MissJ

^^ Totally agree with the last line above.

I do have a self-imposed dietary restriction.. I'm a vegetarian. So you know how I deal with it? I order things that don't contain meat. Simple.

I am actually allergic to scallops and some other shellfish but since I stopped eating meat it isn't much of a thing, but when I did eat meat, I never went to seafood restaurants because of the risk. I learned this the hard way as a teenager in Key West - went with friends and ate something without seafood in it but still ended up puffed up like a balloon. I don't expect a restaurant that serves hundreds of people per day to make special accommodations for me. Most kitchens aren't full of skilled chefs, they are line cooks that know how to make what is on the menu and have certain ingredients available. They are cooking quickly and for a lot of people at one. The way I see it, the menu tells you what they have and you order from that. I would never look at a chicken sandwich on a menu and ask if they could make it with a tempeh patty... so many places wouldn't even have that.

DeafFlyer

Why complain They probably won't be there next time you go.

Non-NonRev

+1

There is a restaurant in Beverly Hills called Maude, run by celeb chef Curtis Stone. The restaurant serves a fixed tasting menu, changing every month, focused on a single ingredient (usually a veg like asparagus, radish, etc).

Early on after it opened, a woman went to eat there; she posted a scathing review because Stone (who was in the kitchen) would not alter some of the courses to suit her palate.

Excuse me? Lady, why did you even go there.

mapleg

I did not realize that was one of the rules of making a complaint.

So when a FT'er mentions poor manners on a flight, why talk about it? After all, unlikely the person will be beside you on your next flight.

dchristiva

I don't think every restaurant needs to cater to every person for every dish. I think asking for no butter on your steak is more than fine. I would not say that it's okay to swap the main ingredient of the house specialty just because it doesn't fit the diner's lifestyle or if he/she is allergic.

superangrypenguin

I agree.

Annalisa12

My store often has lines out the door. I dont understand parents who only ask the kids what they want when they reach the counter. Plan ahead for everyones benefit

BamaVol

I'm in the same boat. I cannot tolerate dairy products and feel like I live in a cheese-crazed world. I agree with you and the OP that it's unreasonable to expect substitutions or a custom meal for $6. I have a different rant - I wish more restaurants would list ALL the ingredients in a dish. Too many times I have felt false confidence only to get a meal with cheese or a creamy sauce on top that was never mentioned in the menu description even though the other 8 ingredients were. I realize it's up to me to make my restrictions known but should it always be necessary?

I just got off a 7 day cruise. My first meal on board was a "barbecue burger". All the other burgers identified cheese as an ingredient. This one did not. Guess what came on the burger? One night in the MDR, I explained that I could not eat dairy products to the server. She went to the kitchen and came back to tell me that my only choice on the menu was the salmon and it would come without the green beans. At least there was something I could eat.

I have no idea what this family's issue was. But they probably were in the wrong place to be so particular.

superangrypenguin

I agree.

mapleg

Similar to the dolts at the grocery store who seem not to grasp the theory they actually have to pay and then spend 5 minutes at the cash register (after everything is bagged and read to go) rooting through their purse/bag/pockets for their wallet/debit/card/cash.

As Rodney Dangerfield famously said "Let's go...while we're young".

DeafFlyer

Wow! I didn't know that I made the rules! The world would be a better place if I got to make the rules. I did not say you could not complain. I have no authority to do that.

I figured it would be easier to look at the positives than the negatives in this situation. Since they didn't get what they wanted, they likely won't be back. That's a good thing for you.

bensyd

I have noticed in America that there is an emphasis placed on being able to customise a meal, even at more high end restaurants. When you order a dish the waiter will often rattle off a hundred different combinations and ways of preparing it.

mapleg

Wish it was the case but the husband was griping "they know me here..I have been coming here for 10 years etc".

10 years and he still could not figure out the basics.

HMPS

I am like you...being a vegetarian often I have to request tofu instead of meat ot chicken.

If is the lunch hour rush I will let it die down , or better go at 1 P M. Less crowded.

Non-NonRev

Here's the rhubarb menu from Maude:



There are only 25 seats and the idea is that all diners get the same 9 courses. Notwithstanding what you said about catering to individual tastes, the specificity of these courses IMHO doesn't lend itself to that. Yet the woman felt that her whim should be catered to.