How Critical Are You?

OK, this might be a bit goofy, but it's been bugging me. When you all go to restaurants, do you think you're overly critical, or do you tend to cut the place a little more slack than would the average customer?

The reason this came up: A week and a half ago I returned from a business trip at a well-known East Coast resort, where the dinner choices included two AAA 4-diamond restaurants. Among my three dinners there, I ordered the special of half a roast chicken marinated in hoison sauce ($22); the breast was cooked fine but the thigh was raw -- not rare, but raw, as if the bird had been frozen and the thigh was not completely thawed before cooking. I sent it back and the same piece was returned to me (on the same plate, as the sides clearly had been kept under a heat lamp), now fully cooked. Not a word of apology from anyone, front of the house or back. At another dinner I ordered pan-seared scallops in a sweet and sour sauce ($28); they were overcooked and tough. The third dinner was a veal chop with a shallot bleu cheese demi ($29). The chop was perfect and the sauce was good, but it came on the side and was so thin that it was almost the consistency of unreduced stock. I should say here that the flavor of everything was amazing, it was just the cooking times I had a problem with in every case.

My question: Am I being too critical? As my knowledge and my own abilities increase, is my level of anal-retentiveness rising as well? I think I'm perfectly justified in being upset about the chicken incident, but I wonder about the other two. It seems to me though that for those kinds of prices (it was all ala carte, salads, sides, etc. were all extra and my average check was $45 before tip) everything should be just so. Am I right or wrong?

By Corey (Corey) on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 10:27 am: Edit

I would have complained, it's your money,
I send back my oatmeal at IHOP if it's a brick.

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 10:56 am: Edit

After awhile you'll learn to let many things slide.

I'm reminded about one time as an up and coming chef I was an invited guest at a nice restaurant. As I proceeded to critique my dinner someone I respected said "and I thought I was enjoying my dinner."

Cured me from comments from that point on.

While I will not be subjected to down right rude service or unhealthy food, i.e. that chicken, things like over cooked steaks and unflavorful lamb shanks or thin sauce I put down to interpretation. It takes all kinds to make a world, bad chefs and cooks just make you look better.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 02:43 pm: Edit

As they say, when you go into a restaurant you are going to eat that Chef's interpretation of the dish(es)!!!!!
But......five star or not, if the food is bad, the food is bad. Yes, bad is relative, as is good!
Some things are basic though.
You tend to be over critical but, I also let much more slide because I realize there may be many circumstances affecting the business.
When you say cooking times, are you referring to how long it took to cook or, how long they cooked the food?????
Americans, especially if you are in this business, tend to eat very, very, fast. You set the food down, woof!; it's gone. Coming from a partial European/Spanish household, eating was always an event. Dinner took 2-3 hours to complete, you ate, drank, talked, washed a few dishes in between, listened to music, had dessert....ect.
Now, if you sit at a restaurant for two hours they look at you like you are costing them money; which you are!!!!!!
The dining experience keeps getting cut and bastardized daily!!!! At the expense of table turning and profit, which you cannot blame on an operator either!

By Chefrev (Chefrev) on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 03:07 pm: Edit

When my wife and I go out to eat she is fond of joking with me that I always have to find something wrong with the meal; the service or the food. This may have been true in the past, but as I've gained experience, and maybe aged some too, I've learned you have to pick your battles.

Example: Went to a mid-priced steak house a while ago with a buddy. The chain is Texas Road House, maybe you've heard of it. Ordered a delmonico steak medium rare. It came out WELL, not red, not pink, but gray and dark on the outside. Figuring I'd just gotten someone else's order I politely asked the waiter for a new one. He apologized and left me my baked sweet potato to eat while I waited. Fine. The cook himself comes out about five minurtes or so later with a steak and a new potato. He waits while I cut into the steak and pronounce it fine. To be honest it was a little rarer than I like my medium rare steak to be, but I let it go because I didn't want to be a jerk and I was hungry. Wasn't bad, but I thought a steak house should know steak, right? It impressed me though, that the cook brought me the recook himself, and was very curteous. I've since been back with no other problems.

Won't stand for (or tip) outright rudeness or attitude like I'm taking the staff away from something more important simply because I'm in their establishment. Other stuff can be, as cheftim said, interpretation. Go with your gut, and temper it with understanding, and you'll do okay. Life's too short and the times too chaotic to b*tch about every little thing. IMHO.

By Steve9389 (Steve9389) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 08:18 am: Edit

Manny, when I'm referring to cooking times I'm talking about how long they cooked the food -- not long enough in one case and too long in another.

By Snuffaluff (Snuffaluff) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 09:15 am: Edit

I don't think you are being too critical. I think you just observe things in a different way now, than you used to. I have no experience at all, and would probably have done/thought the same thing you did.

I went to a mexican place one time and when my enchiladas came out, I could smell the rancid meat. I simply told the waitress that I thought the meat was bad, she should tell the chef, and could I please have a different meal... chicken.
She seemed to be extremely nice and brought me chicken in less than 5min.(someone else's i guess) Never heard anything other than, sorry bout that. Haven't been back since either. There are too many better places to go.

By Ladycake (Ladycake) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:37 am: Edit

My family (father) thinks I am very critical, my friends don't think so, and my friends in the business think I am very easy to please. I try to give restaurants the benefit of the doubt. Unheathy food is unacceptable (as Cheftim said) and if it is inedible I usually say something.

