Do restaurants typically have stuff like prime rib already portioned out, or do they slice it after you order? If it’s the latter I guess maybe they could slice it thinner, but if it’s the former they’d probably just end up throwing out the other half away (unless someone else just happens to coincidentally order a half portion) and end up costing the restaurant just as much as if you’d ordered a full portion. It would be like trying to order half a steak or half a burger.
When the hostess asks, “Would you like a booth or a table?” I hate it when someone in my party replies, “Whatever.” It puts the hostess in the unenviable situation of guessing what we might prefer. Just pick one or the other.
Inane questions from patrons. Asking the poor young woman working the drive-thru at Dairy Queen why the Hawaiian Blizzard was discontinued just isn’t fair. It’s not like she makes those kinds of decisions.
I don’t mind the server mentioning that something on the menu is especially good or fresh. It’s mildly off-putting when they tout something as “my favorite!” or assure me after I’ve ordered that I made a good selection. Wow, now I feel validated.
Yeah, the correct answer is "booth’. 
No car lot, anywhere in America or the entire world, sells half cars. Nor would anyone want to buy one. Many restaurants can make half portions of dishes and many do. Many people want a smaller portion. There is no harm in asking, and often restaurants can work something out, though sometimes they won’t.
I feel kind of silly for pointing out something so obvious, but here we are.
So you expect a restaurant to charge you $20 for a $40 meal because you don’t want to eat all of it? What are they supposed to do with half a piece of prime rib? Lots of restaurants list smaller portions on their menus, and they’ll have no problem not giving you all the food you order if you request that, but I want to see this place you imagine will take a loss on a meal because you aren’t hungry enough to eat all of it.
When I was learning Spanish in school, my mom once asked me if there was another way to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish besides “de nada,” which literally translates to “of nothing” and is therefore somewhat similar to “no problem.” A business associate, whose native language was Spanish but who was also fluent in English, had thanked her in an email with “gracias,” and she wanted to respond in kind. But she didn’t want to say “it was nothing,” because it wasn’t; it was a huge favor. I asked my teacher to be sure, but she thought it was a stupid question and informed me that “de nada” was the expected response, similar to how you’re expected to say you’re fine when asked how you’re doing. I understand French uses a similar construction. I think people who get hung up on “you’re welcome” vs. “no problem” are both over- and under-thinking it. I’m tempted to feign offense when they say goodbye, because that comes from “God be with you” and I’m an atheist, damnit.
Regarding asking your server questions about what to eat, I think it’s fine to just ask what’s good. A lot of places have a signature dish they’re known for and then a dozen or more other things they put on the menu to accommodate the picky dining companions of the people who come in for that one great thing. If you go to Langer’s Deli in Los Angeles, for example, and ask that question, they’ll tell you to get the number 19. Some places don’t have a thing like that, but your server will still give you good suggestions. It’s especially wise to ask for the server’s opinion if you’re torn between two choices; that’s usually an easy question to answer. What you shouldn’t ask is “is the prime rib any good?” Because you’ll rarely get an honest answer to that; even if it’s terrible, servers usually aren’t allowed to say so. Asking for recommendations or help choosing from a short list allows them to steer you toward the better option without trashing the alternative.
For 1) I’ve never really thought about it. I’ve always just assumed the specials are in the general price range of main dishes, and never have gotten a big surprise.
- It depends on why you are at a certain restaurant. There are a few restaurants I like that I go for a specific dish, so I generally know what I want before I even sit down, but when exploring new restaurants, I don’t know. I don’t like eating the same ol’ shit all the time, and whenever I find myself at a new place, I like to try something different. I eat everything and anything, so I will sometimes ask what a particular place is known for, maybe if there’s a particular dish the chef likes, etc. Usually I try to peruse the menu first and get a sense of what may be interesting and ask the server to narrow it down for me, but sometimes, I just want to get a sense of what the kitchen is proud of.
This appears to be a scam at certain New York City restaurants:
Luckily, I don’t go to restaurants fancy enough to try to demand those kinds of prices. I mean, the headline says that Nello is “one of the most expensive restaurants in the world.”
[Moderating]
If that’s true, then the appropriate place to take it up is either ATMB (if it’s moderators you’re referring to), or the Pit (if it’s anyone else). Regardless of whether it’s true or not, it’s off-topic in Cafe Society, and this thread in particular.
- Here (Australia) any specials would either be chalked on a wallboard in a bistro or cafe or on a printed sheet that’s handed to you with the menu. They would usually have the same info as the main menu and the price clearly displayed. That would apply across the range of restaurants.
I’m frankly amazed that you don’t. Surely you could sue someone, or break their bottoms.
- Wait-staff aren’t just droids; it’s perfectly reasonable to ask them for their suggestion. The only question is whether their recommending the turnip Surprise because that’s their own opinion or the manager wants to push that. In either case its a recommendation, not prescribed.
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I’ve never been totally shocked by the price of a special. Obviously I know that steak and lobster is going to be expensive regardless. I appreciate servers being honest just as I was in worked in restaurants. ‘Our grilled salmon is tonight’s special, we are showcasing our seafood this week and it’s available at 15.’
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Even at a TGI Friday’s I’m fine with asking a server’s opinions. Last week, I was with family in South Carolina and went out for Mexican food. There were 3 appealing shrimp dishes on the menu, I asked which one was the spiciest and ordered it. It was excellent! As long as I give the wait staff something to go on, I think that helps. At one restaurant I worked at, the rice was amazing and a baked potato is just a baked potato, I always suggested the rice as the starch side.
