I'm a server's worst nightmare!

LunaGreen
LunaGreen Posts: 118 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I actually am a server and feel TERRIBLE when I go out to eat!!! Tonight was the first time this year that I have actually gone out to eat. This is a HUGE cut back because I am in the industry and normally dine out about 4 times/week. I am newly paleo and ordered the seared ahi with no seasoning, oil, or sauces and then shared it with my fiance who opted for sauce on the side. Are there any other servers who tread the line of being totally obnoxious and also health conscious?

Replies

  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Paleo is not something one does for health.
  • LunaGreen
    LunaGreen Posts: 118 Member
    It is, I love it! Not looking for negativity, I have tried SERIOUSLY everything and am finally a happy camper, will never go back! Also on 1200 cal diet for weightloss... Some people hate on 1200 cals but I am a shorty and it works, anyone can add me as a friend to view my diet, I eat all day and watch my macros. I was on MFP a long time ago and was surrounded by positivity, somehow that is being lost and I'd like to be proven wrong on that! I don't need paleo advice because I have already joined a group full of cavemen and cavewomen that back me and I love all of them for it!
    Best wishes to you though, in all of your endevours :wink:
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Asking for food to be served without certain seasonings or sauces, or with items on the side is totally obnoxious? You just saved me a fortune in dining out and tips.
  • turtleball
    turtleball Posts: 217 Member
    I just searched it and man that diet is strict.


    and I always thought a servers nightmare was a person who leaves no tips.
  • aprilgicker
    aprilgicker Posts: 395 Member
    Why don't you find a restaurant that already serves something close, don;t go when it is busy, and tip for two.

    A side note, the kitchen is the one that makes the food, they are the ones that gives the servers a hard time. You could also inquire about the kitchen's mood before razing the menue choices.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    That's obnoxious? My coffee order is worse...

    If it's not a special occasion where I don't care so much, ask for what I want, how I want it. I have no embarrassment at asking for things to be how I like, I'd rather please myself than worry about "putting out" the person serving me. It's a rare one or two who can't oblige...
    (I'm not rude about it - I ask if it's possible, not demand it)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    A Weight Watchers leader once told my group "Look at a menu as a list of ingredients, you know what they have and get them to make you something that fits what you need". Being in hospitality, I wanted to punch her. What I actually did was call her out and explain how that advice was terrible and would lead to you being the hated enemy of any restaurant you went to.

    However, I don't have an issue with asking them to hold something off a meal. So long as you don't start asking them to add stuff from another meal, or making up your own.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    A Weight Watchers leader once told my group "Look at a menu as a list of ingredients, you know what they have and get them to make you something that fits what you need". Being in hospitality, I wanted to punch her. What I actually did was call her out and explain how that advice was terrible and would lead to you being the hated enemy of any restaurant you went to.

    However, I don't have an issue with asking them to hold something off a meal. So long as you don't start asking them to add stuff from another meal, or making up your own.
    I totally agree! They have menus for a reason. You're not paying for a personal chef.

    Asking for a plain seared ahi filet probably made the cooks job easier, so I doubt they cared.
  • FitForRiding
    FitForRiding Posts: 33
    "I AM a server's worst night mare!" When I go out to eat and I don't mean fast food, I am paying for a service and within reason want it my way!!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    "I AM a server's worst night mare!" When I go out to eat and I don't mean fast food, I am paying for a service and within reason want it my way!!

    I have high expectations, but I understand a menu is not a shopping list.

    If, say, you order the chicken but want the side dishes that come with the beef etc, you're creating wastage and costing the restaurant money. They dont have unlimited ingredients sitting about, they will have (for example) 15 serves of chicken, 15 of beef and 15 of each of the respective sides. When they make a beef side with a chicken dish, they end up with a serve of beef without the sides. If that item is popular that night, they end up telling another customer they have run out of that dish, because they can't serve it as per the menu.

    Prepping for service is a detailed proces, especially in a busy restaurant, and people who think that the chef can just whip them up something not on the menu are insufferable.
  • eversosquidly
    eversosquidly Posts: 59 Member
    I think as long as you're polite, there's no reason a restaurant cannot accommodate you. When I go to places, if someone gives me a strange look, I explain 'Hey, I know it sounds weird, but I eat so specifically because I've lost 57 pounds so far and I really don't want to gain any of it back'. I can't tell you how many times that's been a gateway to tell others about MFP. You'd be so surprised at how receptive people can be. Something like getting the sauce on the side shouldn't honestly be that big of a deal. You're still paying for a service at the end of the day. As long as you're respectful and you ASK first, servers are usually really nice about making sure you're taken care of. And if someone goes out of their way to respect me, I make sure I tip above 20%. So it works out for everyone. :) Just my two cents!
  • thefatveganchef
    thefatveganchef Posts: 89 Member
    In a previous life I was a chef for 11 years in various restaurants, and knowing how they generally operate and prep for the night, unless it is a special and they only order 20 pieces of a certain item for that special they will prep enough to hopefully fulfill multiple orders of the night. I have never been in a kitchen where they order 15 orders of a certain dish and all it's sides for that night. If that is the case then that store has no clue how to run a business and their food cost is sky high. Most places will plan a menu where multiple dishes use the same sides. Granted you should not treat a menu like a grocery list, however most cooks who are not in a ****ty mood that night will be fine with special orders. If they are not then they need to find a desk job that doesn't involve people. (Which I have run across several like that throughout the years, but they are usually an exception). You really shouldn't find yourself being one of those customers who is a nightmare, your order sounds simple enough to make. The only thing is I hope you laid down enough of a tip to cover two orders and not one.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    In a previous life I was a chef for 11 years in various restaurants, and knowing how they generally operate and prep for the night, unless it is a special and they only order 20 pieces of a certain item for that special they will prep enough to hopefully fulfill multiple orders of the night. I have never been in a kitchen where they order 15 orders of a certain dish and all it's sides for that night. If that is the case then that store has no clue how to run a business and their food cost is sky high. Most places will plan a menu where multiple dishes use the same sides. Granted you should not treat a menu like a grocery list, however most cooks who are not in a ****ty mood that night will be fine with special orders. If they are not then they need to find a desk job that doesn't involve people. (Which I have run across several like that throughout the years, but they are usually an exception). You really shouldn't find yourself being one of those customers who is a nightmare, your order sounds simple enough to make. The only thing is I hope you laid down enough of a tip to cover two orders and not one.

    Admittedly, it was an oversimplification for the purpose of example :) but the theory stands, especially where prep is fiddly or elaborate.
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
    What is this thing of picking and choosing bits from various dishes on the menu?

    Its not done over here and is kind of an insult to the chef, who will (or should have) balanced the flavours in each dish.

    If you cant order something on the menu, stay at home and cook it yourself.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    Hahaha. I ate out the other day and got the burger with fries. Oh but wait can sub a side salad? Can you put the dressing on the side and hold the onions. Also for that burger can I get it without cheese and onion. Also can I get that with sauce on the side. Lol. Oh and btw, can I get a lemon wedge for my water. Lol. That is what tips are for :drinker:
  • katmarsc
    katmarsc Posts: 118 Member
    I have found Outback is very accommodating when I have to order. One waitress sat right beside me and just ask, "what can you eat and what do you want to eat". The chef created A wonderful enjoyable meal. I even received a visit from the kitchen to ensure that I would like how they were fixing my dish. The entire experience was wonderful. I continue to go back, I even went to two different Outback's and the service was the same! Ruby Tuesday is also accommodating. For this service and special care, they are generously tipped.

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