# Anyone Else Have This Happen in a Restaurant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 24, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869 "2011-08-24T04:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/21 "2011-08-24T13:07:01Z")
[QUOTE=Every restaurant in Massachusetts] Notice: The consumption of raw or undercooked eggs, meat, poultry, seafood or shellfish may increase your risk of food borne illness. [/QUOTE] This seems to cover them. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/22 "2011-08-24T13:16:28Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Personally, I’d never eat at a place that asks me to sign a waiver. Or that would have me as a customer. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/23 "2011-08-24T13:28:18Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > 😕 > > Yes they will. They don’t recommend it and they say that there are some cuts that simply can’t be cooked beyond a certain point, but they absolutely do offer a well done steak. I’ve eaten there and they had no problem with cooking it well done. Yeah, the one I’m thinking of upthread doesn’t have this type of notice (which I’ve seen at many places) but one that simply says they will not cook beyond medium. Of course, the only cite I have right now is my memory, so take it with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/24 "2011-08-24T15:38:29Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > It’s a sign of the difference between a high-end restaurant and the bargain joints. > > A bargain joint will only cook medium or well-done. A high-end restaurant will not cook any further than medium, a la [this menu](http://raystheclassics.com/Images/Dinner%20Menu%203-15-11.pdf) from a premium steak restaurant near me. The cattle are butchered on site? Cows in the kitchen? How long before it becomes _de riguer_ to take the steer into the dining room to show it to you before killing it, like it was a lobster or a trout for truite au bleu? (Yes, I know they probably mean the meat is cut there from whole sides of beef. It’s just more fun my way.) ---
**Author:** ![curious11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@curious11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curious11)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/25 "2011-08-24T16:12:27Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I never have this problem with my vegetarian meals. Wow, 20 posts to get the vegetarian input on the doneness of steak. Perhaps you’d like some german sprouts as a side to that dish of smugness? How about some california spinach? What? You’re full? oh, okay. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/26 "2011-08-24T16:17:21Z")
I had a very rare hamburger the other day. It was a nice restaurant and the burger was made from a steak that was ground to make the burger. It was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/27 "2011-08-24T16:25:25Z")
I have never heard of a restaurant objecting to a minimum doneness of a steak either, only hamburger for the obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/28 "2011-08-24T17:37:44Z")
“A lot of restaurants” do this? I’ve never seen it anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/29 "2011-08-24T17:45:01Z")
> [@curious11](#): > > Wow, 20 posts to get the vegetarian input on the doneness of steak. > > Perhaps you’d like some german sprouts as a side to that dish of smugness? How about some california spinach? What? You’re full? oh, okay. Yeah, _I’m_ the one with the attitude. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/30 "2011-08-24T17:47:51Z")
> [@curious11](#): > > Wow, 20 posts to get the vegetarian input on the doneness of steak. > > Perhaps you’d like some german sprouts as a side to that dish of smugness? How about some california spinach? What? You’re full? oh, okay. Well, while it might have been somewhat off-topic, it was no more smug than the post, further upthread, saying that rare or medium-rare is the way steaks are “SUPPOSED to be eaten.” I wasn’t aware that there was a specific rule for how a person had to like their meat. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/31 "2011-08-24T17:49:51Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I never have this problem with my vegetarian meals. Let me introduce you to the concept of hepatitis A, _Cyclospora, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum, Bacillus cereus, and E. coli_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/32 "2011-08-24T17:57:25Z")
So no carpaccio, then? What a shame. My mom once quit her job as a waitress because a chef wouldn’t cook a steak past medium even though it’s what the customer wanted. My dad bitches about it because he was a bartender there at the time, and her method of quitting was to go to him and say “We’re quitting!” They still got married a couple years later and are still together, but it remains one of his favourite stories to tell! ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/33 "2011-08-24T18:25:05Z")
I note that the OP never used the term “waiver,” but that many others are. > [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I ordered my steak medium-rare. And the waitress had me sign the check that I had ordered it that way. [Quote trimmed down to the meat of the statement.] sorry [SIZE=2] **Two Many Cats** , was there any kind of disclaimer on the check regarding the way the steak was cooked or did the waitress just have you sign the order? [/SIZE] ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/34 "2011-08-24T18:34:08Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > I note that the OP never used the term “waiver,” but that many others are. > > [Quote trimmed down to the meat of the statement.] > sorry > > [SIZE=2] **Two Many Cats** , was there any kind of disclaimer on the check regarding the way the steak was cooked or did the waitress just have you sign the order? > [/SIZE] No, she just had me sign the order. There wasn’t any pre-printed statement or anything. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/35 "2011-08-24T20:21:10Z")
When I was in NYC last year, I asked for eggs sunnyside up and the waitress said for health reasons they don’t serve them that way. It had to be over and cooked. So I just ordered scrambled. I didn’t think much of it at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/36 "2011-08-24T20:28:08Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > …ETA: The closest is seeing the opposite: a place that won’t cook steaks beyond medium. Darned if I could remember where it was I saw that. I experienced something similar at a dinner theatre, where the food was prepared and served during intermission. I’m sure it was a time crunch thing, but their default doneness for steaks was rare, but they said you could get it up to medium at special request. It was a huge ordeal when someone at our table requested it well done. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/37 "2011-08-24T20:59:25Z")
I love Golden Nugget (Lawrence/Ravenswood location by chance?) but have to question why you would order anything but breakfast there. Their breakfasts are seriously amazing but their lunch/dinner stuff is pretty blech most every time I’ve tried them (which is a lot… I never learn.) ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/38 "2011-08-24T22:28:04Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I love Golden Nugget (Lawrence/Ravenswood location by chance?) but have to question why you would order anything but breakfast there. Their breakfasts are seriously amazing but their lunch/dinner stuff is pretty blech most every time I’ve tried them (which is a lot… I never learn.) That is, in fact, the restaurant in question. I’m not sure what your idea of blech might be, but their grilled items, ergo: steaks, pork chops, liver and onions, are to my taste, quite nice. They have good cream soups as well. And I love the hunk of garlic bread that comes with everything. I stay away from their chicken fried steak, and their malibu chicken though, and their spaghetti makes Chef Boyardi cry. Great, now they’ll probably see this and sue ME. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/39 "2011-08-25T04:58:12Z")
My band played a show in SE Indiana a few years ago, and we were told that state law prohibited anything under “medium”. We had all asked for medium rare. He decided to do us a favor and make them as requested. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. We told the crowd as much. From what we were told it was VERY fresh beef, and was ground that day. Perfect burger. Steaks are a different matter entirely though. A steak cooked to “well” cannot be uncooked, and is wasted entirely if the customer thinks it is too “well”. Undercooked steaks can be adjusted to some degree though. As far as the extremes go, people that like their steak still mooing are generally regarded as being more barbarian, the cut matters very little when the meat is still quite raw. Those that like well done steaks are also regarded as lacking in taste, as the flavor has been mostly cooked out of the meat, and again, the cut matters very little. I’ve seen more and more places now say that if you order well done, you get a steak, and have little recourse if it’s not perfect by your standards. Several restaurants now force you to eat a piece as soon as the server lays the steak down, so you have to make any claim about doneness made right then and there. Management gets involved here too. Losing a steak is a bad thing profit percentage wise, and even dollar amount wise. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869/40 "2011-08-25T05:06:46Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Yeah, _I’m_ the one with the attitude. yes, yes you are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-this-happen-in-a-restaurant/593869.md?page=3)