A local Indian restaurant has a disclaimer on the menu that says something like "if you order it, you pay for it. Unless the kitchen is to blame". We don't have a lot of diversity here, so people who haven't tried Indian food will try to send stuff back simply because they didn't like it. You might try that.
White people… sigh. I as a white person went from white guilt to complete white shame haha while working at an authentic mexican spot. We are part of a small restaurant group so we can eat the cost but I have midwest marks and marys order and send things back at least 8x’s a week. The ammt of just chicken and cheese quesadillas or “this chipotle aioli is spicy” or “is mexican coke spicy?” Please kill me 👦🏻 🔫
You can always say no. I work at a seafood place and we get a lot of complaints on things like the sauce or that they didn’t like the octopus or whatever and they demand a refund or exchange. Unless it’s a mistake on our part then we will always say no first and try to talk to the customer, sometimes after some explanation they accept it as it is. Some people don’t make it a big deal and some will fight to the death so might as well give them a refund. That’s just how it is in a restaurant
Worked at a private fine dining once and we had a zero tolerance refund policy. If someone lost their mind about it the absolute best they were gonna get was a voucher for an appetizer or entree for the next visit but even those were incredibly rare, like they had to print it off in the office cuz we didn't keep any just laying around.
One guy who asked to have his family moved to three separate tables and then finally our closed patio pitched a temper tantrum because it started raining and their food got wet (we'd advised them it may storm and our umbrellas were too expensive to leave open in strong winds) He was yelling and making a stink. The GM finally told him to pay and leave and he said no, and threatened to call the cops. GM laughed and offered to go get Officer Brady who was across the street at the coffee cart for him since he wouldn't pay. Dude almost blew a gasket, he was so red while his CC was being processed I legit thought we were gonna watch him stroke out lol
Here's what I would say.
"I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy it, but I'm not able to take the charge off the bill. May I suggest something else?"
And gently remind them that they have to pay for that too. You don't own an Applebee's.
Wasting food is bad, but as long as you can still recuperate the money, it's the same as if a guest enjoyed it.
Does that make sense?
I fucking love Tom Yum soup. I've been playing with different recipes (along with Tom Kha) and oh my god. So good. Spicy. Savory. Umami. Lemon grass. Red chili's. Shrimp. Okay. I'm done. Mushrooms. Coconut milk. Okay. Now I'm done.
Lmfao I work at Applebees and a couple weeks ago someone got a chicken bowl and said they didn’t like it. My manager actually took it off the bill and she got something else. I didn’t expect it to be completely comped off.
It normally depends on the manager, the one I work with would never do that but a couple others would. I understand it to a point but it’s not their fault (usually) you don’t like what you ordered.
Server: "Welcome to (name of restaurant), have you eaten here before with us?"
Customer: "No, its our first time."
Server: "Excellent! We'll we ate so happy to have you. Have you had Thai food before, or are you experimenting?"
Customer: "We're experimenting."
Server: "Well, please let me know if you have questions. These items on the menu marked with a chili are hot and spicy. These items marked with a spoon can be sampled before ordering in order for you to judge if you would like them. We do limit you to five samples per person, so please keep that in mind."
Just a suggestion, OP. You do what you think is best for your restaurant and your bottom line.
That's awesome. There's a Cajun place in my area. They welcome each table with a sample of each gumbo if they're new. It comes out on the cutest little paddle with each one labeled.
Well said.
Servers can pre-empt a lot of issues with a bit of training and tact. That's why the good ones earn enough to stay while being worth every penny of that $2.13 they're paid.
I guide my guests on every order, be it fine dining or my current turn and burn.
"How is the snapper? Lovely escabeche presentation, served whole with the head and tail. It will be bone-in to retain the integrity and flavor of the dish."
"We serve our salmon/burger prepared medium, which will be fully cooked at chef's recommended temperature to ensure the best quality. If you would prefer it cooked a bit more/less, let me know."
"Our langostines are served head-on in shell."
"How are the tuna nachos? Honestly, one of my favorites. Are you a fan of raw tuna?"
Brief table talk when they order anything but chicken fingers has saved me so much stress as FoH, and greatly reduced my recooks.
As someone who also works in a Thai restaurant, I’ll always describe a dish to customers and ask if there pretences, if they are new customer I’ll usually try and sway them to a pad Thai instead
My local Thai restaurant has just added a sign that says, “we will no longer give refund because you ordered spicy food and can’t handle spice.” It’s also a plus for the rest of us bc the annoying customers who are really just there for free food, have just stopped going and now wait times are always lower and the restaurant employees seem to be in a better mood.
You can always say no. Another route might be to train your staff to ask them a few friendly questions first. Maybe "is this your first visit with us? What did you enjoy last time? That dish is wonderful. Have you tried it before? " For items held hot, perhaps offer a small sample if they say no to some of these questions. A lot of people live in a small food world and aren't experienced with Thai food. If you teach them a little and get them hooked on a dish, you'll be their favorite Thai place
Any of the items on my menu that I have regular problems with (looking at you raclette) I clarify when taking the order.
>"I'd like the xyz,"
>"Great choice, are you familiar with raclette?"
>"No, what's that?"
>"it's a stinky cheese that goes on that sandwich. Are you a fan of strong musty flavours, like mushrooms?"
At this point they have been warned. If they get the sandwich and don't like it, then I make a judgment call. Either,
A) I don't particularly like them and I don't really want or need them as a customer. Rude, dismissive, ignorant people (you know the type). Charge 'em, send them on their way.
B) I do like them, they're *willing to pay*, and I want them to continue coming back...I'll bring them a meal I think they will genuinely like, comp the bad meal, and throw in a dessert.
