Restaurants - do you trust them

marstanley
marstanley Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
A local steakhouse says to reduce the calories of their sandwiches, ask for the bun to not be buttered. Would you trust that this would be done? I know a number of service people laugh about people who ask for decaffeinated coffee. They will just use what ever pot is handy, now always giving what the customer wants. I feel like this would be another joke for them. The customer can't actually tell when the food is delivered, so why go to the extra effort to do something different.

Replies

  • tiffanympm
    tiffanympm Posts: 62
    The 17 year old kid making your dinner has more important things on his mind than your waistline.

    No I wouldn't.
  • Aventuria
    Aventuria Posts: 151
    Depends on the restaurant, i'd say.
    I always trust the ones i go to. :-)

    And you can taste the differnce between a buttered and not buttered bread, i'd say.

    I have more problems with vegetarian dishes (i'm a veggie). Many are not really veggie (rennet, gelatine)...
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I worked in restaurants for 5 years while in college and let me tell you...a lot of my coworkers didn't give a crap about what the customer wanted. The only thing they took seriously (that I saw) was allergies. I've heard other servers lie to customers saying "oh yes that is light italian dressing!" when it wasn't, and "sure, l'll tell the kitchen to go easy on the oil", when they again didn't tell the kitchen anything. It was definitely an eye opener as I didn't think people could be so careless, and I know not to expect much as far as my modifications when I go out to eat.
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    I worked in restaurants through high school and college as well, and I've seen the same. They don't give a crap. So I put in a little effort when I know I'm going out to eat... I'll order a dish that I know won't be prepared with oil or butter, because if I ask for it not to be made with it, I don't know what the heck I'll get. Also, when I know I'll be getting a salad, I take my own dressing, I don't trust whatever they say is "fat-free".

    It sucks that you have to put so much work into it, but it's worth it in the long run.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Honestly I don't really ask for anything unusual when I go out to eat. The only thing I'll ask for is dressing on the side. I don't typically get fat free dressings so it doesn't matter (and you can tell by the way they taste whether or not they're low cal/fat free any way). I can see places like TGI Fridays, Applebees etc. not really caring whether or not you ask for no oil or butter but high-end places that want your business and want you to pass on the experience to other people will typically listen.

    With that said I NEVER send anything back to the kitchen unless I have gotten something completely different than what I had ordered which has happened to me!
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    No, I don't trust them. Which is why if I order no butter and it has butter on it (clearly I can look at it and see the butter) then it goes back. If I order dressing on the side and it has dressing on it, it goes back. You can't guarantee they will cook it without oil but you can definitely see if there is oil/butter ON it when it arrives.

    Unless you are very sensitive you really can't tell the difference between 'light' dressing and normal dressing so just get it on the side and dip your fork rather than putting it on the salad to save a few calories.
  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
    Thsi is exactly why eating out isnt healthy- and EXCATLY why people who eat out all the time cant figure out why they dont lose weight or still feel like crap. Alot of people dont realize that the calories aredouble/tripple the calories compared to what you make at home.

    AND_ thank you^ former waitresses/waiters for telling us that.:sad:
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
    No. That's why restaurants should be used as treats/splurges.
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    Never. I don't even understand how people trust restaurants/fast food chains to even give them a diet soda when they ask for one. I always drink water and never ask for anything prepared differently.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    No, I don't really trust them. And the restaurants who have their calorie counts listed, either on MFP or on their website, I don't really trust those either. Because that relies on stuff being made exactly the same way every time, which it is not. I still use the calorie counts as a guideline, but I do it knowing that it could be off, either a little, or a lot. I do not eat out very often, so I don't stress about it a lot, but if I did it would concern me more.

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