So you’re at a restaurant for the first time. You may have read a good review on Yelp or heard a friend raving about a particular dish or something, so you went to go check it out.
Things are decidedly mediocre. Not terrible like your chicken is undercooked or they subbed out salt for sugar in a dish. Things like you can tell the biscuits are from a box mix or the dish really skimped on the vegetables to save money or just that the pasta lacks any herbs and seasoning whatsoever. Whatever it is, you’ve decided about halfway through your meal that it’s really not good, you’ve chalked this restaurant up to a lesson learned, and you’re never coming back.
I’ll go for typical English subservience in the face of bad service / quality - ‘everything’s fine thanks’.
My Spanish BiL would have a list of grievances prepared and is not afraid to take them into the kitchen (literally) - he’s not had his ass beaten yet doing this AFAIK, but probably a matter of time.
If something is really bad and NOT how I think they would typically do it I’ll complain. Like for instance a steak place thats generally good but somehow I ended up with a real crap steak. Or something that should be well cooked and it came out nearly raw.
Your scenario sounds like the owners have chosen this level of product/service as their business model. Who am I to tell them that they are wrong? Heck, I might be the only one in town that doesn’t like it. In this case I am just going to vote with my wallet. And if enough people do that then hopefully they reexamine their model.
(Larry): “How was your dinner?”
(Customer) : “The soup was watery, the steak was tough, and the service was slow!”
(Larry) :“Thanks…be sure to tell your friends!”
-Badda boom!:smack:
Before I met my husband, I would have just blurted out what I thought. He has helped me develop a (rather course, but getting better,) filter between my brain and my mouth. (Thank you, sweety.)
If it was a specific item in an otherwise good meal, I might point out the problem. But if it was a general problem like the OP described, I’d figure it wasn’t going to change and I wouldn’t bother making the attempt. I’d say something non-committal and not eat there again.
Fat chance they’ll figure out what to change, since very few of you would tell them what was wrong. Businesses don’t change unless you ask them to. This could be the fulfillment of the owner’s lifelong dream and you’ll drive him into bankruptcy rather than speak up and allow him to salvage the operation.
I’m more likely to shun a restaurant due to loud music than bad food. Almost every meal I eat “out” is good, and if asked I let them know. But… I recently told the 3rd eatery (in 18 months) that I’m going elsewhere due to the manufactured noise. There seems to be some need among restauranteurs to manufacture a “mood” or something with loud music.
pullin’s restaurant rule: If I have to raise my voice to talk to my companions over your music, I won’t be back.
This. I can’t change their entire business model; if their MO is to make cheap from-package food so that barely-capable line cooks can crank it out, then a comment from me isn’t going to fix things. And for all I know, it’s what their regulars want. I’d give it an “it’s fine, thanks” with no warmth in the statement and move on.
If, unlike the situation in the OP, there was something wrong with one dish, I’d usually say something. Typically that’s just a kitchen error, and if the dish is from a larger batch, you can save them from a lot of other annoyed patrons.
When the business is bad is when the owner or the manager should start coming around asking for serious input from the customers. Thats not the serving staff’s job. And as many people have noted, “a fine” isnt exactly a ringing endorsement, so that should be a hint right there. Of course given how hesitant owners are to listen to Gordan frickin Ramsy I suspect my critique of the food would fall on deaf ears.
If I have a problem with a dish, I’ll send it back or at least address it on the spot. “I’m sorry. I asked for dry toast. Please take this back.” It’s an immediate indication for the kitchen or waitstaff that something needs to be fixed right away. Basically, it’s an opportunity to make it right before I vote with my wallet.
Otherwise, I’ll give the non-committal “Fine, thanks” response.
It would likely depend on whether or not the place is new, or just new to us. A new place would get my honest comments to the owner/manager so they could be addressed. If the place has been in business for years, I’d just write if off with a “Fine.” and never come back.
I marked the ‘not that great’, but in a case like this, I probably wouldn’t rhyme off my entire laundry list of grievances. What I like to think I’d do, would be to mention one thing that I wasn’t impressed with, and probably couch it very diplomatically in terms of my own tastes, like:
“The sauce was definitely on the bland side. I’d rather my pasta have a bit of a kick to it.”
As I get older and bolder, I’m more likely to give a sincere review.
Still haven’t gotten to the level of my Great Aunt who, upon finding yet another bar waiter who had no idea how to prepare an infusion, would get behind the bar and give him a lesson that would have made both Twinnings and Jim Henson proud.
These. Generally if it’s clear that’s just how they do it I won’t bother complaining, at least unless the prices clearly imply better quality than what is being delivered.
It’s partly that if it’s how they do things I feel like in the end it’s my problem for choosing that restaurant. It’s also that I wouldn’t see anything to gain from complaining, and I suspect an element of spinelessness.
If the experience were so overwhelmingly blah, I would tell them politely what I did and didn’t like. If I had a problem, I’d try to be specific, though - I think it sucks when people don’t provide information on what needs to be changed. Saying, “Overall, it sucks” isn’t helpful (even if it sucks overall). I’d probably go with something like, “You know, I thought the service was great, though I’d probably order something else different or recommend more seasoning on the chicken. It was a little bland.”
Unless my issue was with the service, I’d tip the same, though. The server, while a representative of the restaurant, can’t do much about the food other than accurately communicate what I want to the kitchen. As long as they’ve done that and been reasonably attentive, I’ve got no issues with them.
I went to this pub once and ordered a cheese steak and fries. I was going to order cheese steak and a bag of chips. But the bartender strongly recommended I get the fries. They were to “die for.” This statement was backed up by a fellow bar patron.
So I get the damn fries. when they came out they were soggy and a darkish brown color. (Almost black) Keep in mind they weren’t this color because of any seasoning, because there wasn’t any. Not even salt. They were that color because nobody could be bothered to clean out the damn fryer in who knows how long.
This is the one and only time I’ve ever lost my shit in a bar/restaurant like this. I told them in no uncertain terms how fucking nasty that shit was.
Amazingly, the bar owner agreed with me. After I explained to him why his fries were like that, he didn’t seem too pleased himself. (Apparently he doesn’t eat fried food)
Admittedly, the bar owner may have been just blowing smoke up my ass just to calm me down. Or he really is aloof as to what’s going on in his own freaking bar.