Had dinner last night at a famous local chain that specializes in Chicken ad Waffles.
I was up all night and drank almost a gallon of water.
The food only tasted a little salty-but I am guessing the chicken was kept in a salt water bath before being used-thus hiding the sodium. I did not use any table salt(very very rarely do)but my god this place is a public menace!
Would you say anything or just not go back ?

I just wouldn't go back. Some people undoubtedly like that sodium taste, although I don't.

I'd mention it. Even I know that over-seasoning is just as bad, if not worse, than under-seasoning, so I would expect a restaurant to know it.

Depends on excessive, ever check some of the numbers from a fast food place?

McDonalds Double 1/4 pounder and crispy chicken sandwiches each have over 1,300 mg of sodium, which is over half your RDA.

The chicken was probably only 80% chicken, most fast food places are 75 or 80% chicken, the rest a laundry list of a bad chemistry expirament. Again, Mcdonalds, leaving most of the stuff off, for their crispy chicken patty. The third ingredient in the chicken is salt, it's an ingredient in the coating, and there are several other ingredients that start with sodium.

Not sure that's unexpected in some places.

Waffles also have a lot of "hidden" sodium.

Very true statement. Unfortunately most restaurants hide poor cooking techniques by overseasoning with a) salt and/or b) garlic or onion powder.

"Salt water baths" dont hide sodium but excessive salting is easily done by the 18-19 year old restaurant "chefs". Also MSG is used more than often than one can imagine (ie its a cheap flavor enhancer) and it is loaded with non-salty-tasting sodium.

MisterNice

Roscoes?

I would call the manager of the restaurant and mention the problem. Maybe they can tell you the exact source of the extra sodium so you can look for ways to avoid this in the future.

I would just be a non-returning customer for excessive MSG establishments.

It sounds like a pretty low end place you visited. Personally, I find this a difficult call. I do want to just have my food fixed, but at lower end places I am quite worried that this will not be the only change made to my food. At fast food type places, I just complain, get it taken care of and eat somewhere else. In a nice place, I have them recook the meal.

Having worked in that industry, I would suggest you complain. The onus is on the establishment first and foremost to feed you. In the case where they have made something you can't even eat, then they want to know.

In terms of hidden sodium, the cooking mentality is that anything that comes out of a restaurant should be seasoned. By seasoned, they mean salt and pepper. When you dine out, you will be eating high sodium foods almost without question. I'd especially avoid soups and liquid items. They require a lot of salt or else they taste too fresh.

If the food only tasted a 'little salty', why would you complain? The job of the restaraunt is to serve you a meal that tastes good, not one that is necessarily healthy. Sounds to me like they upheld their part of the deal, so complaining, imo, would be trite.

I did return a bowl of crab bisque this past sunday. Waaaaaay too much salt. With each spoonful, the salty element to the dish built to a point where it was just disgusting.

There are ways restaurants treat food with sodium that would hide the actual sodium level.
Soaking chicken in a salt water bath does two things,it masks/removes off odors in chicken past its prime(in our homes we would throw it out)and it plumps up the chicken.
MSG is another ingredient that would not taste"salty"but rather triggers anoother taste receptor-but would increase the sodium level.