Ever sent your FOOD back ?

[BigGully]

My son works at a restaurant where some of the travelling chaps have on a couple of occasions ordered a rare steak amongst a large order, then refused to pay the entire bill, including drinks on the basis that the steak was under cooked and that ruined the meal for all eight of them.


This is the reason for those annoying check backs that waiting staff do, "is everything alright for you?" which always seem to be whilst you have a mouth full of food or before you have even stuck a fork in it.

Same happened when a friends daughter was working in a local very good Indian Restaurant, a couple of pikeys and their toddler, woofed down the food and what a mess there was around their table disgusting, then they screamed and shouted saying a cockroach was in their food and started telling the other diners.

When it was pointed out to a few other diners that this was unlikely and have a think who these people were there was a bit of a kerfuffle and they left without paying.

Lovely stuff........

 

[Notters]

Have to agree with [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION] about Due South. Though there was nothing actually send backable it is still the place that gave me the most disappointing Brighton high end experience of my life. Small portions, expensive and tasteless, wines advertised but not in stock and totally up its own arse.

Wow, best meal and service I ever had in Brighton was at Due South, was sad to see it go.

 

[Hiney]

At The Sportsmans Arms, just outside Dartmouth.

Their service collapsed to such an extent, that Mrs Hiney ended up STORMING into the kitchen to demand our food.

Poetry in motion, which earned her a round of APPLAUSE from the other diners.

No bill was presented.

 

[Cian]

On a slightly different theme I stayed in a hotel with work last week, which caused me to complain. Due to the nature of my job, I’ve stayed in a number of places over the years and I can cope with anything from a Travelodge upwards and generally live with the odd problems that come my way as it comes with the territory. This place was something else ;

Within my bedroom I had the following items

A lighthouse
A Sowing Machine
An old telephone from the 1960’s

Here is a list of things I didn’t have

Curtains
Curtain Pole
TV remote
A number on the door – Finding room 12 proved problematic as none of them were numbered.
Shower – just a bath

The place looked like a stately home, walking into the bar area there were pictures of semi naked women (not a complaint issue I grant you), a huge Aloha sign, 2 wonky pool tables and no pint glasses. It was Fawlty towers if Basil was smoking a spliff

Was the room visibly subsiding slightly towards the side with the windows by any chance? If so, I think I stayed there... the food was actually pretty good though.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Was the room visibly subsiding slightly towards the side with the windows by any chance? If so, I think I stayed there... the food was actually pretty good though.

It was a Marco Pierre White hotel. He was on site but was trying to remain incognito due to the high number of complaints

 

[Nibble]

As an aside one of the contestants from Masterchef is now cheffing at The Windmill. That place has gone really downhill of late due to the new owner I suspect. The Sunday quiz with MC Cashback always raises a chuckle though. I digress.

 

[KneeOn]

I had not long been 18 and took the girlfriend to London. We stopped off at TGI Fridays because it was a childhood favourite of mine from when I was much younger. She had never been and is quite fussy. She orders her usual burger, plain that she gets from this sort of establishment.

Out comes a bacon cheese burger with sauce.

We sent it back, told it'd be 8 minutes. 30 seconds later out comes a plain burger with two comped drinks. They got a nice tip for that.

 

[Nibble]

I'm not a fan of the waiters that pester you asking how it is. I'll tell you if there's anything I need thanks. Not as annoying as the up-selling that goes on these days though . You give your order then get
"Would you like this, would you like that with that, how about a so and so?"
Listen, I have seen the menu and the specials board , I know what I want.
I'm never rude to waiters and don't believe that you should complain to them anyway, always ask to see the manager or chef.
And never stick around for a replacement meal after you e complained about the quality of food from a chef. It'll be that chef who's cooking you replacement and chef are generally egotistical wankers who take everything personally. Complain, get your refund and leave.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The owner used to manage the place too, I worked with him for a while at a different seafront restaurant. Your description is accurate from my experience.

This is reassuring to know. Thanks.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Only twice , both on a cruise and both because the food was Luke warm or in the case of the last one was actually cold.

It actually worked in our favour, as in the main dining room of most cruise ships, the food is mass catering( excellent food) but sometimes the food is brought out and sits on a stewards station waiting to be distributed. Anyway, we had lamb, as did most people and it was cold...we sent it all back and ten minutes later, we had a huge double portion of the meat, piping hot and profuse apologies from the maitre D. She then for the next 10 days of the cruise brought us champagne to the table and made sure we were 100% happy with the food, which was not necessary really as the food was excellent.

Karen sent back a steak in a specialist restaurant on board as it was underdone...US medium/ rare is not the same as UK....anyway, the chef came out with a portable grill and cooked a slab of meat at our table to make sure she was happy..that was so unexpected and the sommelier turned up with a bottle of very nice wine that he matched with the food...and didn't charge us a penny for it...and it was expensive wine.

I suppose it is because the Americans don't have the same " don't cause a fuss" attitude the Brits do that when there is a complaint, they bend over backwards to help. No doubt Smuge on here can confirm the differences as he is an officer on a NCL ship!

 

[Pantani]

I do complain if the food isn't up to it. Went to the BBQ Shack at The World's End. Sent back the ribs as they were tough as they had been reheated. I tried the pulled pork which the barman recommend as 'top notch'. That too was crap and just reheated fodder. Gave up in the end. Won't be going back.

My Trip Advisor review

You must have been unlucky, I've eaten there far far too often and had a fantastic meal every time. In my top 5 places to eat in Brighton even despite the fact it is in a terrible pub. Pre and post drinks in the Mitre for the Connoisseur

 

[Puppet Master]

The law does say you're not obliged to pay for a meal in a restaurant if you're not happy with the food or service you received. Never known anyone to actually excercise this right, I couldn't do it personally.

