Another brilliant moment, by Gene Smith, it really is the truth, why would I lie!!
You come into my restaurant, order your dinner, and then send it back because it’s not right. Whose fault is this? That depends. Cooks and Chefs do make mistakes occasionally. We are only human, after all. If we have made a mistake with your meal, we will gladly correct it while kicking ourselves in the ass for making the mistake. No one will be angrier than we are at ourselves for the screw up. There is NO margin for error when the checks are flying in and the food is flying out.
What if the mistake is yours? What if you ordered it medium rare, but really wanted it medium well? We’ll fix it, but we won’t be happy. What if you are a vegetarian, and order the French Onion soup? We’re gonna be angry, because you didn’t ask if we used beef and chicken stock to make it.
Or, what if you don’t eat pork, have your friends order the fish entrée for you that has pancetta in it, then send it back? We are going to be PISSED at you. We’ll fix it, but your negligence just cost me $30 in an entrée that just got thrown in the trash. This will not put you on my good side.
The one that makes us the angriest, and the most life threatening, is food allergies. We actually care if you have an allergy. I know people in this business that have their own food issues, from lactose intolerance to shell fish. Trust me, we want to know if you can’t have something, and will direct you an alternative. But, if you don’t tell us, then have a reaction, there’s nothing we can do. My first thought is that you are trying to set me up to sue, and that will definitely make me angry.
The topping on the cake? When you get mad at us for your mistake, and then treat my staff like they are idiots. What I want to do is go to your table, remove it, and tell you to get the F—K out and not come back. What we do, however, is apologize to your moronic ass and fix it. My favorite line from any movie—‘Do not F—K with the people who handle your food.’
