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[Oppo]

i can't believe how divisive this is. it's like a tipping thread. what is it with GAF and restaurants.

it's not a big deal either way. guy shouldn't have made a big deal and neither should the restaurant.

i will say i've seen insane orders at some super high end restaurants. people will ask for whatever comes into their heads, not even look at he menu. money, i guess. didn't even know that was a thing until i witnessed it.

 

[Jack The Nipper]

I do agree it isn't a big deal either way but I often stay in the middle.

To answer the ? if I like the place I would still go of course. I am not going to care that much but if the food is just ok but much better without something I really dislike or want to add then why go?

I would assume the guy likes the place a lot so in that case I'd just avoid the guy who can't even give me an egg if possible and mind my own business. Eat what I like and get out. Even if he is asking for the steak on buns and made like a burger I don't see that as a huge deal at all. It's both things they can make so why not? Of course they would say no way! meh

 

[Graphics Horse]

I'd order the waffle and tell them to add a burger under it.

 

[entremet]

So what did this guy do? Don't leave us hanging! Does he still go to the restaurant?

Personally I'd understand but it would probably affect my enjoyment of the place and then I'd probably go less frequently and if I found a place I like that's just as good and convenient I might start going there more.

Edit: if they comped me I'd more than satisfied. I missed that part. That might be going too far. Free pot of coffee or something might be enough.

I posted the original story later in the thread.

Looks like he stopped going for good lol.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Restaurants like this shouldn't exist. Even if the client is an asshole you should do your best to serve him, especially if he's a returning customer (and a "whale").

I don't know how I'd answer the OP's question, because I don't eat at restaurants except for some special occasions, family meetings etc. I guess buying food is different than buying some electronics or clothes where I could go to another place of business without any regrets.

I'd love to see the look on some of your faces when an established local chef denies your request to serve ketchup with his carefully prepared NY strip steak.

 

[Korey]

What's wrong with that manager though? Comping that $71 meal because he didn't want to give him an egg?

 

[darklin0]

I'd love to see the look on some of your faces when an established local chef denies your request to serve ketchup with his carefully prepared NY strip steak.

If I were that chef, I would laugh and then ban them from the restaurant.

Anyone willing to ruin a steak with ketchup should not be aloud to eat steak.

 

[entremet]

What's wrong with that manager though? Comping that $71 meal because he didn't want to give him an egg?

My only guess, being a regular, was that the manager wanted to placate the patron, offering a generous comp instead of being a slave to the patron's wishes in the future.

 

[Oppo]

If I were that chef, I would laugh and then ban them from the restaurant.

Anyone willing to ruin a steak with ketchup should not be aloud to eat steak.

just for sake of argument: why not? i mean yeah it's not exactly a great pairing but who cares? what's the harm? steak's reputation?

 

[daviyoung]

just for sake of argument: why not? i mean yeah it's not exactly a great pairing but who cares? what's the harm? steak's reputation?

a chef's primary objective is to uphold the bombastic pretensions of his industry

 

[Tubobutts]

If I were that chef, I would laugh and then ban them from the restaurant.

Anyone willing to ruin a steak with ketchup should not be aloud to eat steak.

What if I promise to eat it quietly?

 

[DarthButcher]

If I were that chef, I would laugh and then ban them from the restaurant.

Anyone willing to ruin a steak with ketchup should not be aloud to eat steak.

Anyone who uses the incorrect homophone should not be allowed to post on internet message boards.

 

[kmfdmpig]

Okay.

I've attempted to explain in this very thread why good restaurants do this. How bout this tomorrow I will do an entire write up for all of you guys elaborating on the operation of fine dining restaurants.

PM me to remind me.

Though maybe my opinion of a good restaurant is a bit biased because I've only ever been at ones where 2 people spend $200+ easy.