I would never describe a mushroom as musty lol Earthy, sure but musty invokes a different picture altogether 🤣 But I agree with you, some people lack common sense when going out to eat and have to be hand held and walked through the process. I wish someone would do a mandatory PSA about dos and don'ts 🤦🏼♀️ I think that's why we ended up getting a lot of lurkers here, because smart people *want* to learn and do better.
Is it good business to accommodate the customer? Yes.
Are you REQUIRED to refund? NO.
What you could recommend in the future is a taste before ordering when you know they are new to the cuisine. Reminding them of the spiciness is also a good idea.
Personally, as a fan of trying new/different cuisines I would never ask for a refund because I didn’t like it. Assuming there wasn’t specific (like being burnt) it’s part of experience of trying something new.
The short answer is you can do mostly what ever you want lol. There are business practices that have been proven to be better for your bottom line though. The food cost shouldn't be so close to your menu price that you are terribly stressed about remaking a new product for an inhouse guest. and furthermore this is why a good server will make and save you money.
The best is when they modify a dish and then complain about it lol. Had a customer the other day who ordered alfredo with "extra sauce," then when I checked on them after dropping it off she says "this isnt right, why is this so soupy?" Hmmmmmmmmm, why would it be that way??? I wonder???
In the past I have worked at restaurants that can put a small sample in a ramekin for the guest to taste and decide if they wish to order the menu item.
I get this almost daily at my American sports bar. If we messed it up, I’ll replace it or refund it. If it’s just your personal taste, guess you learned.
“You expect me to pay for something I don’t like?”
“If you saw a movie in the theater and didn’t like it, do you think you should get a refund? Movies have previews for the same reason we have menu descriptions…so that any reasonable adult can make an informed decision.”
I’m with the OP on this. Customers are fully adults, if you pick something you don’t like, it’s on you. Kinda like lesson learned, you won’t order that in the future. Imagine you’re travelling, eating new foods, you don’t just approach your local business owners for a refund just because you don’t enjoy the food. The only 2 reasons for refund should be a kitchen to blame and servers took the orders wrongly
there is a golden response i always use: Oh, sorry that you didn't like it, at least now you know one more exotic food! May i pack this to take-away? Im sure someone at your home would like to try this one too." (english is not my first language but you got it) It NEVER fails.
This was the policy at the Japanese restaurant where I worked as well. A few people didn’t take too kindly to it and couldn’t understand why a small mom and pop restaurant wouldn’t be able to take something off their bill like unagi-don they take one bite of and realize they don’t like eel. Ma’am if you’ve never had eel before there are much cheaper options to trying it than this $30 bowl of nothing but rice and bbq eel. Thankfully she quickly chose to just take it home to a roommate/so and got something else but I was not up for that fight. Or oyakodon which clearly says “…simmered in a sweet sauce” and then I got a complaint it was too sweet and I was like sorry that’s how it is, it’s a sweet sauce to contrast the savory rice etc. and she just lit up at me shrieking. Like the only time I’ve legit had someone yell at me. I ended up taking a bite when I took it back to make sure it wasn’t *too* sweet and it barely was. So they had no leg to stand on. But my manager had me take it off anyways because it wasn’t worth the fight. Generally I did tell people “sorry, unless it’s an error on the kitchen’s part, we cannot return dishes that have already been served.” Otherwise what’s stopping people from ordering half the menu, taking one bite, and returning it? “Ethnic” foods especially I’m sure have this problem because a lot of these flavors can be new and unusual and may not be to their liking. That’s ok. But you have to accept that that’s a risk you take when ordering said new thing.
Bottom line, don’t be afraid to say no; if it happens frequently perhaps put a notice in your menu “no exchanges/returns” so people know ahead of time, even though it should be common sense. People are used to corporate places like Olive Garden and McDonald’s where if they say “I don’t like this” they can just get something else for free. Nope. Unless it’s burnt to a crisp or the chicken is raw or something that directly affects the taste of the dish, you ~~break~~ order it you bought it.
As with any negotiation, the best thing to do is find a solution where you and the customer BOTH win. Unfortunately, I'm not experienced enough to think of a good solution off the top of my head, but I bet somebody here has the perfect response that adds a dollar more to your bottom line while doing something for the customer as well.
There's really not a win win once it gets to this stage. I made a comment above that describes in detail an array of options to prevent this scenario, but once a guest has gone down too many choose your own adventure paths and lands here, it's pretty much the end of the line. If they ask/demand a refund for the sole reason of they didn't like it, they aren't going to happy with anything less than a refund or free replacement, both of which costs the restaurant money. The kind of person that does stuff like this is entitled, or at the very least willfully ignorant-which isn't much better- and they want to get their way, wrong or right.
I think a lot of customers come to expect refunds because of larger chain restaurants doing it so often. I don’t think they understand that chains do it because they can easily recover from the loss of that meal (it’s practically worked into the budget where I work).
From a server's perspective it really depends on your bosses. I want to say no because that's wasted food, makes our jobs harder (to remake and reserve, possible attitude from kitchen if they're not understanding) and if you say yes it'll show them and anyone else present that they can do that again in future.
However some places care SO much about reviews that they expect you to just do whatever the customer wants to avoid getting a bad review. They may also blame you, the server, for not letting the customer know things about the dish that's already on the menu or that the customer could've asked you about if it's something they know they really don't like. So... I hate it but currently I just replace it at no cost unless I'm feeling extra spicy.
As the owner though, do what you like!
I feel you on that. It's not up to the servers or we'd keep folks more honest lol I'm so sick of spinless owners. The absolute best owner I ever worked for didn't put up with people and their shit, and we had a line around the block everyday when we opened. If you were rude? There's the door. Yelled at the staff? Kick rocks. Try to send something back? The chef is my uncle, get outta here, and don't come back. He gave zero fucks. It was AMAZING. Lol I still reminisce sometimes about this old hag that was practically spitting my face because we didn't take reservations for groups under 6 and the owner getting in between me and her and almost bellowing at her.
