Extra Charge For Sent Back Food?

[Juliebove]

This was a first! We dined at Shari's tonight. I like them because they do have a book in the back that lists all ingredients. And perhaps I should have asked that they check in their book tonight. But I didn't.

My daughter had a chicken salad there before and it was fine. But they have since changed their menu. There were several salads listed and some listed croutons. She chose the American chopped salad. Here is what the menu said about it:

This American Classic combines our country ham, tender turkey breast, Cheddar, Swiss, black olives, green onions, tomato, and sliced egg on a bed of mixed greens.

No bread or croutons listed so I foolishly assumed it would be fine. I just looked at their menu online to double check what it says. And when you look at the menu online and click on the heading of "American Chopped Salad" it does list the carb count as 43g and lists the allergens including wheat. But that is not available on the menu in the restaurant.

Imagine our surprise when the dish came out with triangles of flat bread all around the edge. I then explained to the waitress that she couldn't have it because she has a wheat allergy and mentioned that the menu fails ot mention bread. I know often bread might be brought out on the side but who would think they would put it *in* the salad?

The waitress acted very angry at me. At first I thought I was just imagining this but my daughter commented on it several times. I didn't imagine it.

Then imagine my surprise when I got the bill and she charged me for TWO salads! Then underneath she noted "bread allergy", "recook"...not that you would cook a salad but... She did then subtract an odd amount. I think it was $5.29. So we paid something like an extra $4 (it didn't work out exactly) to have the salad remade.

I am very torn on this. On the one hand I am glad that they did redo the salad and glad that my daughter didn't get sick. But on the other hand I feel that this wasn't my fault because they didn't list that the salad contained bread.

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

[kenlove]

never heard of anything like this and would think that the owner or managers would like to know about your dissatisfaction.

Of course its best your daughter didnt get sick but you could tell them if she had it would be a law suit waiting to happen since

the allergens were not mentioned. Then again we can never assume that wait staff or chefs even know whats what..

Stil I would call and complain - hope you didnt tip the person that got mad at you!

This was a first! We dined at Shari's tonight. I like them because they do have a book in the back that lists all ingredients. And perhaps I should have asked that they check in their book tonight. But I didn't.

My daughter had a chicken salad there before and it was fine. But they have since changed their menu. There were several salads listed and some listed croutons. She chose the American chopped salad. Here is what the menu said about it:

This American Classic combines our country ham, tender turkey breast, Cheddar, Swiss, black olives, green onions, tomato, and sliced egg on a bed of mixed greens.

No bread or croutons listed so I foolishly assumed it would be fine. I just looked at their menu online to double check what it says. And when you look at the menu online and click on the heading of "American Chopped Salad" it does list the carb count as 43g and lists the allergens including wheat. But that is not available on the menu in the restaurant.

Imagine our surprise when the dish came out with triangles of flat bread all around the edge. I then explained to the waitress that she couldn't have it because she has a wheat allergy and mentioned that the menu fails ot mention bread. I know often bread might be brought out on the side but who would think they would put it *in* the salad?

The waitress acted very angry at me. At first I thought I was just imagining this but my daughter commented on it several times. I didn't imagine it.

Then imagine my surprise when I got the bill and she charged me for TWO salads! Then underneath she noted "bread allergy", "recook"...not that you would cook a salad but... She did then subtract an odd amount. I think it was $5.29. So we paid something like an extra $4 (it didn't work out exactly) to have the salad remade.

I am very torn on this. On the one hand I am glad that they did redo the salad and glad that my daughter didn't get sick. But on the other hand I feel that this wasn't my fault because they didn't list that the salad contained bread.

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

[Juliebove]

never heard of anything like this and would think that the owner or managers would like to know about your dissatisfaction.

Of course its best your daughter didnt get sick but you could tell them if she had it would be a law suit waiting to happen since

the allergens were not mentioned. Then again we can never assume that wait staff or chefs even know whats what..

Stil I would call and complain - hope you didnt tip the person that got mad at you!

I did tip her. I actually gave her a good tip. I just didn't know what to make of it all. Part of me felt like it was my fault for not asking. I do know better. At another restaurant we got dinner salads that had eggs on them. I am very allergic to eggs. I did ask about croutons and cheese but didn't think to ask about eggs!

[jswog]

Honestly, I suspect that the waitress made a mistake when she took re-rang the meal and took the first one off. I've worked in restaurants off and on for about 18 years now and have NEVER EVER charged anyone for food that was sent back, if anything, BOTH meals are comped. I'd definately talk to the manager about both the charge for the meal sent back and about making sure ALL possible allergens are listed.