I love the elitism.
It's particularly rich coming from someone that ditches bar tabs, uses free internet at Best Buy and steals meals from hotel buffets.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1251726
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=212968761
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1280172

I understand and am sympathetic to the struggle that many of us go through at various times in our life, but can't understand how just a few months later it's OK to turn into a snob that looks down on those that have/spend less.

Restaurants that are $200 + for 2 people are not the norm for the overwhelming number of people.

I'd love to see the look on some of your faces when an established local chef denies your request to serve ketchup with his carefully prepared NY strip steak.

That's not the most compelling comparison though, is it? It's a burger. It's not a carefully prepared masterpiece. It's not unusual for people to ask for things to be removed or added to burgers. I doubt the chef views this burger as the culmination of his ambitions to change the landscape of food or gain a national reputation.

 

[kirby_fox]

Can you order an egg on the side? Can you order an extra egg with the waffle special?

If either of these things are true, you can add a damn egg to a burger. If neither of these things are true, I'm probably not dining there anyway. Can't think of a place that doesn't have an a la carte menu for everything that isn't higher end. And the only reason I wouldn't touch a higher end menu is because they have chefs, not cooks, and the chefs make the menus to their liking.

And since I'm specific in what I enjoy, I don't go spending $100s on food I'm not gonna enjoy when I can make it better myself.

 

[Jobbs]

So he's angry at the restaurant that offered to pay his small $71 bill because they didn't have an egg for his hamburger?

The restaurant sounds great to me

 

[Zombine]

I'd like a cheese burger medium well, hold the bun and Substitute the burger with an egg sunny side up if you can. What kind of bacon do you serve?

 

[oneils]

The Duncan guy made the story up, he admit that in the comments. Why are people arguing over this dumb management exercise.

You must have read different comments than me. He didn't admit that from what I saw.

Edit: also the bill was 71 bucks for dinner for two and not just one person.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

Even if the restaurant didn't have a good reason, then that just means that the manager isn't great at making business decisions (but is good enough to run a successful restaurant that can afford to comp a $71 meal). Meanwhile, the customer is an entitled asshole who loses his shit over a hamburger.

One of these two things is a much worse and more deeply rooted problem than the other.

 

[Demoskinos]

that manager is dumb. If you have a customer willing to open his damn wallet and pay extra for something fucking give it to him! Your losing profits you stupid idiot!

 

[bengraven]

I don't ask for menu adjustments just like I don't shout out story suggestions in the theatre. Hell, unlike the theatre they even let you freely review what is available before deciding to sit down.

I'm completely with the restaurant on their policy.

Probably cost them a bit of money here but they might be successful enough that it doesn't matter.

Edit: why do some restaurant goers think the menu is a starting off point for suggestions?

Not a very good analogy at all. More like yelling out editing suggestions while an editing team is in the projection booth and can recut it while you wait.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

lol @ your hostility. It makes sense because people who make elaborate special orders are secretly filled with rage, and are trying to make things as difficult as possible for the restaurant so that they have something to complain about later on Yelp.

That's a weird response from you because I wasn't hostile at all when I typed it. I just didn't get what the point was of saying "I wouldn't do that" in a thread where the question is posed to people who would make a special order.

But your response definitely seems a little like you were just looking for any chance to whine about Yelp reviews, so I'm glad that I gave you the opening to get that out of your system.

 

[dh4niel]

This is why restaurants have menus. Same with people who order a meal without something and still pay the same price.

That said, I once ordered a one day only special at a restaurant that they no longer had but they were nice enough to go across town to get it for me instead.

I guess that's not really the same though.

 

[CadetMahoney]

I'd order the waffle and tell them to add a burger under it.

ingenious.

 

[Days like these...]

Guy was an entitled jerk imho. I come across the "I've been a loyal customer for years I deserve special treatment" customer all the time.

If I want a burger with an egg on it I go to a restaurant that has that on the menu. Hell, I think even Denny's offers that.