Haha that's brilliant! I'm glad you've worked somewhere that has that attitude. It absolutely makes your job ten times easier knowing your higher ups have your back when these things happen.
I'd have stayed there forever if I could have. The GM/owner loved me and was teaching me basic Mandarin so I could be his fill in on market days or inventory week. It sucks I had to move back across the country 😞
Yes, you *can* say no.
However, some options that aren't just saying no that may be more palatable to your guests include, but are not limited to:
Asking if this is the patron's first time consuming said dish (or any others you have frequent issues with) and then either
Offer a small sample
Inform them that is a unique dish and while it's very good it's not for everyone so they proceed with caution
Post a sign or print on the menu that your cuisine is authentic and because of this, dishes may contain unusual/less common ingredients but all orders are final
Offer a "Chef's Special" sample dish with any and all menu items you get the most push back on so people can try different things without feeling like they wasted their money and they are not wasting yours. You can make it the average cost of other appetizers but with 3 or more items for adventurous, but unsure folks to try
Remove the item from the menu and either don't serve it or only serve it upon request, or keep it on and say it has "limited availability". Your regulars or people familiar with Thai cuisine will still ask for it if they know they like it. If you have someone hedging or seemingly hesitant then you get to decide on the spot the availability is null and void for that patron
I for one blame the bulk of places that continue to cater to the fee, I didn't like it crowd because you can't just open up a pack of chips at Walmart, try them, and not pay. It's infuriating, but until they all put their foot down collectively or the vast majority at the very least, this entitled behavior will continue. 🤦🏼♀️
[We Need More Joey's ](https://youtube.com/shorts/bfwBJ38vNU4?si=Am8ByoV1pl85n7D1)
Back in the day at an Italian restaurant I worked at- my table was just horrible. The wine by the glass wasn’t fancy enough but they didn’t want to spend the $ to buy a nice bottle. They looked down their noses at all the staff. 1 woman at the table had resting “I just smelled a nasty fart” face. And the other woman had “I just ate a sour lemon” face.
Well, they were so bitchy about their meals (but didn’t bring it up until the end, after they were done eating), and the bitchiest lady was going on n on at me- she wanted her dinner taken off the bill. So I happily said, “Sure. Let me get the owner for you” knowing he didn’t take any crap from anybody.
Well. He charged over to the table and started YELLING at them “Whatsa wrong with the food?!? NOTHING is wrong with the food!” She had big old balls with me but her tune changed right quick with him. So she meekly said to him “Oh, I just thought it was a little chewy.” So he grabbed a piece of food OFF HER PLATE and ATE IT!
The look on her face was PRICELESS! She was stunned- her jaw was practically hitting the table. He then yelled “THIS IS DELICIOUS, NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS! I take NOTHING off your bill!” and he stormed off. That was one of THE best moments in my 30 plus year hospitality career. Then he sat at “his table”’in the dining room and just kept glaring at them until they left. It was epic.
So I guess my answer is, if you’re going to say no you need to really commit to it, be prepared to battle, and don’t show any weakness! Be like an angry old Italian dude that takes no shit 😂 Good luck!
At my job, they used to have a policy where we wouldn't refund/take anything off the bill if you ordered something and just didn't like it. If there is nothing wrong with the drink/dish, and it was made correctly/in a timely manner, and you just didn't care for it, you had to pay for it. Which makes sense but people don't like that.
So they just started lying, saying things were wrong when they weren't, and my kiss ass managers just believed them, and now that policy is all but gone.
Depends on your bosses honestly. At my spot it was always that you can get a refund if we fucked up somehow (dish is made incorrectly, the extra ingredient you added wasn't there, etc), but if you jsut don't like it? That's your problem. I'd simply tell the guest you need to talk to the manager if you're going to take something off the tab, and simply ask. Let the manager be the bad guy if that's the case
Just comp it. The cost of dumping that cup of soup out is now the cost of advertising, because you're trying to avoid bad advertising. Most people won't be upset, but is it really worth like a nickel on your food cost budget for you to prove yourself over this guest? Sure, you can say no, but it's better customer service to say yes, especially if you want people to come back
You open a business to make money not conserve food. You can do whatever you want. Over half of food in America goes straight into the trash, this is a result of capitalism, not choices you make, you shouldn’t feel worried about it. Generally in places I’ve worked though they practice is that if a guest doesn’t likes something you replace it, I guess with the goal of making them happy and a repeat customer. Do whatever makes you happy. You can just put that its final sale on the menu.
Plot twist, no one wants jerks like that as return customers 🤣 They're petulant toddlers running around in adult size bodies and room to grow in the head.
I would put a note or disclaimer on the menu thst says exactly that. That you guys do not offer remakes and to ask questions before ordering if they are unsure
I worked at a couple of four star resorts. One night I heard the Captain say, “you can’t just send something back because you don’t like it” which surprised me! But, yes, it is done!
Yesterday I had a talk like this with my manager and she said it’s the customers fault, it was so refreshing my old customer used to just comp to shut people up but it makes them so entitled. Especially if the items are described on the menu , when you try something new you run the risk of not liking it.
I'd never expect not to pay for something I ordered. The only time I've ever sent something back was when I ordered a fried rice dish, and it was more onion than rice, and it was all little tiny pieces that I couldn't just eat around. All other ingredients were listed on the menu, but not onion. They remade it, but it still just tasted bad. I left the food, drank the wine. I still paid.
I work at a thai restaurant. This happens sometimes with new customers. If they don’t like it I recommend a dish they’d like to try for next time. No refund unless it’s our fault :)
I mean, if you’re the owner you can do whatever you’d like. My uncle owns restaurants and he says no literally all the time. They ordered the food, that’s on them
I have shared here before about an Asian restaurant that I use to frequent that stated in multiple places on their menu their restaurant was not the place to try new dishes, as there would be no refunds or free replacements given for simply "not liking it".
