just because I don’t like it.

@essieness And I tip the wait staff very well too. Really.
I feel sorry for people who can only eat their peas on the side with lemon and no pepper on a yellow dish. The meal tells you a little about how life will be with that person. It is a data point. Do they get excited if things don’t go their way? Do they help with the situation when there is a problem? Do they roll with the punches? Are they considerate of your wishes? Are they on time? Can you both get to the place you planned to be? Are they cheap? Do they offer to pay? Are they civil?
Watch how they treat the staff if you want to get an idea of what life will be like.
There is no way I will let a plate of food interfere. The date always takes precedence.

@Lupin Can we date?

@Lupin I believe your theory that the way people behave in a restaurant is indicative of their personality is dead on. One of the cool aspects of working in the restaurant business is learning how to read people.

If it’s not hot and it’s supposed to be, I will send it back. Also if it is too rare to eat, I will send it back (because I wanted it medium). It is always a pain to do, but somehow it feels like it is the right thing to do—this is at good restaurants.

@chyna Do you care if the peas are on the side with lemon? Do you get excited if things don’t go your way? Do you offer to contribute something to the date? Do you treat the staff with respect?
If you answered “no” to the first 2 questions and “yes” to the others, I’ll ask my better half if she’ll let me go. She always has first dibs.

@Lupin I don’t like my food to touch, so that will probably rule me out.

Perfectly understandable. That’s not necessarily a deal breaker but it is a warning sign.
Darn, and she said “yes”, too.

I was so close…

If I ordered something in order to learn about it and then don’t like it, that’s my fault. If it’s done wrong, especially if it’s something I’ve specified (like, “hold the guacamole, please”) then I ask for a replacement. I don’t tell; I ask, nicely.
If I really can’t stand something new to me, and I really need to get some food inside me, I order something else that doesn’t take too long and I pay for both.
The date comes first? Absolutely. No need to be a stinker. But no need to eat bad food, either. I don’t see any conflict.

I do not like to send things back as a general rule… But if I am some were nice and I order say the fillet or something and it’s under
Cooked I send it back… Like one time I order a pork dish that was cooked in wine and when it came out the dish tasted like acholol… And not just sort of it was like eating a glass of wine when things like that happen I will send it back

I only send things back if something is really wrong with it, examples:
completely wrong dish, not what i ordered
something gross in the food, like hair or something.
I also don’t like to eat close to raw food, I wouldn’t be happy with raw chicken.
My husband works in kitchens, I work in a restaurant..we know how it is. You can be polite and still send food back. It’s not a big deal.

Unless the food is very cold or a completely wrong ordered entree, I don’t. Having worked in restaurants of all sorts, I know the irritations with serving a complaining guest and there are too many ways kitchen and server can retaliate. It’s not only fast food joints, high end restaurants have unscrupulous staff too.

I am so surprised that people do not send food back. I had some idea that people did.
I send mine back when something is wrong with it but I don’t make a point of it.

If the meat is undercooked too much so then I will send it back. My hubby can’t stand red at all in his meat and the food will be wasted if it isn’t cooked a bit longer.

If something is put on it that I specifically asked not to and I can’t pick out myself or just can’t stand to eat.

If I find a hair in the food. Yuck!!!!

When I was pregnant I did end up being more picky. But that was the nausea and hormones talking. LOL. One whole meal I got for free, not by intention, but the server noticed that I didn’t eat any of it even though I tried. I guess the cook was particularly bad and they were aware of it. And plus me being pregnant must have made them feel bad.

This has hardly ever happened to me. Just this one time my steak was well done instead of medium rare, so that had to go back. And this other time i they brought the wrong dish completely, but i ate it anyway. I hate making a fuss.