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"Send The Burgers Back"

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    "Send The Burgers Back"

    I wish I could be more assertive when I'm served poor food, but I'm a bit of a pussy. I can't think of many occasions when it was necessary though.

    My sister inherited the confident complainer genes in my family. My ears still burn when I think of a meal we went out for which ended up with her calling over the manager when her dish wasn't served with the beetroot chutney as advertised. I mean, she was in the right, but her manner was, and still is, so haughty that I was virtually on the manager's side by the end.
    Last edited by Nocturnal Submission; 19-08-2020, 11:14.

    #2
    Luckily I can only think of two occasions when I had reason to send food back. The first time was opposite the main entrance to the Sistine chapel in Rome, which should have set off 'Tourist Trap ' alarm bells. The pizzas we were served were undercooked Dr Oetkers which none of us ate more than a third of. Of course we were too wimpy to complain, though it's the only time in my life that I didn't leave a tip. The other time was last year in my local pub. The fish and chips I got was cold in the middle. This time I did complain , and got profuse apologies and a different main course at half price.

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      #3
      I'm very much like you NS - I struggle to even take back a clearly off pint to the bar.

      I have never sent food back, ever. I've simply left it on the side of the plate.

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        #4
        I normally make such a pain in the arse of myself when ordering - asking for changes of ingredients or sides, insisting on how I want meat cooked, checking on whether something will be pleasantly spicy or like the devil's porridge - that I don't think anywhere dares get it wrong.

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          #5
          I’m not sure I’ve ever sent anything back because it was cooked badly. The trouble is that if it goes back to the kitchen it ruins the timing on the meals of everyone else who’s dining with you - either their food is sat getting cold on the table, or they’re feeling self-conscious eating without you having food, or their food is sitting under a heat lamp getting stale. I’d only do it in fairly extreme circumstances, like a very high end restaurant who should know better. Also, I am a bit of a weakling when it comes to complaining about anything.

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            #6
            I'm naturally a timid non-complainer, but not eating cheese means that I had to adapt. So many times dishes that shouldn't have cheese on, or in which there is no mention of cheese on the menu, come with it on. And I either don;t eat it at all and pay or I complain. I do the latter. I'm so used to it now that i usually check when ordering, so as not to have to go through the rigmarole and eat 15 minutes after everyone else, but I still from time to time forget, or just order something that will definitely not have cheese on, only to discover...

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              #7
              Yeah, the missus is shellfish allergic and every now and again something will come out with unannounced shrimp or clams or something and it has to go back. I find it incredibly weird because there are fairly widespread religious prohibitions on shellfish, so you’d think people would be careful about that stuff. (Also tricked the other day buying a “salmon chowder” at the grocery store only to find that “clam broth” snuck into the ingredients list right down near the bottom).

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                #8
                Taking a job in Massachusetts when you’re allergic to shellfish is brave, to say the least.

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                  #9
                  Having to send food back makes me super uncomfortable also, so something would have to be pretty egregious before I did so, and I'm not sure this has ever happened. My wife was fine with it, so would do it on my behalf once in a while as I shrunk down in my seat with embarrassment. I find it far easier to send stuff back that my kids have ordered, if required, though it would have to be a fairly high bar of inedibility.

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                    #10
                    As someone who works in the industry, we need feedback. Complaints are complaints, letting us know something has gone wrong is vital, and really important for us. We aim to provide the best experience for every customer, and a mistake is an indication that something has gone wrong. If we don't know that, we can't address it.

                    Please don't feel awkward, you're helping us. Unless you're complaining and being rude, in which case fuck you, man.

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                      #11
                      I often provide feedback if asked "How is it?" It's just that I rarely if ever actually send it back to get re-cooked because of the disruption to the table.

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                        #12
                        I had to send back a jacket potato once, at Gatwick airport. That's the only time I can remember doing it.