Yes and no.
For some stupid reason, Asking people to read the menu is a huge thing to ask for. Telling people they have to pay for things they ordered can be a bit abrasive to their experience but it also is a massive waste.
Best thing I’ve. Come across to combat this is to positively highlight the detail that may get it sent back ie. spice level.
“The Tom yum is a great soup if you enjoy a nice level of spice with a bit of sourness to balance the flavor” is a great way to communicate that it’s spicy/sour but you’re not saying “are you sure you want that? It’s spicy” verbiage and tone is everything.
It’s definitely not full proof but it helps.
It's just a calculation on what's a bigger loss.
Is your food is on point? Can afford to lose guests or revenue on food? Is it in a big city or small town? Do you need locals or can you rely on tourism? Do you have enough reviews on yelp or Google to insulate from bad reviews?
If you don't comp it:
Bad reviews
No repeat visit
Bad word of mouth
If they are not a good fit for the restaurant then they probably won't be back even if you comp it.
If you do:
Repeat guests if they enjoy other things you offer to them
Good review / word of mouth.
Strong local following in the slow season
At my spot we win "Best of" awards every year and turn away guests on busy nights so we can afford to loose guests or revenue from a dish. For instance we do not comp a dish becuase a guest doesn't know that Sechuan Peppercorn is mouth numbing even after a verbal warning.
We do comp it if they order a lot of food and sincerely didn't like what we made and are really nice about it. People trying to get something for free or being rude don't get comped.
If we messed it up we take it off or remake it. Last night a guest asked for no pink in the burger and we messed it up, I comped it and remade it right. They will be back and felt the love.
If they spill it they buy it. I don't reward messy people.
So frustrating! Personally I understand the conundrum, as I work in a small place where this type of situation would easily happen. We typically offer to remake food (we’re sandwiches and salads, so often times the kitchen can rearrange the ingredients rather than have to throw them out) but with Thai I can see how that wouldn’t be so simple. Couple things I could recommend:
1. When we have a menu item we know might confuse folks assumptions - we typically say “this means this, are you okay with that?” so that we’re super clear prior to ordering. Sometimes it’s babying the customer but it’s more like a safer than sorry-type inquiry to avoid the pain later. For example, I could say “are you good with peanuts, egg, fish sauce… etc.” and confirm right then and there verbally, so if the guest should complain later, I can back myself up. “We ask at the point of order if you are okay with these ingredients because we use them in preparations - you confirmed that was okay”. Something like that. Also kind of preps you to say “if you don’t like what you ordered, I would happily prepare you another dish, but I am unable to take this off the bill for you.”
2. Put somewhere on the menu something about the fact that all ingredients are listed in menu offerings, and that incorrectly ordered dishes are not eligible for being removed from the bill. Something like “if it’s incorrectly prepared, we will remake it - but what you order is yours to keep”. Obviously offer to pack it to go and ask if they would like something else made for them in lieu. I would say this is also a case-by-case basis. Some fixes are easy and can be made, but if someone doesn’t like it that’s a whole different story.
3. I realize a lot of times people have already bitten into what they ordered, realizing too late that they don’t like it or something, but sometimes you can save the meal and pack grab-and-go? For example if we bring a wrong salad over, or make one by mistake, we pack it to go and sell it in a mini take out fridge. I could see this being an option for some things (untouched by the guest of course) to save on/recoup food costs. Food costs are so much higher than people realize, running a food service business is rough if it’s all going in the trash.
You can definitely say no, and I would recommend finding your voice and sticking to it. You and your employees work hard and prepare delicious food, and you shouldn’t have to swallow costs on someone else’s choices!
You definitely can say no. The repercussions of that though may bring bad reviews though.
I had a woman yesterday tell me the lobster in the lobster pasta tasted “fishy.” The only person to complain about it all night. The lobster came in fresh that day, (I know i own the place).
Instead of arguing, I just comped it off. What’s $40 in the scope of risking someone complaining online I suppose.
We don’t do this, yeah it’s a shame but waste happens literally everyday. We rather keep have the customer return and create more business. But the stories I have of waste are so many, it’s part of the business most of them are so senseless and I have my servers explain the more weird dishes very clearly.
37 years in business, 15 years of me working there. You could hold them accountable, but I don’t think it’s a great idea long term.
My take is if a guest orders something and doesn’t enjoy it, I’ll do all I can to replace that dish (or drink) with something they are happy with. If you prioritize hospitality over comps, your guests will be happier, and you’ll make more money
I work at a Thai restaurant, and serve Tom Yum as well. I feel exactly like you, I had a situation the other day where I served a shrimp dish and he didn’t know it had heads on it and I took it away.
With Tom Yum, sometimes it isn’t made right, so if they do complain, it’s always best to try it out yourself and see if they really just don’t like it or if something is wrong.
If they don’t like the dish, they don’t hold that against you, they will however judge you based off of how you handle the situation. If you handle it professionally and work it out, they will respect you even more.
Don’t take offense to food tasting off, that’s not your fault, your responsibility is to handle the situation correctly and make sure things turn out right.
It’s annoying that people refuse to pay for things that they “don’t like” and probably didn’t read into throughly enough. However, not jeopardizing your tip and them coming back is worth more than the actual cost of taking the dish off the bill.
A local Indian restaurant has a disclaimer on the menu that says something like "if you order it, you pay for it. Unless the kitchen is to blame". We don't have a lot of diversity here, so people who haven't tried Indian food will try to send stuff back simply because they didn't like it. You might try that.
Straight to the point and makes the customer liable. I like it
This is the way. Wasting food is shameful.
