Is it OK to complain in a restaurant owned by a family member?

Let it go. Family peace is worth more than $25.00

I would let it go. That would probably turn out to be a dead end hostility from ‘that night you bitched about the fish.’ 25 bucks…I’d be mad but it wasn’t his fault the waiter lied. He may have honestly thought that that was the right answer just because the frozen bag said ‘fresh.’ Not worth it.

You’ve got to let the little stuff go. $25 is little stuff.

What kind of, uh, “family”, exactly? If I were you I’d get out of town and lie low.

Let him know.
That way maybe they will learn to prepare the food properly.

If nobody tells you that you’re doing something wrong, how are you going to fix your problems?

Look at it this way, the round of drinks probably costs at least $25.00. Let it go and just think of it as paying for the drinks.

I would grit my teeth and let it go.

I’d say something. If the member is smart, he’ll note it so his customers will be happy.

If I were the restaurant owner, I would want to know. Either the fish merchant lied, the waiter lied, or someone was misinformed. Any of those is a fixable problem.

But, of course, if you go this route, find the most tactful way possible to say it. (I loved our trip to your restaurant!!!! The ____ was great!!! If I can make a suggestion though, the fish wasn’t as fresh as I’d hoped; have you had any other complaints? Anyway thanks for the free drinks!!!)

If you complain, do it with flourish, class and pizzaz. The chef will understand the seriousness of your “displeasure” and will play it out with a fresh dish as well.

I like @nikipedia‘s idea. Do it after the fact, and very kindly.

Good advise, everyone. Thank you all so much; I feel better now about being hesitant. Hearing different points of view really helps – now I know it’s ok to be a little upset, and that it’s also ok to not say anything about it right now. I think I’ll let it lie for now, and maybe say something (along the lines of the numerous excellent suggestions above) next time I go in.

And FYI, the restaurant is a Peruvian place called Lima’s Taste, and is in Greenwich Village. Everything else we ordered was sublime. If any of you ever go there, I highly recommend the filet mignon dish and the ceviche. Just don’t get the Creamy Filet.

“You might want to check on your cook/fish supplier.” Most people who own/manage restaurants want to know when there’s a problem so they can fix it ASAP.

As others have said, most restaurant owners want to know about problems so they can fix them. However, it is all about how you bring it up. @nikipedia has given you good advice.

The worst thing you can do to a restaurant owner is to never say a word to them about any problems you ran into while dining at their establishment, and then to go home and tell all your friends how horrible the experience was.

Well, it’s not like your cousin cooked the fish, he just owns the place, right?

If you complain, it means the chef screwed up, not your cousin. I don’t think he would be, or should be, offended.

I would say let it go that night.

Then if you still feel upset the next day you could always pursue it further. Go have a chat with your family member without complaining. It is the respectful way to handle a complaint like this. And make sure you chat it up a bit before bringing up the complaint. ((Or even send an anonymous letter. )) The truth is that if you serve fresh fish your rest. will have a better chance of survival. Ever seen Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares?