Comments on How to Get Your Food Spit In: Top 10 Complaints Heard in Restaurants and the Rea...

Anonymous wrote: "Overall, good points. I di...

2009-06-13T11:17:25.535-04:00

Anonymous wrote:

"Overall, good points. I did want to comment on the 'doneness' of people's steaks. As a trained chef with 30 years in the kitchen, I can tell you that the terms "Rare", "Medium", "Well done", etc., are NOT subjective as you suggest. You are correct that "Medium Well" can be different from one restaurant to the next, but that is, in fact, 100% the cooks fault, not the customer's. The terms have a specific temperature with rare being the 'coldest' but it is not actually cold. It is expressly against Health Codes in North America to serve meat at any temp below 140 degrees, which is "Rare", and 185 degrees plus being "Well Done". Those temp readings are for the center of the particular cut of meat. Most people like their beef at a temp of 160-170 degrees which is in the "Medium" range, more done than "Medium Rare", less than "Medium Well". Your establishments descriptions were well thought out, but a bit inaccurate, particularly for "Rare" and "Well". The center would not be "cold" in a "Rare" steak, and if your cooks actually "Burned" a steak to call it "Well", they simply don't know how to properly cook food, and should get re-trained".

This just shows how tough it is for the guest when a "trained chef with 30 years in the kitchen" has trouble with this. First of all, I don't think it's against *any* health code to serve a steak at less than 140 internal temp. The USDA "recommends" an internal temp of 145, but it's not an enforceable thing (keep in mind that "intact muscle meat" has a lot more leeway anyway since as long as you sear the surface of the steak to 160 or more, most pathogens are destroyed, especially e.coli - you can get the surface of a steak to that temperature and still cook it "rare" as long as you don't pierce it with a fork or a themp probe)) Also, if you cook a steak to 185, it's going to be inedible. Simple as that.

Here are the normal industry standards (with a range listed because there is some variation between different "standards"):

Rare - 120 - 125
Medium Rare - 125-135
Medium - 140 - 145
Medium Well - 150 - 160
Well Done 160 - 170 (170 being almost inedible)

Now, having said that, some people are now using the USDA "recommended" guideline as "law" these days. They start at 140 and call that "rare", like here: http://tinyurl.com/Food-Network-Guidelines
.
The USDA itself has redefined 145 as "medium-rare". Problem is, that's not what most people consider "medium rare" (140 certainly isn't what anyone would really consider "rare"). It's no wonder people are confused.

Here's the deal - in most "traditional steak houses (i.e. Morton's, Palm, Ruth's Criss, etc."), if you want to be safe and get the USDA recommended temp - you're going to have to order a medium steak. But you shouldn't expect anything but a little bit of red in the middle. It will be mostly pink. If you want red (whether cold, cool or warm), you're not going be getting to the USDA recommendation. Simple as that. I really don't know what they cook to at places like Bonanza or Longhorn. Of course, nobody actually takes the temperature of a steak anyway - they do it by feel. but those temps listed above are the equivalent of what you would find if you actually took the temperatures.

I think that rather than redefining what medium rare is, the USDA should recognize the "real-world" industry standards (even though they can also vary by 5 degrees) that have been in play for many years and simply "recommend" that people only order or cook beef to medium or above. It would eliminate confusion in the marketplace. It would help if chefs and broiler cooks knew the standards as well.

This looks like a good topic for my blog "So You Want To Be A Waiter" at http://teleburst.wordpress.com/

Brave comment from anonymous poster.

2009-04-23T05:56:00.000-04:00

Brave comment from anonymous poster.

utter bullshit, nothing like reading the lopsided ...

2009-04-22T23:12:00.000-04:00

utter bullshit, nothing like reading the lopsided thoughts of a disgruntled waiter.

how about going out and buying a meal sometime, get on the other side of the tip scale and tell me you care why the waiter may or may not want to seat you where you want. If I'm paying more than half of your salary during my stay you sure as hell better make sure I'm comfortable mentally and physically.

After a lifetime of working in the back of the hou...

2009-03-20T23:45:00.000-04:00

After a lifetime of working in the back of the house, I only have a few things to say:
1)Don't eat at chain restaurants. You need to eat, it might as well be good food, which you won't get at corporate stores.

2)I went to school, trained, and did two absolutely horrible apprenticeships just to learn how to cook, and when some pinhead tells me that the lamb isn't cooked properly, he is taking his life in his own hands. Thankfully, the place I work at has a great motto: The customer is right when I say he is. If I fuck up, I will cheerfully fix it. If you just don't know what it is you wanted, shut up.

3)Gary, no one kicks the cook's ass. The cook is the backbone of the restaurant. A good server is a blessing but, honestly, a keypad at your table is just as useful. A decent chef is worth about 10 million crappy servers.

and 4) All that said, this was a great article. I am amazed at how picky and just plain rude many customers can be. Get out of my restaurant and go eat at some box store.

It's nice to know what's going on at the other end...

2009-03-14T00:11:00.000-04:00

It's nice to know what's going on at the other end in a restaurant (I've only worked in a kitchen).

I will say that after spending a few months in Tanzania, where it wasn't uncommon for a meal to take three hours (20 minute wait on a burger in Dar es Salam) I've become much more patient.

Great read. I'm not a server but when I pay attent...

2009-02-28T15:17:00.000-05:00

Great read. I'm not a server but when I pay attention when I go to restaurants, I can sometimes here people complaining about those issues. For some reason, a lot of people begin to forget that servers are actual people, which is sad.

The only times I would get frustrated are when it's clearly the server's fault -- like if I receive no service and the place is practically empty, and I can see the server standing around and doing nothing. Luckily, such things are very rare.

Just ate at a restaurant on a Friday at 7pm, with ...

2009-02-01T17:46:00.000-05:00

Just ate at a restaurant on a Friday at 7pm, with my wife, her ex-husband, and my stepdaughter who is a momentarily unemployed yet VERY highly regarded waitress. At one point during an otherwise uneventful meal, our server quickly trotted up to our table while my wife and her ex were having a rather intense conversation. The server paused until my step daughter and myself (only half the table) acknowledged she was standing there, not more than 2 seconds from her arrival. She asked a question of the whole table, did not get a response from the other two, and trotted away. She returned a minute later with a refill for my drink (free refills, she observed the empty, I did not need to point it out). Again, she waited just 5 seconds and again asked if we were all set, again, did not make contact with the same half of the table, and then left; total time she was present at the table, adding both trips, was less than 7 seconds. A moment later, that inattentive half of the table discovered they needed something, and started to ask why she took off so quick. I'm sorry, people, your job is to reach all the customers, averaging 3.5 seconds per trip is borderline. 2 times in a row? Not excusable. The stepdaughter defender the server, but 3 to 1, our response to the stepdaughter was that the server didn't assist 2 out of 4 people, and that was 2 visits in a row. We didn't fault our server in her tip, but just remember, you need to serve EVERY customer at every table, not just the few that are professional diners. Get the attention of EVERYONE at the table, even if it takes 4 MORE seconds per trip. After all, we COULD just sit right there nibbling the meals and chatting for another hour, if we wanted to. That would take out a good $20 from that tables nightly tips, am I right? The moral is simple; we don't give good tips if we aren't individually served satisfactorily. We aren't going to stop our lives and act a certain way just because our server is in a hurry on a Friday night. WE are the ones that pay YOUR tips, earn our money. And restaurants need to NOT put time constraints so tightly that 3.5 seconds per table visit becomes necessary.

Overall, good points. I did want to comment on th...

2009-01-05T01:55:00.000-05:00

Overall, good points. I did want to comment on the 'doneness' of people's steaks. As a trained chef with 30 years in the kitchen, I can tell you that the terms "Rare", "Medium", "Well done", etc., are NOT subjective as you suggest. You are correct that "Medium Well" can be different from one restaurant to the next, but that is, in fact, 100% the cooks fault, not the customer's. The terms have a specific temperature with rare being the 'coldest' but it is not actually cold. It is expressly against Health Codes in North America to serve meat at any temp below 140 degrees, which is "Rare", and 185 degrees plus being "Well Done". Those temp readings are for the center of the particular cut of meat. Most people like their beef at a temp of 160-170 degrees which is in the "Medium" range, more done than "Medium Rare", less than "Medium Well". Your establishments descriptions were well thought out, but a bit inaccurate, particularly for "Rare" and "Well". The center would not be "cold" in a "Rare" steak, and if your cooks actually "Burned" a steak to call it "Well", they simply don't know how to properly cook food, and should get re-trained.

I thought this was really interesting and I agree....

2009-01-04T21:15:00.000-05:00

I thought this was really interesting and I agree. Usually I only skim, but I read the whole thing this time. I used to work in a restaurant which was half sit down but more like fast food. (It had a drive thru). Costumers can be crazy. I know one time every table in the restaurant was full and this lady thought she should get her meal for free because we didn't have a table for her.

Great article, I can definitely sympathize with a ...

2008-12-25T02:23:00.000-05:00

Great article, I can definitely sympathize with a lot of those. I worked in customer service for 5 years and it's amazing the things you hear and see.

I think the only thing that has ever really irritated me at a restaurant is when I'm lied to. When the host says my party of 3 will be seated in 5 minutes and 20 minutes later I go up and ask the status and she tells me that she told me it would be 30 minutes. That will prompt me to leave.

Overall I think the only way I'm a bad customer is that I never order much--no alcohol, no appetizers, no expensive fancy steaks, no desert--just water and an entree and I'm good to go, lol

Where's my fuckin' food, bitch? I'm not the one w...

2008-11-28T00:39:00.000-05:00

Where's my fuckin' food, bitch? I'm not the one with the crappy job.

Rare: A Cool Bloody Center
Medium Rare: A Warm ...

2008-11-25T13:51:00.000-05:00

Rare: A Cool Bloody Center
Medium Rare: A Warm Bloody Center
Medium: A Hot Pink Center
Medium Well: Cooked Throughout
Well: Burned

Yikes, that is probably why you have so many complaints. That is pretty non-standard (yes there is a standard right down to internal temperatures).

A steak shouldn't be cool on the inside unless it's ordered blue.

A steak should never been charred unless ordered "Chicago style".

As a long time food and beverage industry worker I...

2008-01-09T09:02:00.000-05:00

As a long time food and beverage industry worker I sympathize with some of your complaints but you make the point yourself when you say you work for the customer and not corporate. Those people are paying your exorbitant food cost + tip for the experience... otherwise they'd be in a cafeteria. Give them the seat they want, adjust your waiters tables, kick the cook in the ass until he gets the meal perfect.

Or go mow lawns.

2008-01-08T23:11:00.001-05:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

I have worked as a cook/server for the last 7 year...

2008-01-08T23:11:00.000-05:00

I have worked as a cook/server for the last 7 years and that pretty much sums it up. although the steakhouse I work at now is not such a corporate zombie, like alot of other places.

"being triple sat takes years off your life" lol love it.

Thank you for an enlightening article, I stumbled ...

2007-12-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

Thank you for an enlightening article, I stumbled it.

I've had only one truly horrible encounter with a waiter. Me and my fiancé went out to eat on our anniversary, and decided on a restaurant that is owned by a large Finnish hotel chain and situated in the hotel's premises.

We had to wait for 75 minutes (yes, we counted) before the middle-aged waitress who had seated us remembered us and took our order (after 30 minutes or so we tried to find her (or any other waiter, for that matter) on our own but weren't able to... but still masochistically decided to stay and see where things would end up since we already had a bad feeling about the place). She couldn't have been busy with other customers - we were the only diners present.

Then the food came, and it was... abysmal. I'm not picky or anything, but this was honestly the kind of stuff that you'd have a hard time swallowing even in a roadside gas station even if you were so hungry you couldn't see straight. (I don't dare to go into the details as I currently suffer from viral gastroenteritis and wouldn't want to bring up too much bad memories. Or my lunch.)

After a ridiculously long wait - with us trying to peck at the pig swill we were served - the waiter came to give us the bill and then we had the following dialogue which was so confusing my brain still hurts. (Remember the place was a hotel's restaurant.)