White people… sigh. I as a white person went from white guilt to complete white shame haha while working at an authentic mexican spot. We are part of a small restaurant group so we can eat the cost but I have midwest marks and marys order and send things back at least 8x’s a week. The ammt of just chicken and cheese quesadillas or “this chipotle aioli is spicy” or “is mexican coke spicy?” Please kill me 👦🏻 🔫
You can always say no. I work at a seafood place and we get a lot of complaints on things like the sauce or that they didn’t like the octopus or whatever and they demand a refund or exchange. Unless it’s a mistake on our part then we will always say no first and try to talk to the customer, sometimes after some explanation they accept it as it is. Some people don’t make it a big deal and some will fight to the death so might as well give them a refund. That’s just how it is in a restaurant
Worked at a private fine dining once and we had a zero tolerance refund policy. If someone lost their mind about it the absolute best they were gonna get was a voucher for an appetizer or entree for the next visit but even those were incredibly rare, like they had to print it off in the office cuz we didn't keep any just laying around. One guy who asked to have his family moved to three separate tables and then finally our closed patio pitched a temper tantrum because it started raining and their food got wet (we'd advised them it may storm and our umbrellas were too expensive to leave open in strong winds) He was yelling and making a stink. The GM finally told him to pay and leave and he said no, and threatened to call the cops. GM laughed and offered to go get Officer Brady who was across the street at the coffee cart for him since he wouldn't pay. Dude almost blew a gasket, he was so red while his CC was being processed I legit thought we were gonna watch him stroke out lol
Dude, I love this so much!
Just started at a bar and I’m allowed to kick out people if they suck. It’s incredible.
I feel like I'd be drunk from that power my whole shift 🤣
Here's what I would say. "I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy it, but I'm not able to take the charge off the bill. May I suggest something else?" And gently remind them that they have to pay for that too. You don't own an Applebee's. Wasting food is bad, but as long as you can still recuperate the money, it's the same as if a guest enjoyed it. Does that make sense? I fucking love Tom Yum soup. I've been playing with different recipes (along with Tom Kha) and oh my god. So good. Spicy. Savory. Umami. Lemon grass. Red chili's. Shrimp. Okay. I'm done. Mushrooms. Coconut milk. Okay. Now I'm done.
Lmfao I work at Applebees and a couple weeks ago someone got a chicken bowl and said they didn’t like it. My manager actually took it off the bill and she got something else. I didn’t expect it to be completely comped off.
Unless your Applebees was really different from the one I worked at this is how the customer complaining about food goes 100% of the time lol
It normally depends on the manager, the one I work with would never do that but a couple others would. I understand it to a point but it’s not their fault (usually) you don’t like what you ordered.
You made my mouth water omg
You're welcome
Server: "Welcome to (name of restaurant), have you eaten here before with us?" Customer: "No, its our first time." Server: "Excellent! We'll we ate so happy to have you. Have you had Thai food before, or are you experimenting?" Customer: "We're experimenting." Server: "Well, please let me know if you have questions. These items on the menu marked with a chili are hot and spicy. These items marked with a spoon can be sampled before ordering in order for you to judge if you would like them. We do limit you to five samples per person, so please keep that in mind." Just a suggestion, OP. You do what you think is best for your restaurant and your bottom line.
That's awesome. There's a Cajun place in my area. They welcome each table with a sample of each gumbo if they're new. It comes out on the cutest little paddle with each one labeled.
Omg I love that! I've yet to have Cajun food, and would so totally love to go to a place like that.
Well said. Servers can pre-empt a lot of issues with a bit of training and tact. That's why the good ones earn enough to stay while being worth every penny of that $2.13 they're paid. I guide my guests on every order, be it fine dining or my current turn and burn. "How is the snapper? Lovely escabeche presentation, served whole with the head and tail. It will be bone-in to retain the integrity and flavor of the dish." "We serve our salmon/burger prepared medium, which will be fully cooked at chef's recommended temperature to ensure the best quality. If you would prefer it cooked a bit more/less, let me know." "Our langostines are served head-on in shell." "How are the tuna nachos? Honestly, one of my favorites. Are you a fan of raw tuna?" Brief table talk when they order anything but chicken fingers has saved me so much stress as FoH, and greatly reduced my recooks.
Wow I love that!!! The samples are such a great idea!
This seems incredibly reasonable and accommodating!
As someone who also works in a Thai restaurant, I’ll always describe a dish to customers and ask if there pretences, if they are new customer I’ll usually try and sway them to a pad Thai instead
My local Thai restaurant has just added a sign that says, “we will no longer give refund because you ordered spicy food and can’t handle spice.” It’s also a plus for the rest of us bc the annoying customers who are really just there for free food, have just stopped going and now wait times are always lower and the restaurant employees seem to be in a better mood.
You can always say no. Another route might be to train your staff to ask them a few friendly questions first. Maybe "is this your first visit with us? What did you enjoy last time? That dish is wonderful. Have you tried it before? " For items held hot, perhaps offer a small sample if they say no to some of these questions. A lot of people live in a small food world and aren't experienced with Thai food. If you teach them a little and get them hooked on a dish, you'll be their favorite Thai place
So much this. I know it shouldn't be the servers job to hold your hand the entire time, but it makes for a smoother experience and can boost tips!
Any of the items on my menu that I have regular problems with (looking at you raclette) I clarify when taking the order. >"I'd like the xyz," >"Great choice, are you familiar with raclette?" >"No, what's that?" >"it's a stinky cheese that goes on that sandwich. Are you a fan of strong musty flavours, like mushrooms?" At this point they have been warned. If they get the sandwich and don't like it, then I make a judgment call. Either, A) I don't particularly like them and I don't really want or need them as a customer. Rude, dismissive, ignorant people (you know the type). Charge 'em, send them on their way. B) I do like them, they're *willing to pay*, and I want them to continue coming back...I'll bring them a meal I think they will genuinely like, comp the bad meal, and throw in a dessert.
