The sides are the best part, don’t ruin that!
“I was having dinner at a mid-level American style restaurant and I spotted a meal on the menu that looked perfect for me. It had two sides that I really loved and I thought they complemented the entree perfectly. I ordered and eagerly awaited my meal. My meal arrived and my sides were completely different! I was devastated. I thought that they didn’t complement the entree nearly as well. I queried the waiter and was informed that they were out of the original sides. Note- Everything was prepared just fine. I told the waiter I was returning it and ordered something else. This was no problem for the waiter. Two minutes later a manager showed up. I explained the complementary issue with the sides. As everything was cooked properly, he said that wasn’t a valid reason for returning the dish and I would need to pay for it. I thought about it and made a suggestion to the manager. I suggested he explain my issue to the chef and see what he thought. He agreed and off we went. He was back in five minutes, apologized very nicely, comped me a drink and told me my original entree was off the bill! Sometimes it pays to be politely assertive!”
Return that dish, it is encouraged!
“Well, as a manager of a restaurant facility I can tell you that if someone is not satisfied with the food quality, presentation or temperature we encourage them to return the dish and we will: Pay for your dish if it was our mistake and probably buy you either dessert or after dinner drinks or charge you the correct amount of your new dish if you simply didn’t like it or ordered it thinking it’s something else.”
Great service, means a happy customer will return.
“Years ago, I went to a French restaurant. For my main entree, I ordered the lamb chops, medium rare, but when I got it, it was overcooked. It was actually difficult to eat, it was so well done and dry. I flagged down our waiter and apologetically told him that the lamb chops were overcooked and not medium rare as I requested. He was so apologetic and told me they would remake the dish. When he came back with my dish, he explained to me that the chef said they typically use lamb from New Zealand but their supplier was out, so they got Australian instead. Because of this, the lamb cooked at a faster rate but they remade it and were very sorry. Afterwards, our waiter gave us aperitifs and desserts on the house! I was so blown away by the service and when we got the bill, we were only charged for our first drinks, appetizer, and my companion’s meal! My entree, the aperitifs, the desserts were all on the house! The bill came out to about $30, should have been closer to $70, & we tipped $50, which as fresh out of college students, was the most I ever tipped before. Because of the great service, I have recommended many friends to this restaurant and have gone back a number of times.”
It is not rude to return.
“Having owned several restaurants and been a waitress also a bartender the correct answer is NO. If the place has over-all good food, polite and professional staff, and everyone else got a good, appropriate meal; the one person should not feel bad or out of place by requesting a change or correction. That is just a matter of good practice in the food industry. If your waitperson or cook or even the manager/owner get disagreeable, you should leave. I have done this before. I have gotten poorly flavored food and did not mind, but when the personel that work there get snotty, I will walk out and not go back. I will also share the bad experience with EVERYONE! It is a “customer is usually right” service (not always, I have had my share of scams) and should always be viewed as such. So, do not feel bad if they get it wrong. And you must tell them it something tastes wrong – something may have happened in the back that no one caught…they need to know! If they replace it (as they should) I would give them a glowing review to all I know and online. Nothing better than great service, even when the food is not exactly correct. (good food always helps to – lol).”