Waitress: Which hotel room do you live in?
Me: Hmm? We're not staying in the hotel.
Waitress (exploding into full-blown, saliva-spitting rage): WHAT? WERE YOU THINKING OF LEAVING WITHOUT PAYING?!? SHOULD I CALL THE POLICE?!?
Me: *completely and utterly dumbfounded* ... No, I have my credit card right here in my hand, see, I was kind of going to pay with it...? = ? = ?

The waitress stormed off, brought us the bill and then asked if we wanted to order any dessert (why ask this after we'd paid?). At this point my fiancé kindly informed her that we wouldn't dare to put anything else from this place's kitchen into our mouths, except maybe at gunpoint. Maybe.

Seriously guys, WTF.

- Minna

PS. It sort of gets even better: this restaurant in question is situated right across the street from our apartment. Every time I look out of my window I see their advertising billboard and my brain overheats all over again. Nghhh.

I have a 42 waist, not unreasonably overweight, bu...

2007-12-26T21:22:00.000-05:00

I have a 42 waist, not unreasonably overweight, but larger than the norm. When I enter a restaurant, I do ask for a table and not a booth. Booths in a large percentage of restaurants jam me between the table and seat. I would rather be comfortably seated. Sorry about a servers inconvenience but it's my money that pays his tip and salary. No, I don't say, "at THAT table" but I do ask for a table, straightforward before seating.

2007-12-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

ive worked in food service for years and the attit...

2007-12-25T22:57:00.000-05:00

ive worked in food service for years and the attitude expressed in this article is the most self centered bunch of whiny nonsense i've ever heard. a waiters job is to wait on the customers and be polite no matter what. sure some people are jerks, but when you come down to it we are there and being paid to deal with jerks like they are friends. i enjoy making people's meals complete , no matter what. i am at work! i am not hanging out or at home cooking/seving...i am being paid to be there , so why does it matter what i'm doing or why? if i have to recook a steak or rexplain what medium rare means, then who cares? whoever wrote this petty, bitchy tripe is obviously miserable and burned out on the whole gig. come to where i work and you will never experience this attitude from anyone who works there, from the dishwashers to the general managers

www.tomatohead.com

Great article! Thanks for speaking out for CS peo...

2007-12-24T08:22:00.000-05:00

Great article! Thanks for speaking out for CS people. I wish more people understood this stuff.

That was a very informative, and stimulating artic...

2007-12-24T02:51:00.000-05:00

That was a very informative, and stimulating article. It has definetely gave me a second look towards servers

Great post.

Your readers might want to try ...

2007-12-24T01:26:00.000-05:00

Great post.

Your readers might want to try www.Measuredup.com a leading customer service review website where people share reviews with other users and with companies. Companies that are involved with and value customer service read Measuredup to keep up on what people are saying and to be able to improve customer service.

Your readers might want to write some reviews about customers and hwo they are treated by them

It is free and easy to use.

Comments on How to Get Your Food Spit In: Top 10 Complaints Heard in Restaurants and the Rea...

Anonymous wrote: "Overall, good points. I di...

Brave comment from anonymous poster.

utter bullshit, nothing like reading the lopsided ...

After a lifetime of working in the back of the hou...

It's nice to know what's going on at the other end...

Great read. I'm not a server but when I pay attent...

Just ate at a restaurant on a Friday at 7pm, with ...

Overall, good points. I did want to comment on th...

I thought this was really interesting and I agree....

Great article, I can definitely sympathize with a ...

Where's my fuckin' food, bitch? I'm not the one w...

Rare: A Cool Bloody CenterMedium Rare: A Warm ...

As a long time food and beverage industry worker I...

I have worked as a cook/server for the last 7 year...

Thank you for an enlightening article, I stumbled ...

I have a 42 waist, not unreasonably overweight, bu...

ive worked in food service for years and the attit...

Great article! Thanks for speaking out for CS peo...

That was a very informative, and stimulating artic...

Great post.Your readers might want to try ...

Rare: A Cool Bloody Center
Medium Rare: A Warm ...

Great post.

Your readers might want to try ...