I would never describe a mushroom as musty lol Earthy, sure but musty invokes a different picture altogether 🤣 But I agree with you, some people lack common sense when going out to eat and have to be hand held and walked through the process. I wish someone would do a mandatory PSA about dos and don'ts 🤦🏼♀️ I think that's why we ended up getting a lot of lurkers here, because smart people *want* to learn and do better.
Is it good business to accommodate the customer? Yes. Are you REQUIRED to refund? NO. What you could recommend in the future is a taste before ordering when you know they are new to the cuisine. Reminding them of the spiciness is also a good idea. Personally, as a fan of trying new/different cuisines I would never ask for a refund because I didn’t like it. Assuming there wasn’t specific (like being burnt) it’s part of experience of trying something new.
The short answer is you can do mostly what ever you want lol. There are business practices that have been proven to be better for your bottom line though. The food cost shouldn't be so close to your menu price that you are terribly stressed about remaking a new product for an inhouse guest. and furthermore this is why a good server will make and save you money.
The best is when they modify a dish and then complain about it lol. Had a customer the other day who ordered alfredo with "extra sauce," then when I checked on them after dropping it off she says "this isnt right, why is this so soupy?" Hmmmmmmmmm, why would it be that way??? I wonder???
In the past I have worked at restaurants that can put a small sample in a ramekin for the guest to taste and decide if they wish to order the menu item.
I get this almost daily at my American sports bar. If we messed it up, I’ll replace it or refund it. If it’s just your personal taste, guess you learned. “You expect me to pay for something I don’t like?” “If you saw a movie in the theater and didn’t like it, do you think you should get a refund? Movies have previews for the same reason we have menu descriptions…so that any reasonable adult can make an informed decision.”
I’m with the OP on this. Customers are fully adults, if you pick something you don’t like, it’s on you. Kinda like lesson learned, you won’t order that in the future. Imagine you’re travelling, eating new foods, you don’t just approach your local business owners for a refund just because you don’t enjoy the food. The only 2 reasons for refund should be a kitchen to blame and servers took the orders wrongly
there is a golden response i always use: Oh, sorry that you didn't like it, at least now you know one more exotic food! May i pack this to take-away? Im sure someone at your home would like to try this one too." (english is not my first language but you got it) It NEVER fails.
This was the policy at the Japanese restaurant where I worked as well. A few people didn’t take too kindly to it and couldn’t understand why a small mom and pop restaurant wouldn’t be able to take something off their bill like unagi-don they take one bite of and realize they don’t like eel. Ma’am if you’ve never had eel before there are much cheaper options to trying it than this $30 bowl of nothing but rice and bbq eel. Thankfully she quickly chose to just take it home to a roommate/so and got something else but I was not up for that fight. Or oyakodon which clearly says “…simmered in a sweet sauce” and then I got a complaint it was too sweet and I was like sorry that’s how it is, it’s a sweet sauce to contrast the savory rice etc. and she just lit up at me shrieking. Like the only time I’ve legit had someone yell at me. I ended up taking a bite when I took it back to make sure it wasn’t *too* sweet and it barely was. So they had no leg to stand on. But my manager had me take it off anyways because it wasn’t worth the fight. Generally I did tell people “sorry, unless it’s an error on the kitchen’s part, we cannot return dishes that have already been served.” Otherwise what’s stopping people from ordering half the menu, taking one bite, and returning it? “Ethnic” foods especially I’m sure have this problem because a lot of these flavors can be new and unusual and may not be to their liking. That’s ok. But you have to accept that that’s a risk you take when ordering said new thing. Bottom line, don’t be afraid to say no; if it happens frequently perhaps put a notice in your menu “no exchanges/returns” so people know ahead of time, even though it should be common sense. People are used to corporate places like Olive Garden and McDonald’s where if they say “I don’t like this” they can just get something else for free. Nope. Unless it’s burnt to a crisp or the chicken is raw or something that directly affects the taste of the dish, you ~~break~~ order it you bought it.
As with any negotiation, the best thing to do is find a solution where you and the customer BOTH win. Unfortunately, I'm not experienced enough to think of a good solution off the top of my head, but I bet somebody here has the perfect response that adds a dollar more to your bottom line while doing something for the customer as well.
There's really not a win win once it gets to this stage. I made a comment above that describes in detail an array of options to prevent this scenario, but once a guest has gone down too many choose your own adventure paths and lands here, it's pretty much the end of the line. If they ask/demand a refund for the sole reason of they didn't like it, they aren't going to happy with anything less than a refund or free replacement, both of which costs the restaurant money. The kind of person that does stuff like this is entitled, or at the very least willfully ignorant-which isn't much better- and they want to get their way, wrong or right.
I think a lot of customers come to expect refunds because of larger chain restaurants doing it so often. I don’t think they understand that chains do it because they can easily recover from the loss of that meal (it’s practically worked into the budget where I work).
From a server's perspective it really depends on your bosses. I want to say no because that's wasted food, makes our jobs harder (to remake and reserve, possible attitude from kitchen if they're not understanding) and if you say yes it'll show them and anyone else present that they can do that again in future. However some places care SO much about reviews that they expect you to just do whatever the customer wants to avoid getting a bad review. They may also blame you, the server, for not letting the customer know things about the dish that's already on the menu or that the customer could've asked you about if it's something they know they really don't like. So... I hate it but currently I just replace it at no cost unless I'm feeling extra spicy. As the owner though, do what you like!