I find I am much more critical of bad service. I also think that I find more bad service now than I used to. If the service is very good I tend to over tip.

Just my .02

By Mbw (Mbw) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 01:47 pm: Edit

I am too tollerant, and over tip.. up to a point then watch out!

I had a girlfriend in the industry.

We would go out, and she would pick apart everything at the table (as in break down NOT complain)

Every trip to a nice restaurant was not complete without some "Professional" posturing. I also enjoy trying to figure out what is in what, and making little comments about service, decor, etc.. Enough is enough! Can we just pretend we are NOT at work? That we DON'T work in a kitchen? Guess not. I even remember eating schlock just to go avoid the critic the occured at almost every meal.

All the same when something is wrong it is wrong. I find my self to exsist in BOTH worlds. VERY tollerant, and "Chef from hell" if crossed.

I have no middle ground.

mbw

PS Raw leg??? maybe they were too embarrased to say anything. I may have been.

By Grwall (Grwall) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 02:37 pm: Edit

Like the rest of you, I've learned to let most stuff go. Certainly others don't want to hear nit picky stuff (even if they say they do).

No one mentioned it but if I have a complaint (like the raw leg), I'll point that out without saying what I do. If things are excellent, I'll sometimes say so on a business card.

I figure if it's wrong, it doesn't matter who you are but a complement from a colleague means just that much more.

By Chefrev (Chefrev) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 03:38 pm: Edit

Grwall: "I figure if it's wrong, it doesn't matter who you are but a complement from a colleague means just that much more."

A couple of years ago, I took my sous chef to lunch at a different restaurant to celebrate his last day at ours. We just had lunch at this little bistro style place in town, and since we were coming from work and hadn't changed out of uniforms, we sat out on the patio in our checks and whites. The kitchen staff became aware of our presence from our waitress and you could see them checking us out one by one. We finished lunch with some nice desserts, and the chef came out and asked how everything was. We said great, thanks, and he gave us a tour of the tiny kitchen. It was fun to see how our competition did things and to talk to a colleague about his place. Sometimes it's nice to let a restaurant know you're in the business. Keeps em on their toes.

By Flattop (Flattop) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 02:41 am: Edit

Lets look at it from the other persective Steve. Say you are the chef in the middle of a dinner rush, One of your line cooks is not on the top of his game and sending out food that isn't to standard. You're slammed and your focus is on the new guy you got yesterday and the cook you just promoted that have you worried. Who would you rather take a complaint from. The fat ass that gets his kicks sending stuff back or a colleague in the industry that may just saving your ass from a case of samonilla and a visit from the health inspector. Or even just to let you know that something is wrong. Can you ever not be a professional when you're in this profession?

I look at everything when I'm at a restaurant. it is a case study everytime. Service, time, food, management atmosphere, it all goes into my head and often into notes.

But as it stands you are the customer if you have a legitimate complaint then you are in the right to be vocal about it period it's your money.

By Peachcreek (Peachcreek) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 01:35 pm: Edit

At this point when I go out to eat, I place the expectation level on the restaurant, not me. When I go out to eat I am a customer. If I am going to a chain restaurant I expect to get chain restaurant food cooked by their most experienced teenagers they have working back there..... And I expect to pay more for an average product at a ball game or a tourist spot. BUT if the place is going on their 4-star reputation and their food, service, ambience,et al I'SNT up to what they charge for it, I WILL complain.
At my restaurant the customer doesn't end up the the one paying for my crummy day with crummy food and service because my cook is sick or my server did'nt show up! If we screw up, you're meal is on the house.

By Ladycake (Ladycake) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 03:22 pm: Edit

Right on, Peachcreek! (did I say that? Am I a child of the '60s or what .....oohhhhh)

By Cindyscatering (Cindyscatering) on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 12:00 pm: Edit

Just thought I would put my two cents worth in. Being ecstatic over not being involved in the preparation of the meal usually makes me a very amiable customer. BUT, my son, my husband, a friend and I went to a local family oriented seafood restaurant. I ordered oysters on the half shell for my appetizer. When the waiter brought them out the smell would knock you down 5 feet away. I ask the waiter to please take them away. He said he told the cook/owner he thought they were bad. The Cook/owner then comes out front and proceeds to argue with me for 5 minutes about their freshness, etc. He even offered to bring me out the bucket they came in so I could smell them. He absolutely would not admit that they were bad. I couldn't believe it. They literally smelled so bad we were all nauseated and had to leave the restaurant....never to return. Cindy

By Cindyscatering (Cindyscatering) on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 12:00 pm: Edit

Just thought I would put my two cents worth in. Being ecstatic over not being involved in the preparation of the meal usually makes me a very amiable customer. BUT, my son, my husband, a friend and I went to a local family oriented seafood restaurant. I ordered oysters on the half shell for my appetizer. When the waiter brought them out the smell would knock you down 5 feet away. I ask the waiter to please take them away. He said he told the cook/owner he thought they were bad. The Cook/owner then comes out front and proceeds to argue with me for 5 minutes about their freshness, etc. He even offered to bring me out the bucket they came in so I could smell them. He absolutely would not admit that they were bad. I couldn't believe it. They literally smelled so bad we were all nauseated and had to leave the restaurant....never to return. Cindy