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Robin Garr

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How to complain? Talk to the manager, says Pete Wells

by Robin Garr » Sat Feb 09, 2019 11:51 am

I've been preaching this for years.

The New York Times wrote:CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK
How to Complain at a Restaurant? Just Ask Our Critic
Our restaurant critic, Pete Wells, explains why bringing your gripes to the management instead of anonymously torching the place online will make everybody happier.

Full article in The New York Times here ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/dini ... lJBgkGaGLQ
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Alexis Rich

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Re: How to complain? Talk to the manager, says Pete Wells

by Alexis Rich » Sun Feb 10, 2019 2:39 pm

I'm a pretty easy person to please and have only complained about a meal on this forum once (almost a decade ago). Heck, I've been known to just go ahead and eat a plate of food in front of me even if it's not what I ordered. I can count the times I've sent back a plate of food on one hand and that's in my lifetime. One reason I'm so hesitant to complain is that I don't want to be put into the category of people who complain in order to get something for free. I don't need free dessert or a comped appetizer. If I send back the food, just take it off my bill and let me get something else that I will happily pay for. When did a simple "I'm sorry" not cover a mistake in a restaurant? I've taken to talking to a manager AFTER I've paid for dinner so that no one thinks I'm scamming. A few months ago I was at Oskar's and they forgot to put the rice in the turkey rice soup. It was good, I ate it all and, on my way out, I let them know the rice was missing. They checked with the new line cook and sure enough he forgot that the soup got a scoop of rice mixed in before serving. No harm, no foul. Now everyone gets rice and it's all good.

One thing that was missing from the article is that it is almost NEVER, EVER the server's fault that the food isn't to your liking. Servers shouldn't be punished for errors of the kitchen. Be patient, give the server time to let you taste the food and ask if everything is ok. I find that it seems like an eternity for a server to stop by and correct a mistake when everyone else is ready to eat but it's really only a few minutes.

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