Have you sent food back to the kitchen?

at a place like commander's i'd assume they would want you send something back that was way too salty

i've only sent a steak back when it's obviously cooked wrong because that's a clear mistake. otherwise i usually just tell the waiter it sucked if they ask why i didn't eat it. i used to work in a kitchen and it isn't worth it to me to run the risks associated with asking them to "get it right."

Sure. What, I'm going to pay you a fortune to fuck up my food?

I have had food sent back. IMO, it's how one goes about doing this that determines the risk of a loogie in your food or not. The best way is just to guide the conversation so the wait stuff suggests sending it back. Also, if you are at a place you frequent and are well known, I would think the owner/GM would want your honest feedback.

I've sent a steak back...it went fine as I think they clearly realized it was a mistake and brought me a corrected order with no questions and no extra charges.

I had a bad experience in Milwaukee with some people when one of them wanted to send his sausage platter back. It was pretty bad and they told the waiter that they wanted something else. Honestly, the service was downright rude...they ended up trying to charge us for the dish and claimed we had eaten too much of it for it to be that bad (IIRC there were 3 different sausages and everyone at the table wanted to have an opinion on how bad they were and if they should be sent back, so everyone tried all 3 and said "nasty, send it back"...leaving a good amount of sausage consumed). Even the supervisor was a bitch about taking it off the bill

I think it was one of those places that has been around forever and sort of survives on historical reputation alone rather than the food or service being worthwhile.

I very rarely will send anything back, except eggs, which I send back so often it's ridiculous. I can't stand when I order eggs over medium and I get runny whites. That's so basic I think it deserves to get sent back, and we are talking about 20 cents of product here to begin with, so I figure the kitchen won't resent it. When it comes to steaks, only if way off, and then still I usually will very politely ask the server (or captain if nearby) if they think it is cooked to the temperature I ordered and let them protest on my behalf.

I have but when it happens I don't order anything else. I usually ask the server to bring me a drink

I never have, but I don't go to very nice restaurants very often. If I had spent a lot on a dish that was wrong because of how they cooked it, I might say something.

I ordered a dish last night (braised beef short rib over mushroom-stuffed ravioli) and it just plain sucked. Everything in the dish (beef, ravioli, vegetables) tasted so bland. Ate only a few bites and the server prodded me into saying "This was rather bland." So they took it off the bill.

This whole spitting in the food business is something that never happens. If you worry about that, fantasize elsewhere.

Where I get troubled by sending food back is what happens at your table when you are sitting there like a total ass while everyone else is unsure if they should keep eating or not.

On a number of occasions I have gotten shit on a shingle and not sent it back as not to disturb the table.

Of all of my years (12) working in restaurants, I have never seen any kitchen staff mess with a customers food. That shit only happens in movies.
Edited by Johnny_5 - 9/1/11 at 12:17pm

Only a handful of times at most. The last time was ramen at this seafood place where it was so salty it felt like it was burning my lips. The chef pulled the entire dish off the menu for the night as he agreed the broth was way off. I'm sure he was rather happy someone told him about it instead of sucking it up and having them continue to dish out terrible food.

I would partially imagine that half of the cooks on the line don't have any idea the dish was sent back. Obviously someone in charge would be told so they can make sure its not a broad issue (like a large roast that got screwed up so anything cut from it would also be bad) but how do the people actually putting it together even know that it is a replacement and not some new order, especially if they are working on many orders at once.

I worked in a restaurant where we did mess with people's food, but never for something as minor as sending food back. Sending food back is really not a big deal. It just means that either you cooked the food improperly, or the diner didn't have a real good idea of what they were ordering. Not the end of the world.