There’s nothing wrong with asking the price of the special. I was recently in a really nice “special occasion” restaurant that is known for having a lot of specials, and the waiter recites the price as part of the description…”we have rice penne with rare tuna and a spicy sauce for $19.00”. I wish more fine dining restaurants would do that.
As for making special requests like half portions, there’s nothing wrong with asking. You might get turned down but maybe not. Restaurants can be weird and inconsistent like that.
I once had breakfast at a popular B+B, and I ordered a simple platter, specifying no potatoes. Which basically just left eggs and toast. So the chef came out and asked me if I’d like some sliced tomatoes on my plate, which I actually appreciated.
And they next time I was at that restaurant I asked for the same thing, with sliced tomatoes, and they acted like I was crazy and started pointing out the note about “no substitutions”.
And the third time I dined there and made the same request, they whipped up this gorgeous heirloom tomato salad with scallions and a light dressing that was completely off menu, and served it on the side.
I think it’s always OK to ask for a change in portion size ( I will sometimes ask for a dinner sized portion of an appetizer or side salad ) or a side dish that’s off menu. Or for the elimination of an ingredient or two.
But beware, at certain types of restaurants, the chefs may refuse to make a heavily altered version of their creation, especially if they think it would suck. But most restaurants are pretty amenable to customer requests.
As far as half portions, that’s not too rare because that’s often what the restaurant will serve as their lunch portion. It might make a difference in a place in a central business district on a Friday night for a place that isn’t open on weekends, but that’s about it.
#1, yes just ask, and they shoudl say when listing, if they dont say (up front when telling me about them), I wont order.
#2. I usually only ask if i am torn between two dishes.
Waiters do sometimes have leeway, they have a "surf & turf’ with fried shrimp- a weakness of mine. I asked and the waited was happy to bring double shrimp.
My own pet peeve is waiting, esp if you have a reservation.
Even worse are the restaurants who make you wait when there’s no need to. And yes, the owner of Cheesecake factory was interviewed in a magazine and said his policy is to make everyone wait as it creates a illusion of scarcity. I know that just because there are empty tables it doesnt mean there is staff for them.
We eat out fairly frequently, usually patronizing our favorite local restaurants.
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I often order from the specials, but never ask the price because it tends to be in the range of prices for menu items. If I’m watching my $$, I eat at home. I would prefer to read the specials rather than hear them, though, because of my hearing loss. After being told the specials we ask for a minute to consider what we’ve been told. Then my gf recites the list so I can hear it.
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I’ve worked in an upscale seafood place. The waitstaff often were told to “push the Marlin” for example, with whoever sold the most winning a bottle of wine. The Marlin in this case was about to go bad, though. The same few servers always won the bottle, because the majority of servers would actually steer diners away from it.
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The upside to being a “regular” at a restaurant is when the server gives a very specific recommendation. Every so often a server will say, “Oh, and kayaker, Angela in the kitchen noticed you were here. She asked me to mention the xxxxx. She strongly suggests it”. I’ve never gone wrong with a recommendation like that.
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I have no problem waiting, but I’d prefer to wait at the bar and then carrying over the check to the dining room. I’ll leave a cash tip on the bar, but would rather deal with paying just once.
My favorite “specials” experience is at Mallorca, a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of Majorca (Mallorca).
They do not have a dessert menu, rather the tuxedoed waiter stands at attention by your table and recites the evening’s 8-10 dessert specials. It is an experience that I’ve always wanted to record, but always forget.
In a clear, well ennunciated voice with a Spanish accent, he says, "Tonight the chef has prepared xxxx which he simmers in a yyy sauce, which he reduces while adding sherry; which we then flambé table side ". He continues like this, item by item, each dish described in incredible, impeccable detail…
Until the last item. He ends his amazing soliloquy with the final dessert special, “and flan”.
This has become a meme for us. Anytime we encounter a long, detailed list I add, “and flan”.
I love the specials at a local “good” restaurants that people come from far and wide to go to, I think the food is ok and stuff there are dishes I can make at home. I figure the chef has finally got a fire under his ass and wanted to create something and it usually is very good. A place we have now picked as our favorite restaurant has started “chefs choice” with no asking what it is and no send backs… the once I was going to do it I decided not to as I was scared it would be lamb (not a fan) so hubby ordered it and my ESP was right as it was 2 huge lamb chops. I did go with the bartenders choice and received a drink with cucumber vodka and cherry pepper something … hot spicy not bad but I didnt finish it.
Asking the wait staff opinion on meals I think sort of creates a bond with them and they want you to like what they have suggested. I have had genuine interest in if I liked the meal by wait staff and always thank them for the recommendation.
Yep, at a lot of restaurants you’re likely to get a recommendation that is convenient for the kitchen and the management.
In my early twenties, I traveled a bit and worked in hotels and restaurants in a few countries, and it was not unusual, even in the higher-end places, for the chef or manager to instruct us to push particular dishes, based on what they had in the fridge. “We didn’t sell much chicken yesterday, so push the chicken dishes today,” or “We’re almost out of sole, so push the other stuff first.” That sort of thing.
That is not to say that there’s anything wrong with the food recommended either. It just may not be the best or most popular dish available.