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                          #13
                          Talking of which I remember going to our favourite fish restaurant (when we ate fish) with the kids when they were still kids. A guy and his wife arrived at an adjoining table and he complained, rudely, about almost everything. They made it through one drink and a starter then left. She looked really uncomfortable the whole time. I wonder what life was like at home.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by TonTon View Post
                            I had to send back a jacket potato once, at Gatwick airport. That's the only time I can remember doing it.
                            Did they do you another one before your flight took off? Or did you insist the restaurant not only get your potato right but book you on the next flight?
                            Last edited by Rogin the Armchair fan; 19-08-2020, 14:01.

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                              #15
                              At the big chain pizza place near us, they open the box to show you the pizza as you pick it up. The guy who served me that day was the notorious asshole guy, who the rest of the employees didn't even like. When he opened the box, the pizza was clearly overcooked, bordering on burnt. So I said "It's burnt." He said "It's fine." and then we escalated from there. When our yelling at each had brought everyone out of the backroom, he was pushed aside and they made me a new one. Everyone else who looked at it was like 'yeah, it's burnt'.

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                                #16
                                I can't remember sending food back, although I've got into various disputes of all kinds, once getting a free meal on a separate night costing a few hundred quid.

                                I did have a new experience recently, though, where we'd ordered a family pub roast which was already around two hours late, and after telling them we we needed to leave soon, we simply walked out. That was very liberating.

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                                  #17
                                  I have probably the world's least-educated palate so it would really need to be something like a slice of meat in the middle of a vegetarian dish before I'd even consider it.

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                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post

                                    Did they do you another one before your flight took off? Or did you insist the restaurant not only get your potato right but book you on the next flight?
                                    I was probably just visiting the airport for the day.

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                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by WOM View Post
                                      At the big chain pizza place near us, they open the box to show you the pizza as you pick it up. The guy who served me that day was the notorious asshole guy, who the rest of the employees didn't even like. When he opened the box, the pizza was clearly overcooked, bordering on burnt. So I said "It's burnt." He said "It's fine." and then we escalated from there. When our yelling at each had brought everyone out of the backroom, he was pushed aside and they made me a new one. Everyone else who looked at it was like 'yeah, it's burnt'.
                                      That's kinda how I cook pizzas, at home. Overcooked, bordering on burned.

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                                        #20
                                        Yeah, and these days when I order online, I usually check the 'well done' box. This was just plain burnt.

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                                          #21
                                          I think the only time I complained was at a Quins match when they slapped a cold piece of cheese on my cheeseburger. I was happy to concede the crapness of the food, it was match day fare, but the fact that the cheese wasn't even bearing the pretence of having been melted annoyed me.

                                          Edit: Although I always ask for a plate if the food comes on some wanky slate/wooden board/exhumed artificial hip joint bullshit.
                                          Last edited by Eggchaser; 19-08-2020, 16:23.

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                                            #22
                                            Ooh, we don't have a box to tick for our pizzas.

                                            How else does a dog burger at a match work, Egg?

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                                              #23
                                              I can't inagine Italian pizza makers being very happy at being told how to cook their creations.

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                                                #24
                                                With my other half being lactose and gluten intolerant we've had had to send stuff back a fair bit (but not so much in the past ten years.) People are unfailingly understanding and apologetic

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                                                  #25
                                                  I generally only send something back if it was advertised as vegetarian and instead has meat in it. I remember biting into a "sweet potato and black bean" pie at a festival which turned out to have chicken in it. It's pretty horrifying for me when something like that happens. I've been vegetarian for 28 years and, for me, the sensation of unexpected dead animal in my mouth, is akin to someone telling me I've just bitten into human flesh. I can handle it better if I'm somewhere abroad and I'm expecting to have to pick out little pieces of pork (I'm looking at you Spain and China), but when I've ordered a vegetarian dish from a food truck in the UK it catches me completely off guard. The boyfriend I was with at the time couldn't understand why I felt the need to return the pie and complain and was mortified. He also hated me singing around our flat and thought I'd pass on terrible genes to any potential children. My mum and sister, bizarrely, still think I'm in love with him, as opposed to my husband who I've been with for ten years, have two children with, who is rigorous in ensuring anything he cooks for me is vegetarian, and who actively encourages me to sing around the house.

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