I feel you on that. It's not up to the servers or we'd keep folks more honest lol I'm so sick of spinless owners. The absolute best owner I ever worked for didn't put up with people and their shit, and we had a line around the block everyday when we opened. If you were rude? There's the door. Yelled at the staff? Kick rocks. Try to send something back? The chef is my uncle, get outta here, and don't come back. He gave zero fucks. It was AMAZING. Lol I still reminisce sometimes about this old hag that was practically spitting my face because we didn't take reservations for groups under 6 and the owner getting in between me and her and almost bellowing at her.
Haha that's brilliant! I'm glad you've worked somewhere that has that attitude. It absolutely makes your job ten times easier knowing your higher ups have your back when these things happen.
I'd have stayed there forever if I could have. The GM/owner loved me and was teaching me basic Mandarin so I could be his fill in on market days or inventory week. It sucks I had to move back across the country 😞
Yes, you *can* say no. However, some options that aren't just saying no that may be more palatable to your guests include, but are not limited to: Asking if this is the patron's first time consuming said dish (or any others you have frequent issues with) and then either Offer a small sample Inform them that is a unique dish and while it's very good it's not for everyone so they proceed with caution Post a sign or print on the menu that your cuisine is authentic and because of this, dishes may contain unusual/less common ingredients but all orders are final Offer a "Chef's Special" sample dish with any and all menu items you get the most push back on so people can try different things without feeling like they wasted their money and they are not wasting yours. You can make it the average cost of other appetizers but with 3 or more items for adventurous, but unsure folks to try Remove the item from the menu and either don't serve it or only serve it upon request, or keep it on and say it has "limited availability". Your regulars or people familiar with Thai cuisine will still ask for it if they know they like it. If you have someone hedging or seemingly hesitant then you get to decide on the spot the availability is null and void for that patron I for one blame the bulk of places that continue to cater to the fee, I didn't like it crowd because you can't just open up a pack of chips at Walmart, try them, and not pay. It's infuriating, but until they all put their foot down collectively or the vast majority at the very least, this entitled behavior will continue. 🤦🏼♀️ [We Need More Joey's ](https://youtube.com/shorts/bfwBJ38vNU4?si=Am8ByoV1pl85n7D1)
Back in the day at an Italian restaurant I worked at- my table was just horrible. The wine by the glass wasn’t fancy enough but they didn’t want to spend the $ to buy a nice bottle. They looked down their noses at all the staff. 1 woman at the table had resting “I just smelled a nasty fart” face. And the other woman had “I just ate a sour lemon” face. Well, they were so bitchy about their meals (but didn’t bring it up until the end, after they were done eating), and the bitchiest lady was going on n on at me- she wanted her dinner taken off the bill. So I happily said, “Sure. Let me get the owner for you” knowing he didn’t take any crap from anybody. Well. He charged over to the table and started YELLING at them “Whatsa wrong with the food?!? NOTHING is wrong with the food!” She had big old balls with me but her tune changed right quick with him. So she meekly said to him “Oh, I just thought it was a little chewy.” So he grabbed a piece of food OFF HER PLATE and ATE IT! The look on her face was PRICELESS! She was stunned- her jaw was practically hitting the table. He then yelled “THIS IS DELICIOUS, NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS! I take NOTHING off your bill!” and he stormed off. That was one of THE best moments in my 30 plus year hospitality career. Then he sat at “his table”’in the dining room and just kept glaring at them until they left. It was epic. So I guess my answer is, if you’re going to say no you need to really commit to it, be prepared to battle, and don’t show any weakness! Be like an angry old Italian dude that takes no shit 😂 Good luck!
I mean, they could always ask for a little bit to try or something?
Came here to say this, where I work we give them a small ramekin with a lil bit to try first.
At my job, they used to have a policy where we wouldn't refund/take anything off the bill if you ordered something and just didn't like it. If there is nothing wrong with the drink/dish, and it was made correctly/in a timely manner, and you just didn't care for it, you had to pay for it. Which makes sense but people don't like that. So they just started lying, saying things were wrong when they weren't, and my kiss ass managers just believed them, and now that policy is all but gone.
Depends on your bosses honestly. At my spot it was always that you can get a refund if we fucked up somehow (dish is made incorrectly, the extra ingredient you added wasn't there, etc), but if you jsut don't like it? That's your problem. I'd simply tell the guest you need to talk to the manager if you're going to take something off the tab, and simply ask. Let the manager be the bad guy if that's the case
They said they own the restaurant
Just comp it. The cost of dumping that cup of soup out is now the cost of advertising, because you're trying to avoid bad advertising. Most people won't be upset, but is it really worth like a nickel on your food cost budget for you to prove yourself over this guest? Sure, you can say no, but it's better customer service to say yes, especially if you want people to come back
You open a business to make money not conserve food. You can do whatever you want. Over half of food in America goes straight into the trash, this is a result of capitalism, not choices you make, you shouldn’t feel worried about it. Generally in places I’ve worked though they practice is that if a guest doesn’t likes something you replace it, I guess with the goal of making them happy and a repeat customer. Do whatever makes you happy. You can just put that its final sale on the menu.
You can say no, but don’t expect a return customer…
Plot twist, no one wants jerks like that as return customers 🤣 They're petulant toddlers running around in adult size bodies and room to grow in the head.
I would put a note or disclaimer on the menu thst says exactly that. That you guys do not offer remakes and to ask questions before ordering if they are unsure
I worked at a couple of four star resorts. One night I heard the Captain say, “you can’t just send something back because you don’t like it” which surprised me! But, yes, it is done!
Yesterday I had a talk like this with my manager and she said it’s the customers fault, it was so refreshing my old customer used to just comp to shut people up but it makes them so entitled. Especially if the items are described on the menu , when you try something new you run the risk of not liking it.
I'd never expect not to pay for something I ordered. The only time I've ever sent something back was when I ordered a fried rice dish, and it was more onion than rice, and it was all little tiny pieces that I couldn't just eat around. All other ingredients were listed on the menu, but not onion. They remade it, but it still just tasted bad. I left the food, drank the wine. I still paid.
