Originally Posted by
discflicker
Has anyone tried using the "Complimentary Chef's Taste" perk? I tried twice...
Saltbox (San Diego): I mentioned that I'd like to use it to our server, who had never heard of it (awkward!). Then I brought it up on my phone and he brought us some dessert, which was nice. He was pleasant throughout the exchange, but I hate the drawn out conversation of "can i have free stuff? no really, it says here that i get free stuff!".
Scala's Bistro (San Francisco): Hoping to avoid any potential awkwardness, I mentioned the perk in the "additional notes" part of my opentable reservation. Our waiter brought us a delicious tomato soup as a result, though he mentioned that they don't really do the perk anymore. It'd be nice to see some clarification about where and when (I know recently they clarified that it's dinner-only) the perk applies.
I've tried several times in probably 3-4 different restaurants -- it has always been awkward and I don't think I've ever gotten anything special. I have just mentioned to the host/hostess that I'm Inner Circle and that hasn't worked, and then this past time at the Eventi I made an Open Table reservation and mentioned it in the comments, and that didn't work either. I'm really not keen on having to say "please give me my free stuff" so I've let it go every time. And really, it's not a big deal at all. But it's too bad that it's mentioned as a benefit and no one seems to know what to do about it...