Thanks to this thread I've added entitled restaurant goers to the list that includes double parkers, bad tippers and people who like their steaks past medium rare. Deplorables imho.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

The restaurant called me back...but didn't leave a message. :/

 

[Gawge]

The restaurant is a bit dumb for:
a) Not putting an egg on the burger for the reason that they gave. Sure, they were running short of eggs, but surely it's just first come first serve. Also, how hard is it for someone to pop out and get some more eggs?
b) Refunding the full meal?!?!

But I have never asked for an addition to a menu item in my life. I think it's a bit weird and not polite - especially in the type of restaurant that this seemingly was. If you are in a greasy spoon, and you want a little extra, fine - but in a nice restaurant, you take what is on the menu.

I think subtractions from a dish are more acceptable, especially for dietary requirements.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

...A Chinese place didn't do egg fried rice?

yeah i was surprised. i kept asking them to do it but they refused so i went to another place.

 

[nampad]

I love the elitism.
It's particularly rich coming from someone that ditches bar tabs, uses free internet at Best Buy and steals meals from hotel buffets.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1251726
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=212968761
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1280172

I understand and am sympathetic to the struggle that many of us go through at various times in our life, but can't understand how just a few months later it's OK to turn into a snob that looks down on those that have/spend less.

Restaurants that are $200 + for 2 people are not the norm for the overwhelming number of people.



That's not the most compelling comparison though, is it? It's a burger. It's not a carefully prepared masterpiece. It's not unusual for people to ask for things to be removed or added to burgers. I doubt the chef views this burger as the culmination of his ambitions to change the landscape of food or gain a national reputation.

Thank you for the post history, that's just great.

 

[jiggle]

I dont understand

Manager
Why comp the entire meal?
Why not give him a free waffle special. Without the waffle?

Patron
Why not order the waffle special too

Makes no sense

 

[Days like these...]

I once gave a co worker a ride to McDonald's and she ordered a spicy chicken sandwich with no buns! Wtf!? Needless to say never again.

 

[MIMIC]

If I were that chef, I would laugh and then ban them from the restaurant.

Anyone willing to ruin a steak with ketchup should not be aloud to eat steak.

allowed

 

[Htown]

I once gave a co worker a ride to McDonald's and she ordered a spicy chicken sandwich with no buns! Wtf!? Needless to say never again.

fast food restaurants do that all the time since no-carb diets became a big thing

the ones I've been to don't even care

burger king will just drop the burger components in a salad tray and send you on your way.

 

[Benzychenz]

People that make alterations like that are the worst.

Imagine a busy kitchen going through hundreds of meals a day with 10+ staff members in there.
They're organised, efficient, and get meals out quickly.

Now imagine that same kitchen but every order has a 'simple' alteration like adding an egg to a burger.
A 20 minute wait on food will very quickly become 30-40.

 

[K.Jack]

Comping a $71 meal, over a .000001 cent egg, is some of the worst restaurant management I've ever seen.

That wouldn't fly in any establishment in which I've work.

People arguing against just cooking the egg, on a day where you're already focused on cooking eggs, are grasping at straws.

Adding the egg to the order, and charging more for it, is pure profit. I probably could've gotten another $3 or $4 dollars out of the guy, plus a higher tip for the FOH.

A smart restaurant takes that trade every time.

 

[kmfdmpig]

Comping a $71 meal, over a .000001 cent egg, is some of the worst restaurant management I've ever seen.

That wouldn't fly in any establishment in which I've work.

People arguing against just cooking the egg, on a day where you're already focused on cooking eggs, are grasping at straws.

Adding the egg to the order, and charging more for it, is pure profit. I probably could've gotten another $3 or $4 dollars out of the guy, plus a higher tip for the FOH.

A smart restaurant takes that trade every time.

Agreed. Giving in to this one customer does not mean that suddenly all patrons will demand alterations. One egg does not need to mean a total change to the workflow and organization of the restaurant.

 

[Days like these...]

It's not about how much it costs or how long it will take. It's about shitty entitled customers.

