Is there a way to make the restaurant do as what you requested?

#1

For example: if it is a restaurant that sells fried chicken, and we all knew that the flour-breaded is a bad idea.

I went to the restaurant, I requested that I don’t want my chicken to be battered/breaded, but the restaurant staff wants to be asshole. Even when I already said that if the result is bad, I won’t complain and make a big deal out of it, they still refused, like an asshole. It makes me very angry and literally wants to curse the restaurant to close down as soon as possible. I know I am negative, but if they don’t die, their life is way too relaxed.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

The best way to get a capitalist enterprise to change its ways is to refuse to patronize it and take your business elsewhere. If other people share your objections, they will have to change pretty quickly, if they want to stay in business.

#3

But the problem is that almost every restaurant is like that. Yet, no one cares.

(Trish) #4

Most restaurants, especially the chains, get their foods pre- what’s the word I’m looking for? The chicken for instance would come in come in a big box already breaded so the kitchen has no real option to alter the food format. You’d really have to go an independent or mom and pop type place and even then stuff comes prepackaged. Sauces, dressings, etc come in big bags that are simply poured into pots to heat. The restaurant doesn’t typically even know all the ingredients.
I encountered this recently at the grocer. They had store made stuffed portabello mushrooms. No nutritional info. So I asked the staff for the info. They didn’t know. Said the stuffing is meat, cheese, and this sauce they get. I asked for the ingredient list of the sauce. The brought out a 20 pound bag with no labels. Sigh

#5

But in some cases, it is just them being assh*le.

  • At least I can see the preparation of the food and it seems like they don’t bread in advance. They only bread/batter when the order comes. And the excuse for them not to follow my request is that the product will be bad. When I said I won’t complain even if it is bad, they then said that it is the order from the boss. I am like “f*ck you”. In this case, even if I complain, there is also no use…

  • There are also some cases that I want to change the side, but they refuse to, unless I top up the money, but I am thinking that the side that I wanna change to is not something that is worth a lot(rice to change to beansprout)

… =.=
The restaurant that I want to curse to close down is too much.

(Pete A) #6

Depends on where you go? A favorite place of mine here has local sausage and pork they include in sandwiches and on pizza and are happy to give me a little 4 oz bowl of each.

Voila!

(matt ) #7

I order off the menu all the time with no issues. I think asking a fried chicken place to completely change the process is a bit much. It’s not uncommon for someone to make an odd request like that and then post all over social media how bad the food was. Restaurants are very aware of this.

I am assuming this is chain where they are probably not allowed to even go that far outside of process if at all.

As far as changing sides I do that that all time and if costs more who cares. Greens do cost more than rice or potato.

I don’t know…pick your battles I guess…there are tons of places to eat.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #8

If you ask, and they cannot comply, you’re kind of being nasty if you do anything but say, “Thank you. I will take my business elsewhere.” Wishing unemployment and death on others is unkind.

I order off menu all the time, and ask for corrections that are clearly in the realm of their capability. I pay for the convenience sometimes. But I don’t eat fast food ever. Gotta go to places with actual cooks, who make things, rather than process things.

And tip nicely. Someone has done a special service for you, a standard tip is insufficient.

(matt ) #9

ADMIN HAT TIME

Let’s chill on calling folks assholes, dicks and jerks. It’s not adding anything.

(Jo O) #10

I try not to ask for too many changes to a menu item.
Restaurant staff are stressed/underpaid under normal conditions. I don’t need to cause too great a hiccup in their system, especially if it’s their peak hours. You can ask a bit more when they’re not busy.
There’s a professional chef in this forum that mentioned a high level of food/ingredient ignorance in her staff. Agree with Shallimar. Have you ever been to a restaurant supply house? I find LESS Keto friendly stuff than you’d think. Most is frozen pre-prepped stuff.
I look for the most Keto friendly menu item and sauce on the side and either olive oil and butter. I also have a eye dropper bottle of MCT oil (just in case).
If you rub staff the wrong way…you have NO IDEA how passive aggressive they can be behind your back. Ex: spit in your coffee.
I just quit eating out for awhile. It was too frustrating early on in my Keto journey to not find fun or interesting things to eat. Now, it’s more of a game to hunt for the best Keto item. Sometimes it’s only salad. I also ask which menu items have no sugar. They usually have to go back and ask the chef. Consider this extra time as education time for front/back of house, not an insult on their menu.

