For all of the polite diners out there annoyed by their overtly picky dining companions, rest assured most cooks and chefs (and I've done cooked from franchise fast food to haute cuisine) will make a meal with a lot of modifiers poorly on purpose.
The menu was written for a reason. If you want to play [restaurant name], order what it says on the menu, if you want to play cook, cook at home.
Of course, we don't make mediocre food for modifiers related to allergies. Most of us are not mean people like that, but there's only so much you can take for one picky eater out of 30 tickets. We'll overdry it, season it incorrectly, make the sauce to be just enough off that it can't be justified sending back or getting comped, etc. etc. etc.
And if you split it? Most cooks happily give smaller portions to people who can't just ask for an extra plate. Asking for an extra plate saves precious time for the people preparing your food.
Never in my life, though, have I "soiled" anybody's food or worked with somebody who has. We have standards, after all. :)
Tiffini S. - 14 years ago
My sister, God love her. She starts by arriving late, in a whirl of stories about police chases or alien abductions (never, "I left the house late") which is good because I have time to warn the waiter that she is a pain in the rear, but at least she'll tip well. She gets there, gets the menu, orders an iced tea, then half the time she doesn't like the iced tea so she sends it back for a soda. Then she gabs for 10 minutes (Read: Does NOT decide what she wants to eat), and when the waiter shows up, she says "You go first, I'm still deciding." The WHOLE table orders, then she does this "Ummmmmmmmmm, I waaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnttttt....." Then bops around in her chair and procedes to discuss multiple dish options with the waiter, usually ending with some seriously jacked up order (everything on the side, extra sour cream, medium well burger, oh and can you bring me utensils made from the bones of Nazis). THEN we are dead lucky if things don't get sent back, rearranged, extra things ordered...and the WHOLE time I'm praying that the kitchen staff is only be-fouling her food and understands that I'm only an innocent by-stander. But in the end, she does tip well, admits that she is a colossal PITA to waitstaff, and will always compliment any waiter who can keep up with her to the manager, if not going on the web site. If I could have ANY wish, it would be to win the lottery, but then wish number two would be a relatively drama free meal with my sister, whose company I truly enjoy. Even when the drama is the only thing not on the side...
Anon_e_mouse - 14 years ago
A group of us - anywhere from six to twelve - travel together to a museum where we volunteer. Wherever we stop for supper on the way home, one of the group will always ask for extra bread/rolls near the end of the meal, and then stuff it (plus all the butter and a goodly percentage of the sugar packets) into his backpack. I'm always concerned that we'll get banned from one of these places because of his habit; I know there's one particular diner where he never wants to stop, and one of the other members tells me it's because he has been "invited to never return".
For all of the polite diners out there annoyed by their overtly picky dining companions, rest assured most cooks and chefs (and I've done cooked from franchise fast food to haute cuisine) will make a meal with a lot of modifiers poorly on purpose.
The menu was written for a reason. If you want to play [restaurant name], order what it says on the menu, if you want to play cook, cook at home.
Of course, we don't make mediocre food for modifiers related to allergies. Most of us are not mean people like that, but there's only so much you can take for one picky eater out of 30 tickets. We'll overdry it, season it incorrectly, make the sauce to be just enough off that it can't be justified sending back or getting comped, etc. etc. etc.
And if you split it? Most cooks happily give smaller portions to people who can't just ask for an extra plate. Asking for an extra plate saves precious time for the people preparing your food.
Never in my life, though, have I "soiled" anybody's food or worked with somebody who has. We have standards, after all. :)
My sister, God love her. She starts by arriving late, in a whirl of stories about police chases or alien abductions (never, "I left the house late") which is good because I have time to warn the waiter that she is a pain in the rear, but at least she'll tip well. She gets there, gets the menu, orders an iced tea, then half the time she doesn't like the iced tea so she sends it back for a soda. Then she gabs for 10 minutes (Read: Does NOT decide what she wants to eat), and when the waiter shows up, she says "You go first, I'm still deciding." The WHOLE table orders, then she does this "Ummmmmmmmmm, I waaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnttttt....." Then bops around in her chair and procedes to discuss multiple dish options with the waiter, usually ending with some seriously jacked up order (everything on the side, extra sour cream, medium well burger, oh and can you bring me utensils made from the bones of Nazis). THEN we are dead lucky if things don't get sent back, rearranged, extra things ordered...and the WHOLE time I'm praying that the kitchen staff is only be-fouling her food and understands that I'm only an innocent by-stander. But in the end, she does tip well, admits that she is a colossal PITA to waitstaff, and will always compliment any waiter who can keep up with her to the manager, if not going on the web site. If I could have ANY wish, it would be to win the lottery, but then wish number two would be a relatively drama free meal with my sister, whose company I truly enjoy. Even when the drama is the only thing not on the side...
A group of us - anywhere from six to twelve - travel together to a museum where we volunteer. Wherever we stop for supper on the way home, one of the group will always ask for extra bread/rolls near the end of the meal, and then stuff it (plus all the butter and a goodly percentage of the sugar packets) into his backpack. I'm always concerned that we'll get banned from one of these places because of his habit; I know there's one particular diner where he never wants to stop, and one of the other members tells me it's because he has been "invited to never return".