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

I have never got my head round any restaurateur making a fuss or not doing everything in his capability to appease a disgruntled customer who has made a complaint about something or other. The 'customer is always right' mantra is more applicable to the catering industry than any other whether you like it or not.
Maybe I am just a vindictive gossip but I have no problem giving negative feedback to friends about a restaurant that cocked up and didn't deal sufficiently with whatever the problem was. That chat spreads like wildfire and you'd have thought that the management have the wherewithal to know that. Those that don't are in the wrong industry.
In reverse I will go overboard with praise about a restaurant that has come up trumps.

 

[Man of Harveys]

I'm not a fan of the waiters that pester you asking how it is.

Again, the much-vaunted U.S. service culture does this in buckets, often interrupting you putting the first fork-full of food into your mouth in order to ask you how it is.

By far the worst example I had was an under-worked and over-keen waitress who appeared at our table in an almost empty restaurant literally about every 2-3 minutes to interrupt the conversation to ask how things were...during a meal that the missus and I were trying to let my now-mother in law know that we'd got engaged. Pure comedy.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Not always an entirely advisable course of action I grant you, being as there is a very distinct chance of it coming back with some form of human secretion embedded within its folds. And I'm British, so complaining isn't really in my DNA. But tonight, I just had to. The venue ? The Longshore, Shoreham. My daughters birthday. Not my first choice, but its very local to her, and she likes it, it was her idea, her birthday, I've been before and it was ok so I had no violent objections, so there we are.

So I order a starter. Chicken wings with the hot habanero sauce, side salad, and a cool blue cheese dip. £4.45.

What arrives is 3 wings. 3 scraggy chicken wings with some droopy lettuce and a dip. THREE. I call them over.
"Is this what I get for £4.45 ? Three small wings ?"
"Ummm..well, that's whats its always been"
"I was here in May. There was a lot more than this" (and there most certainly was - six at least. Its why I went back to them in the first place, they were great.I pointed this out.)
"Well...err..that's the starter..."

So I tell the chap to take it away and STRIKE it from my bill. Which they did. And I just had a pretty average rack of ribs for the main, no starters. Irritating. Not really good enough is it ? About £1.50 per WING, are they taking the preverbrial ? Outrageous liberty. The people at the next table were disappointing. I was expecting some quiet moral support. A knowing nod. An acknowledgment of my plight. A subtle shrug at least. Instead, one of them looked at me like I'd just groped his sister.

These people.

Shoreham Sparky Andy ordered a medium steak in the Longshore & it came out bloody, he sent it back, it came back BURNT, he sent it back saying overdone, they then brought out a raw one. Cue Manager & shouting
Nb it takes £10,000 a week over it's target £35,000...

 

[Cian]

It was a Marco Pierre White hotel. He was on site but was trying to remain incognito due to the high number of complaints

The place I was in was anything but, it was an old hunting lodge run by a borderline madman who was trying to make booze in the outhouses.

I was staying for work and found the only decent 3G signal was on a landing so I spent most of the evenings sitting on a window seat decorated with ancient taxidermy with my laptop rather than in the room I was concerned was about to end up in the garden!

 

[Nibble]

Again, the much-vaunted U.S. service culture does this in buckets, often interrupting you putting the first fork-full of food into your mouth in order to ask you how it is.

By far the worst example I had was an under-worked and over-keen waitress who appeared at our table in an almost empty restaurant literally about every 2-3 minutes to interrupt the conversation to ask how things were...during a meal that the missus and I were trying to let my now-mother in law know that we'd got engaged. Pure comedy.

That's them trying to earn their tip. In the US you get good service normally and plenty of food so a tip is cool with me.

I always tip in restaurants unless the service is awful. However, if they have put a service charge on automatically I always ask the. To remove it and I pay what I think the service was worth. Could be more , could be less but I always point out that it is my decision. I also think 12.5%, which they normally add is too much unless it's been exceptional.

One thing I cannot get behind is tips jars on bars or in coffee shops. They are charging way above cost for all their products, they can forget about a top. Cheeky shits.

 

[Munkfish]

I had a steak in the coach house and it was vile I complained to the waitress who took it away, the chef stated that there was nothing wrong with it.

The waitress brought it back out and told me the chef disagrees. This wasnt a matter of personal taste, it tasted like the smell of mince meet plastic container linings.

Nothing further was done about it. When the bill came I argued against paying full price and they took a small amount off the bill. I wasnt happy and will never go back.

 

[Pantani]

That's them trying to earn their tip. In the US you get good service normally and plenty of food so a tip is cool with me.

I always tip in restaurants unless the service is awful. However, if they have put a service charge on automatically I always ask the. To remove it and I pay what I think the service was worth. Could be more , could be less but I always point out that it is my decision. I also think 12.5%, which they normally add is too much unless it's been exceptional.

One thing I cannot get behind is tips jars on bars or in coffee shops. They are charging way above cost for all their products, they can forget about a top. Cheeky shits.

Agreed on the top part. As for the second, the people who get those tips are not the ones setting the prices. If everyone just leaves a bit of shrapnel (not 10% or anything close to that) then it soon adds up for those earning minimum wage.

 

[Nibble]

Agreed on the top part. As for the second, the people who get those tips are not the ones setting the prices. If everyone just leaves a bit of shrapnel (not 10% or anything close to that) then it soon adds up for those earning minimum wage.

Agreed. I very very rarely don't tip. I'm not rude to the waiting staff, just like to explain why I'm tipping my own amounts that they don't think I'm just some moody tight arse