How much should you be willing to change a food item?

Thanks Robin, I didn't know that.

Oh the pressure!!! I gotta admit - at home, if I have gyros meat (I buy the Sliced Kronos from Jungle Jims and occasionally at GSF) sometimes I like it with just the meat and some sauce on a pita, like a flatbread. No provolone, american or mayo. While I am confessing, I had it ONCE with swiss cheese and it was good. I resist the temptation to ask for this desecration outside the privacy of my home, but I have to admit I am a Gyro Tamperer in private! Is there a support group for this? I am truely sorry, Allison and am trying to resist it!!

Oh the pressure!!! I gotta admit - at home, if I have gyros meat (I buy the Sliced Kronos from Jungle Jims and occasionally at GSF) sometimes I like it with just the meat and some sauce on a pita, like a flatbread. No provolone, american or mayo. While I am confessing, I had it ONCE with swiss cheese and it was good. I resist the temptation to ask for this desecration outside the privacy of my home, but I have to admit I am a Gyro Tamperer in private! Is there a support group for this? I am truely sorry, Allison and am trying to resist it!!

A gyro tamperer in private is OK. Just don't do it in public, it will be frowned upon

I'm not positive if you lose this capability after someone has responded, but as long as no one has responded, I'm sure you can.

Robin,
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Redwinger

My personal opinion as a customer is that it should be okay ask the preparer to "hold" an item. Better to leave off something I wouldn't eat rather than have to throw it out, isn't it?

On the other hand it seems quite odd to add something that normally wouldn't be served as part of the dish. (provolone on a gyros?!).

On the third hand, a customer might look a gyros as a sandwich, where in many restaurants you are welcome to build your own and substitute as you wish.

By the way, I never saw lettuce on a gyros before we moved here. In fact, while an Australian gyros commonly includes lettuce, the wikipedia entry describes the American construction this way:

In the United States, gyros are made from lamb or a combination of beef and lamb. Chicken gyros are sometimes seen as well. The bread served with gyros in the U.S. resembles a Greek 'plain' pita. The traditional accompaniments are tomato, onion, and tzatziki, sometimes called "cucumber", "yogurt", or "white" sauce. Some establishments use plain sour cream in lieu of tzatziki sauce. Such sandwiches are often served in luncheonettes or diners.

Editorial comment: Sour cream on a gyros - δεν είναι πολύ καλή (yech).

I'm in the 'knock yerself out but don't blame me' category.

There's always that order where you feel bad for them- where they jack up the recipe enough to where it becomes a shame.

For instance: a gyro, hold the tzaziki and veggies and add cheese becomes a quesadilla. You need the crunch, the acids and coolness of the sauce to balance the lamb. Then the sandwich sings.

The quesadilla is blah. The quesadilla should be served on a flour tortilla- it's designed for that. And the acid comes from the pico.

Needless to say, I'm also in the 'as it is prepared category.' I like to see the hand of the cook. Otherwise, I'll just make it at home.

There is a reason we put a leaf lettuce leaf on our gyros and it is thus: Whilst the pita and meat is cooking the papers can be prepared with the lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki. If there is no lettuce leaf then we would have to wait until the pita is put down on the paper thus allowing time for it to cool off. See there is method in my madness.

and in phenetic greek, nai, sour cream mesa ena gyros, den eainai poli kala.
Nomiizo oti eiani skata. or something like that anyway.

My personal opinion as a customer is that it should be okay ask the preparer to "hold" an item. Better to leave off something I wouldn't eat rather than have to throw it out, isn't it?

On the other hand it seems quite odd to add something that normally wouldn't be served as part of the dish. (provolone on a gyros?!).

On the third hand, a customer might look a gyros as a sandwich, where in many restaurants you are welcome to build your own and substitute as you wish.

By the way, I never saw lettuce on a gyros before we moved here. In fact, while an Australian gyros commonly includes lettuce, the wikipedia entry describes the American construction this way:

In the United States, gyros are made from lamb or a combination of beef and lamb. Chicken gyros are sometimes seen as well. The bread served with gyros in the U.S. resembles a Greek 'plain' pita. The traditional accompaniments are tomato, onion, and tzatziki, sometimes called "cucumber", "yogurt", or "white" sauce. Some establishments use plain sour cream in lieu of tzatziki sauce. Such sandwiches are often served in luncheonettes or diners.

Editorial comment: Sour cream on a gyros - δεν είναι πολύ καλή (yech).

[Robin Garr]

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Ah, thanks! You would think I should know that, but I always view the forum in admin mode, so I have Super Powers.