I have a true story about an ex girlfriend. Once we were trying to figure out what to have for dinner I wanted Mexican but she wanted to go to a new steakhouse. So we go to the steakhouse waitress brings out our steaks and first thing my ex does is ask the waitress for salsa! I'm not kidding she wanted salsa for her steak. I guess the kitchen should have run out bought some peppers roasted them ground them up with some tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro in a pestle (molcajete in Spanish) and whipped up the salsa for her right?

 

[K.Jack]

It's not about how much it costs or how long it will take. It's about shitty entitled customers.

I have a true story about an ex girlfriend. Once we were trying to figure out what to have for dinner I wanted Mexican but she wanted to go to a new steakhouse. So we go to the steakhouse waitress brings out our steaks and first thing my ex does is ask the waitress for salsa! I'm not kidding she wanted salsa for her steak. I guess the kitchen should have run out bought some peppers roasted them ground them up with some tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro in a pestle (molcajete in Spanish) and whipped up the salsa for her right?

Your example and the one being discussed have no correlation.

Try again.

There were plenty of eggs on hand, for a feature dish, so in the end what the egg was being cooked for was irrelevant. Pretend it's for the waffle if you want.

 

[bobawesome]

The patron was confused since he's a loyal customer and the bill was only 71 bucks.

Okay.

 

[Days like these...]

Your example and the one being discussed have no correlation.

Try again.

There were plenty of eggs on hand, for a feature dish, so in the end what the egg was being cooked for was irrelevant. Pretend it's for the waffle if you want.

So where do you draw the line? A shitty entitled customer is a shitty entitled customer.

 

[Korey]

Comping a $71 meal, over a .000001 cent egg, is some of the worst restaurant management I've ever seen.

That wouldn't fly in any establishment in which I've work.

People arguing against just cooking the egg, on a day where you're already focused on cooking eggs, are grasping at straws.

Adding the egg to the order, and charging more for it, is pure profit. I probably could've gotten another $3 or $4 dollars out of the guy, plus a higher tip for the FOH.

A smart restaurant takes that trade every time.

This is why I think this is fake. No manager is that dumb.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

It's not about how much it costs or how long it will take. It's about shitty entitled customers.

I have a true story about an ex girlfriend. Once we were trying to figure out what to have for dinner I wanted Mexican but she wanted to go to a new steakhouse. So we go to the steakhouse waitress brings out our steaks and first thing my ex does is ask the waitress for salsa! I'm not kidding she wanted salsa for her steak. I guess the kitchen should have run out bought some peppers roasted them ground them up with some tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro in a pestle (molcajete in Spanish) and whipped up the salsa for her right?

As a restaurant owner myself I'm always willing to accommodate reasonable requests but it does depend on the situation. If its a fine dining restaurant where the chef is trying to showcase the food in the way he interprets best then no changes to the menu unless allergies. If its a more casual thing then its up to the management because in my experience people for some reason always want to change up the menu for no reason or to exploit you by trying to get a better deal on something.

 

[Hazmat]

This is why I think this is fake. No manager is that dumb.

That's where I am. I can the manager accommodating the request, and I can imagine reasons (not that the restaurant needs one) for the manager to decline. I can't imagine the manager comping the entire meal.

 

[K.Jack]

So where do you draw the line? A shitty entitled customer is a shitty entitled customer.

When a customer asks for something the restaurant doesn't have, or would have to go out of their way to provide, such as your example of making something from scratch. Or if we are serving a very specific course menu that night.

"Hey I see you guys are frying eggs tonight, can I have one on my burger?"

That is not being shitty or entitled. It's absolutely ridiculous to deny the request, in this example. There's a single guy on the line cooking eggs nonstop, and he's cooking them regardless of what they are for, right? Of course he is, so why deny a single egg to a loyal customer.

And yes, if a single customer is bringing over $25,000 into my restaurant per year, I would be even more willing to give him leeway. Doing otherwise is asinine.