(Trish) #11

It’s true. Some just don’t want to work with you. At loblaws recently and getting their take out dinner of whole chicken, taters (my son will eat those )and it comes with with a “salad” options are macaroni, potato or coleslaw (which had 19 grams of sugar). I asked if could sub the salad for an actual salad like a bag of lettuce or something. …basically same price. Kid says no. I ask if manager would help me. Kid says no. Now normally I’m the sort that would either demand the manager or simply hand the food back and walk out but I was coming from seeing mom in ICU and had nothing sorted for the family for dinner and just had no fight in me so I bought the chicken and taters and left.

(Trish) #12

On the plus side. A and W officially does keto burgers now. :smile:

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #13

edited. Apologies.

(Sarah ) #14

There are personal chef services. That sounds like what you’re looking for. But restaurants, pretty much by definition, have a menu. A list of things they are willing to do, and how much it will cost. Some are nicer than others, about accommodations, but it’s only them doing you a favor, when that happens.

It sounds like you’re going to need to start buying food at the grocery store. How simple you choose to keep things, vs how much prep work you’re willing to do, is up to you. For instance, boiling eggs?

#15

Then if I promised not to complain and not to post the ugly result on the Facebook(if they are really bad)? I don’t mind preparing a contract for me to sign and for them to keep, seriously. I seriously don’t mind, if they are actually afraid of people using those special request to make their name bad.

Well, or else you want those boss of the restaurant to live well by not complying the request? I don’t have enough EQ for that, sorry.

Actually I am also kind enough not to ask this and that during peak hour, most of the time.

And if I know that they are trying to do something funny like that, I don’t mind making a big deal.

But most of the time I am just asking for reduction of stuff, like don’t batter/bread the chicken.

And I am very sure that they are able not to bread/batter as the chicken is not breaded/battered in the first place.
Of course, in some cases, it cannot be helped as the chicken is already breaded/battered, then I am still able to forgive, since it cannot be undone.

#16

I have thought of making the food myself, and sometime I really do so, but it is not something I am able to do everyday as sometime I don’t even have the time to make something. Of course, I can just boil the egg and eat, but everyday that? I am not too amused as well.

(Eric) #17

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(Sarah ) #18

Cloudy, I understand that you don’t have much experience cooking and that it’s much harder for you to understand why restaurants do the things they do. They want to create a uniform quality (taste, predictable, easy to package) that even the most stupid trained staff can replicate. Cooking breaded fried chicken is much easier than plain. This is why it’s so popular. Asking for unbreaded, is asking the cook to make a less tasty product, unless s/he does alot of extra work, and even then the results are iffy. Youre not making things easier. Its not basic arithmatic and it’s not j u st logic.

And they have other paying customers who like their product. And the cook gets paid crap, just to do the basics. Unless you happen to run into a cook who likes to do extra work for the challenge of it, you’re probably out of luck. Canned meat is not that bad, compared to what you’re getting at a fried chicken place. Add mayo or something, it’s about the same nutritional intake too.

#19

Huh? Canned meat is okay also?! It is the first time I heard of it. I thought that they normally use the carb to be the filler?!
At least those cheap sausage is like that… If the canned meat is okay(which I didn’t expect so), I am… Actually intrigued now. I am on my way going back to home, and I can pass by a supermarket.

Edited: I know the bacon is fine, but canned meat also?

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #20

4 Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss is a pretty decent book on basic cooking in a lowish carb vein.

Twenty by Michael Ruhlman is also a pretty solid cookbook for folks who don’t cook much but would like to cook more. It is not especially low carb, but it’s about technique.

I make a lot of food on Sunday, when I have a lot of loose time around the house. I package in tupperware and bring to work in deli containers. A three lbs chuck roast made as a simple braised pot roast is 6 protein servings through the week. Maybe 3 lunches and a dinner or two (as the wife will consume 1-2 servings). Just need a pot, a roast, some stock or bone broth (same diff), and maybe a shallot or some mushrooms. We make a pound of green beans on the weekend, or asparagus, or whatever. I’m a bit picky, so not too many veg in my wheelhouse. But that’s a bunch of servings for the week, and use of the microwaves at work and at home.

As to canned meats… check the labels, but generally tuna, salmon, anchovies, packed in water, olive oil, or their own oil are fine. Flavored, packed in canola or veg oil, more circumspect. Sugar and it’s ~47 forms should be listed on ingredients. Starch and it’s ~1000 label names as well.