Can you depend on a server's recommendation?
 

When I went to a new restaurant, or even one I'd been to before, I occasionally asked the server for suggestions. They usually didn't pan out for me, probably as much because of personal taste differences than anything else, but maybe not just that.

Recently, I have read several articles that servers are instructed what to say if asked, or even if not, because they restaurant needs to push certain dishes, either to use up leftovers, get rid of overstock, or because they got a good deal from their supplier.

Occasionally I get a god recommendation, but it is so hit-and-miss that a random request just doesn't seem worth it. The only case where it seems to work is if you go back to the same place and a server gets to know you and your tastes.

I wonder if other people have had different experiences and if so, what is their secret.

Can you depend on a server's recommendation?
 

Dish is recommended or "a customer favourite" = highest profit margin.

My basic assumption.

Mine too.

I prefer to tell the server a few dishes I'm considering and ask for feedback.

Re-read this paragraph a few time and the truth will sink in.

See if seafood ;) is recommended as the lunch special on Monday! :p

That's an excellent suggestion.

I hate a server coming to the table and telling me what he had for dinner or what his favorites are. My taste and preferences are probably different. Maybe I'm even allergic to his favorite meal. I also despise being told "great choice". It just comes off as he's full of crap. And, just my observation here, it's always the male servers that do this.

I find they can be useful in recommending what not to have - it tends to be more reliable as they're rarely under orders not to tell people something is bad.

What is really fun though is to ask for a recommendation, consider is carefully, thank the waiter and then ask for something else. You get some fantastic looks of confusion.

Even if they is no profit motivation, why trust someone else's taste preferences?

I routinely find two or three items that appeal to be equally. I'll then ask the server which he or her recommends. It's pretty easy to tell from their enthusiasm or lack thereof whether to move ahead with one of them. And they are choosing between items whose description appeals to me, so I have found this very effective.

Guess I'm not as cynical as others here. While I'm not naive enough to think there's not some house motivation to push a special, I've often found them to be quite good. I guess there's a difference between blindly accepting a recommendation or a special and asking a few probing questions and making a somewhat informed choice. And, if you don't like the way something sounds, by all means, don't order it just because it's the "special"!

I do let them know I have a bad shellfish allergy; and I am trying to choose between X and Y. If they are paying attention, they can usually steer me in the right direction. I am also very grateful, as others have pointed out, for servers who quietly let me know not to order a particular dish.

If a server recommends something, it's really easy to ask a very specific question (or two) about the dish and check his/her response. That normally works well for me in deciding.

A colleague once followed my original question by asking the server what specifically it was about the recommended dish that made it so special. The vagueness in the server's response to his second question made it clear that the server was being less than honest.

But I hear so many people ask "what do you recommend?"

I suggest you read "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain. He has more than a few choice words to say about "specials" and recommendations. ;)



http://tuebl.ca/download?id=38879&ti...20Confidential

remember asking the waiter once "what is the special" he didn't even reply
just shook his head slightly.
I think we just had drinks and moved on:p

My wife does this some, but more common, she does the variant, "what do most people order?"

Neither makes any sense to me. How are other people's tastes going to help my dining experience?