As little as possible to protect the integrity of a dish - be it from a classical point of view (ie: gyros are......not .......) or for the simple fact that a chef designs a menu he is proud of, if he wants that particular combination on the menu it would be. I've read numerous articles about popular chefs, with month long wait lists, who then have customers 'destroy' their dishes with modifications. If you've gone through the extreme hassle to make reservations at David Chang's Ko (NY), eat David Chang's food, not you're interpretation of it. He has since banned all modification attempts. Don't complain when you create an item vastly different from intended using modifications and it sucks. "Yes mam, I understand that you didn't enjoy you're Pineapple beet mornay bacon beef tenderloin with mayonaise and AI, but to be fair, the only thing you didn't add to the steak was the steak." Bottom line is trust your Chef, his job/chosen profession is to come up and execute food combinations that taste good.

Exceptions: Allergy/Religious, more than happy to remove whatever needs to be removed, and if possible we'd love to swap in an item that remains true to the dish and/or changes it positively. My personal pet peeve on this are people who start to disect the menu, remove this and that because they are allergic/religious about an item, when all they really want is the dish changed. If you want it changed ask, we'll do what we can. About a month ago we had an order for a Smoked Pork Chop, remove kale (has bacon) add fingerling potatoes, because they weren't allowed to eat pork. If you don't like kale just say so, I have other sides that work.

Exception 2: Call ahead, see Marsha's column. If it is important enough to my guest to actually make the effort to contact us and give us a heads up, then it is important enough to me to make sure the swap is not just acceptable but good (within the limits of product on hand).

A kid walked up last week and said he wanted a gyros with nothing but the meat (what no Tzatziki sauce!!!!) and provolone. I said, "You know, I really hate doing that because there is really no point in ordering a gyros if you are not going to have everything on it that makes it taste the way it does. I didn't say I wouldn't do it. However, he said OK and walked off. Now, did I feel bad that I just lost a sale. I should have, but I didn't..

Sounds like people want pseudo-Philly Cheese Sandwiches.

I must go on record and say I've never had Tzatziki Sauce. I'm a "visual" eater and refuse to eat anything that is white and creamy. No alfredo, no sour cream, no tzatziki, no salad dressings that are not oil based, no cottage cheese, no creamy, white cheeses. Don't know why, but I've just never been able to eat white food. Doubt that's going to change now.

Didn't I read a link someone posted on here about extreme picky eaters, and how they're drawn to white food? Then I was told subsequently by a friend that she was advised by a dietician to avoid white food. Hmmm. I really love my cottage cheese, though. That was first thing that came to mind at the thought of giving up white food.

Nice, Aaron. That was truth...

I would of told that punk kid to take a hike. Thats not even close to a gyros. Thats just an insult to gyros as a whole. That said.... One gyros to go,hold the lettuce please.

If someone wants me to crush a bag of potato chips and pour it over the hot dog it will be the best crushed up potato chip hot dog they have ever had.

For special events I make an item with a set recipe but if they want me to modify it somehow, they got it. I hook them up, tell them a joke, and they come back with a friend usually. But of course this is hot dogs, not fine dining. I understand a chef's perspective that a $30 entree is cooked perfectly with no alterations necessary (for instance, I am very hesitant to even ask for salt and pepper at a top shelf joint). But for me, if they want ketchup and gravel on the dog, they get it with a smile! But it's about context here. It's easy for me to alter something, I have like 6 ingredients tops. Fine dining is way different and I understand the reluctance.

I would of told that punk kid to take a hike. Thats not even close to a gyros. Thats just an insult to gyros as a whole. That said.... One gyros to go,hold the lettuce please.

I would be happy to hold the lettuce John.

If someone wants me to crush a bag of potato chips and pour it over the hot dog it will be the best crushed up potato chip hot dog they have ever had.

For special events I make an item with a set recipe but if they want me to modify it somehow, they got it. I hook them up, tell them a joke, and they come back with a friend usually. But of course this is hot dogs, not fine dining. I understand a chef's perspective that a $30 entree is cooked perfectly with no alterations necessary (for instance, I am very hesitant to even ask for salt and pepper at a top shelf joint). But for me, if they want ketchup and gravel on the dog, they get it with a smile! But it's about context here. It's easy for me to alter something, I have like 6 ingredients tops. Fine dining is way different and I understand the reluctance.

Well said, Adam, but even at that, you know that a Chicago Dog, hold the sport peppers, relish, tomato, and celery salt, but add nacho cheese and sauerkraut is not a Chicago Dog at all.