 

[Freshmaker]

The patron was confused since he's a loyal customer and the bill was only 71 bucks. So the GM was willing to burn a bridge on loyal customer for an egg that only costs probably 10 cents with bulk pricing.

It got my thinking, what would you do if you were denied a special, yet simple order at sit down restaurant?

Would you continue going?

I don't go to restaurants for wierdass special orders in the first place.

I think this speaks more to the guy's entitlement. The restaurant "burned a bridge" by offering him $71 in compensation over a 10 cent egg. Which upset him?! WTF? You're eating at the place, not investing in a licence to get whatever you want.

 

[Days like these...]

When a customer asks for something the restaurant doesn't have, or would have to go out of their way to provide, such as your example of making something from scratch. Or if we are serving a very specific course menu that night.

"Hey I see you guys are frying eggs tonight, can I have one on my burger?"

That is not being shitty or entitled. It's absolutely ridiculous to deny the request, in this example. There's a single guy on the line cooking eggs nonstop, and he's cooking them regardless of what they are for, right? Of course he is, so why deny a single egg to a loyal customer.

And yes, if a single customer is bringing over $25,000 into my restaurant per year, I would be even more willing to give him leeway. Doing otherwise is asinine.

I'd rather not start down the slippery slope. "You did it for that table! Why won't you honor my request!?"

 

[Hero]

My date and I spent more than $60 each at my local Mexican place after a few drinks and few small plates. It's placed in the $$ ($11-30 range) because that's the minimum you can expect to spend. $11 would get you one taco and a glass of water.

Drinks were $10-12 each.

Per Yelp, the price range is supposed to be for one meal, one drink, tax, and tip. So either that restaurant needs its price range updated or you and your date are getting meals/drinks at the higher end of the scale or multiple drinks.

I love the elitism.
It's particularly rich coming from someone that ditches bar tabs, uses free internet at Best Buy and steals meals from hotel buffets.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1251726
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=212968761
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1280172

I understand and am sympathetic to the struggle that many of us go through at various times in our life, but can't understand how just a few months later it's OK to turn into a snob that looks down on those that have/spend less.

Restaurants that are $200 + for 2 people are not the norm for the overwhelming number of people.



That's not the most compelling comparison though, is it? It's a burger. It's not a carefully prepared masterpiece. It's not unusual for people to ask for things to be removed or added to burgers. I doubt the chef views this burger as the culmination of his ambitions to change the landscape of food or gain a national reputation.

Holy shit, this guy stealth bragging about only eating at restaurants that are 200 dollars for 2 people is the same guy that was publicly bragging about stealing hotel continental breakfasts? What a fucking loser.

 

[WaterAstro]

Wtf the entitlement

 

[SapientWolf]

Honestly caring that much about having an egg on your burger is "wrong" in my book. As wrong as any other thing that doesn't matter. Dude might as well say The Beatles suck.

If you don't care about what's in your burger than it doesn't matter which restaurant you go to. So there's no reason to go to this particular place.

 

[MaulerX]

So the manager was willing to pay for the $71 meal but unwilling to put an egg on the dudes burger? Am I missing something? Was the manager aware this was a loyal customer that spends a ton of money at the place or was he a fill in manager that had no clue? Most of the time (in businesses that involve gratuities) the establishment will go out of their way to satisfy their customer.

Or, maybe the guy was an absolute poor tipper that had expensive meals constantly without giving appropriate tips? I mean, spending an "X" amount in a restaurant doesn't mean much if you don't tip accordingly IMO.

 

[Jpop]

Per Yelp, the price range is supposed to be for one meal, one drink, tax, and tip. So either that restaurant needs its price range updated or you and your date are getting meals/drinks at the higher end of the scale or multiple drinks.



Holy shit, this guy stealth bragging about only eating at restaurants that are 200 dollars for 2 people is the same guy that was publicly bragging about stealing hotel continental breakfasts? What a fucking loser.

I worked at high end restaurants I didn't dine at them.

My previous posts have no relevance on my opinions regarding this situation.