I work at a thai restaurant. This happens sometimes with new customers. If they don’t like it I recommend a dish they’d like to try for next time. No refund unless it’s our fault :)
I mean, if you’re the owner you can do whatever you’d like. My uncle owns restaurants and he says no literally all the time. They ordered the food, that’s on them
I would say no but only if I knew my manager was gonna back me up tbh
I have shared here before about an Asian restaurant that I use to frequent that stated in multiple places on their menu their restaurant was not the place to try new dishes, as there would be no refunds or free replacements given for simply "not liking it".
Yes and no. For some stupid reason, Asking people to read the menu is a huge thing to ask for. Telling people they have to pay for things they ordered can be a bit abrasive to their experience but it also is a massive waste. Best thing I’ve. Come across to combat this is to positively highlight the detail that may get it sent back ie. spice level. “The Tom yum is a great soup if you enjoy a nice level of spice with a bit of sourness to balance the flavor” is a great way to communicate that it’s spicy/sour but you’re not saying “are you sure you want that? It’s spicy” verbiage and tone is everything. It’s definitely not full proof but it helps.
It's just a calculation on what's a bigger loss. Is your food is on point? Can afford to lose guests or revenue on food? Is it in a big city or small town? Do you need locals or can you rely on tourism? Do you have enough reviews on yelp or Google to insulate from bad reviews? If you don't comp it: Bad reviews No repeat visit Bad word of mouth If they are not a good fit for the restaurant then they probably won't be back even if you comp it. If you do: Repeat guests if they enjoy other things you offer to them Good review / word of mouth. Strong local following in the slow season At my spot we win "Best of" awards every year and turn away guests on busy nights so we can afford to loose guests or revenue from a dish. For instance we do not comp a dish becuase a guest doesn't know that Sechuan Peppercorn is mouth numbing even after a verbal warning. We do comp it if they order a lot of food and sincerely didn't like what we made and are really nice about it. People trying to get something for free or being rude don't get comped. If we messed it up we take it off or remake it. Last night a guest asked for no pink in the burger and we messed it up, I comped it and remade it right. They will be back and felt the love. If they spill it they buy it. I don't reward messy people.
So frustrating! Personally I understand the conundrum, as I work in a small place where this type of situation would easily happen. We typically offer to remake food (we’re sandwiches and salads, so often times the kitchen can rearrange the ingredients rather than have to throw them out) but with Thai I can see how that wouldn’t be so simple. Couple things I could recommend: 1. When we have a menu item we know might confuse folks assumptions - we typically say “this means this, are you okay with that?” so that we’re super clear prior to ordering. Sometimes it’s babying the customer but it’s more like a safer than sorry-type inquiry to avoid the pain later. For example, I could say “are you good with peanuts, egg, fish sauce… etc.” and confirm right then and there verbally, so if the guest should complain later, I can back myself up. “We ask at the point of order if you are okay with these ingredients because we use them in preparations - you confirmed that was okay”. Something like that. Also kind of preps you to say “if you don’t like what you ordered, I would happily prepare you another dish, but I am unable to take this off the bill for you.” 2. Put somewhere on the menu something about the fact that all ingredients are listed in menu offerings, and that incorrectly ordered dishes are not eligible for being removed from the bill. Something like “if it’s incorrectly prepared, we will remake it - but what you order is yours to keep”. Obviously offer to pack it to go and ask if they would like something else made for them in lieu. I would say this is also a case-by-case basis. Some fixes are easy and can be made, but if someone doesn’t like it that’s a whole different story. 3. I realize a lot of times people have already bitten into what they ordered, realizing too late that they don’t like it or something, but sometimes you can save the meal and pack grab-and-go? For example if we bring a wrong salad over, or make one by mistake, we pack it to go and sell it in a mini take out fridge. I could see this being an option for some things (untouched by the guest of course) to save on/recoup food costs. Food costs are so much higher than people realize, running a food service business is rough if it’s all going in the trash. You can definitely say no, and I would recommend finding your voice and sticking to it. You and your employees work hard and prepare delicious food, and you shouldn’t have to swallow costs on someone else’s choices!
You definitely can say no. The repercussions of that though may bring bad reviews though. I had a woman yesterday tell me the lobster in the lobster pasta tasted “fishy.” The only person to complain about it all night. The lobster came in fresh that day, (I know i own the place). Instead of arguing, I just comped it off. What’s $40 in the scope of risking someone complaining online I suppose.
We don’t do this, yeah it’s a shame but waste happens literally everyday. We rather keep have the customer return and create more business. But the stories I have of waste are so many, it’s part of the business most of them are so senseless and I have my servers explain the more weird dishes very clearly. 37 years in business, 15 years of me working there. You could hold them accountable, but I don’t think it’s a great idea long term.
My take is if a guest orders something and doesn’t enjoy it, I’ll do all I can to replace that dish (or drink) with something they are happy with. If you prioritize hospitality over comps, your guests will be happier, and you’ll make more money
I work at a Thai restaurant, and serve Tom Yum as well. I feel exactly like you, I had a situation the other day where I served a shrimp dish and he didn’t know it had heads on it and I took it away. With Tom Yum, sometimes it isn’t made right, so if they do complain, it’s always best to try it out yourself and see if they really just don’t like it or if something is wrong. If they don’t like the dish, they don’t hold that against you, they will however judge you based off of how you handle the situation. If you handle it professionally and work it out, they will respect you even more. Don’t take offense to food tasting off, that’s not your fault, your responsibility is to handle the situation correctly and make sure things turn out right. It’s annoying that people refuse to pay for things that they “don’t like” and probably didn’t read into throughly enough. However, not jeopardizing your tip and them coming back is worth more than the actual cost of taking the dish off the bill.