Red Meat

[Anakah]

It was 12am, I had just gotten off of work and grabbed my fiance to go out to eat. We don't get to do this often so it was a big treat for us.

Anyway, the restaurant was pretty empty. Maybe two or three other customers in there. We get seated.

Everything is fine, the waitress was a little forgetful but I didn't care because I'm sure she had a billion things to do, I can understand that.

I ordered steak and eggs. I asked for well done.

Well, as I start to cut my meat, I eat a few bites and when I cut the next piece it was really redder and redder. I cut a little more into it and realized it was to the point where I couldn't eat it.

Now, I don't normally send food back but this was pretty gross. It looked rare. I spent a good nine dollars on my meal. My fiance said if we were going to spend that much we might as well have it right.

The waitress came back saw it and had this look:

She took it back right away. I still had my eggs and hash browns and was nibbling on that waiting for the steak. Well, about... twenty mins went by and nothing. I nibbled so much I finished my meal and so did my fiance. Still no steak...

We got the check... The waitress brought it out about ten mins after that in a to go box. Kind of made me mad that my main meal had to end up as a to go.

I know it wasn't the waitress' fault infact she said they were having problems with the cook. I understand but it was just so annoying. My fiance told me not to leave a tip. I can't do that. I left a few dollars. She wasn't very prompt, kind of ignored us and the boy who brought us our drinks and cleared our plates was a lot better than her... Nonetheless I tipped because I think its rude not to and she may have been trying her best.

But it just kind of sucked...

[Bella_Vixen]

I'm sorry, but I would have told her to take the price of the steak off the check. That was just all kinds of wrong.

[Becks]

Tough situation. She should've asked you if you WANTED to take the steak home with you. Well, actually, she should've brought the finished product back.

I'm wondering...was it a NEW steak, or the original one recooked?

As for the tip...Hmmm...I'm conflicted. We all know that servers depend on tips. She truly didn't deserve the approx. 20% that is more or less standard for adequate service. If it's a place that shares tips, the busboy (?) deserved it, she doesn't...not so much.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Same here. Tho I like my steak rare so I wouldn't mind if it was mooing like yours was. XD Well done tho, I would have bugged them til they brought me it, and if they hadn't, I would have asked for the manager. That's not being sucky, that's insisting on what's due to you as a customer. And I definitely wouldn't have left a tip.

[Anakah]

I was hoping the bus boy would pick it up. I also know how it feels to not get tips-- I just couldn't bring myself not to leave something. My fiance told me not to but I couldn't walk out without leaving something.

They were nice enough to bring me a new steak but it kind of sucked that it took so long but I really didn't want to cause a scene or anything. Bascially $hit happens and I am understanding to a point.

I still paid for it because they brought a new one and I cut it in the middle right there. But I figured I could always cook it better at home if need be. I didn't want to wait another half an hour. It was cooked this time and it was bigger than my first piece. So that was nice. Probably why it took longer. Maybe they should hire a new cook if they're having issues with them or disipline.

[Becks]

Maybe they should hire a new cook if they're having issues with them or disipline.

That would make sense, so it's not allowed. :comforting pats: there, there™®

[Sliceanddice]

I always give a tip (10-20 percent) but i think for her i would have dropped it to like a dollar or two. I get my steak medium rare.

[Auto]

Maybe they should hire a new cook if they're having issues with them or disipline.

Sorry, but what happened is probably not the cook's fault. If a new steak was going to take time, she needed to tell you that. If you waited as long as you did, there's a good chance the food was ready and waiting to be picked up. She just goofed.

I would have asked to have it taken off the check. And I would have said something to the manager about the piss-poor service. The waitress really screwed you.

[Andara Bledin]

I would have left a minimal tip to prove that I do leave them, but that the service was subpar.

And I wouldn't have taken the steak in a to go box or paid for it. If it can't be brought out with the meal, then I don't want it. Unless they let me know and get my premission first.

^-.-^

[Crazyredhead]

I have only had to send my steak back once, it was to done. I like medium rare and this was almost well done. If a steak is underdone they just slap it on the grill for a little while, but if it is overdone they have to do a new one.

I have this little tip chart that I carry with me. It shows 15% and 20% for meal ranging from $10.00 up to $100.00, I usually refer to that and if the service is subpar I start deducting from it. I used to waitress, so I understand how it is and I am usually patient and understanding.

[myswtghst]

In that situation, I probably would have tried to tip the bus boy directly, if I could get away with it. It's hard, because you don't want to penalize the server for the cook's mistake, but it doesn't sound like she was particularly on top of things either.

[Starlord]

Steak

I used to love to eat at one of two chain steakhouses. At one one night, I ordered my ribeye very rare, as I always did in those days before Mad Cow, and they put this little plastic tent on my tray, so the cashier would know what I ordered. When the steak was delivered to the table, I cut into it, then excused myself and returned to the cook station. I told the guy I had ordered my steak very rare, and he had cooked in medium well, at least. He gave me a withering stare, flipped the little reach in open and got a fresh ribeye. He threw it on the gril, immediately turned it over, then flipped it onto a sizzle plate and slid it across the counter with this snotty attitude. I said, "Why couldn't you have done that to begin with?" He got this horrified look on his face, and said "You're gonna eat that?" I said, "I sure am, and I'll enjoy every bite." It is so hard to get someone who will cook a steak to order, instead of cooking it to their taste.

[JustADude]

He threw it on the gril, immediately turned it over, then flipped it onto a sizzle plate and slid it across the counter with this snotty attitude.

Oh, gotta love it when some ass tries to throw a tantrum and ends up doing exactly what you wanted them to. Always fun.

[tollbaby]

He threw it on the gril, immediately turned it over, then flipped it onto a sizzle plate and slid it across the counter with this snotty attitude. I said, "Why couldn't you have done that to begin with?" He got this horrified look on his face, and said "You're gonna eat that?" I said, "I sure am, and I'll enjoy every bite." It is so hard to get someone who will cook a steak to order, instead of cooking it to their taste.

Just so you know, that would be considered a "blue" steak, not "very rare". Very rare is pink with a bit of blood, not raw. When I go out and order steak, I always as for it "as blue as you can legally give it to me", and it's always perfect.

As for Mad Cow.... the degree of doneness has absolutely NOTHING to do with it. The reason you're supposed to cook HAMBURGERS all the way through is because ground meat is ALL surface. Steaks don't have to be cooked through because salmonella and e. coli can survive on the surface, but not within the fibre of the meat itself. It's got nothing to do with BSE It's all about the Salmonella (whereas, chicken and pork, having less dense meat fibres, can support Salmonella all the way through the meat, and thus they need to be cooked properly).

This nutrition lesson has been unofficially brought to you by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (I used to work there and I basically paraphrased our cooking instructions).

[TrainedChimp]

Oh, gotta love it when some ass tries to throw a tantrum and ends up doing exactly what you wanted them to. Always fun.

Isn't that the myth behind the creation of what we Americans call chips?