[kenlove]

I guess I Was more concerned with what you said about her attitude and being angry at you. thats plain wrong and I'm sure the owner would love to know about it since thats the last thing they want going around. I have extremes in hawaii with some of the best servers and wait staff in the world -- but there are a few who belong someplace other than Hawaii!

I would tell them about it

I did tip her. I actually gave her a good tip. I just didn't know what to make of it all. Part of me felt like it was my fault for not asking. I do know better. At another restaurant we got dinner salads that had eggs on them. I am very allergic to eggs. I did ask about croutons and cheese but didn't think to ask about eggs!

[Juliebove]

I guess I Was more concerned with what you said about her attitude and being angry at you. thats plain wrong and I'm sure the owner would love to know about it since thats the last thing they want going around. I have extremes in hawaii with some of the best servers and wait staff in the world -- but there are a few who belong someplace other than Hawaii!

I would tell them about it

I think she was new. We don't go there often. So I don't really know for sure.

[Skylark]

I've had to send back salads like that. I had one served in a deep fried tortilla shell that wasn't mentioned on the menu at all. Nobody has ever charged me when I explain that I was going by the menu description and that it doesn't mention a major allergen. I would have gotten the manager, explained the problem, and flatly refused to pay an upcharge.

For the future, no matter what the menu says I habitually order salads with "No bread, croutons, or anything with wheat. I have a really bad allergy." It works out well.

[Juliebove]

I've had to send back salads like that. I had one served in a deep fried tortilla shell that wasn't mentioned on the menu at all. Nobody has ever charged me when I explain that I was going by the menu description and that it doesn't mention a major allergen. I would have gotten the manager, explained the problem, and flatly refused to pay an upcharge.

For the future, no matter what the menu says I habitually order salads with "No bread, croutons, or anything with wheat. I have a really bad allergy." It works out well.

Thanks! I will have to remember to do that.

[NorthernElf]

Thanks for the heads up. I think I would have done the same in your place (minus the tip) - when you don't expect things like this, one tends to just go with.

BUT, now that I know this kind of thing is out there, I am prepared to fight it. I would not pay for a salad I didn't have, a mistake the restaurant made. I never thought a restaurant would do this.

[weluvgators]

It happened to us once when we were travelling . . . I was tired, in a bit of a hurry and not feeling like going over every detail with the server at a small restaurant (not a chain). The meat dish I ordered arrived with the meat covered in fancy bread crumbs - no mention whatsoever of that on the menu. Silly me for being adventurous when ordering based on the menu information without interrogating the server . . . I sent it back, didn't have time to wait for another dish, and finished up with the food that my kids were eating that had arrived safely. I paid a reduced price for that meal that I didn't eat - didn't eat one bite of it. I still left her a good tip because I wanted her to have a good experience with a food allergic diner.

[Juliebove]

Just to clarify... They did bring her another salad minus the bread. But they did charge us some extra.

[tarnalberry]

I would also call them and voice your complaints. The menu did not list croutons in any way, so ther eis no reason you should have been expected to know they would be there. You were taken advantage of.

[gigifree]

They should not have charged you for remaking it. Maybe the restaurant is rude to waitstaff, or makes them pay for these types of mistakes, which would make any waitperson stressed out. If you want to continue eating there, I would set up a meeting with the manager to find out, if they are willing to accommodate food requests from celiacs. If it was really that difficult, it's probably a management problem (not a wait staff problem) and you might not want to eat there anymre.

gigi

[kenlove]

Thats a really good point about some restaurants still making waitstaff pay for errors. Its not as common as it once was but must still be out there. Could explain her frustration or attitude problems -- still, she can get more tip with honey and not salt!

They should not have charged you for remaking it. Maybe the restaurant is rude to waitstaff, or makes them pay for these types of mistakes, which would make any waitperson stressed out. If you want to continue eating there, I would set up a meeting with the manager to find out, if they are willing to accommodate food requests from celiacs. If it was really that difficult, it's probably a management problem (not a wait staff problem) and you might not want to eat there anymre.

gigi

[Juliebove]

I would also call them and voice your complaints. The menu did not list croutons in any way, so ther eis no reason you should have been expected to know they would be there. You were taken advantage of.

It wasn't croutons. It was flat bread. I could see croutons not being listed. I do usually ask about croutons. But since several salads did list croutons and this did not, I didn't ask. This is the first time I have ever seen bread on a salad.

[Juliebove]

They should not have charged you for remaking it. Maybe the restaurant is rude to waitstaff, or makes them pay for these types of mistakes, which would make any waitperson stressed out. If you want to continue eating there, I would set up a meeting with the manager to find out, if they are willing to accommodate food requests from celiacs. If it was really that difficult, it's probably a management problem (not a wait staff problem) and you might not want to eat there anymre.

gigi

That restaurant would never have been our first choice. My daughter and I don't really like it. It is pretty much like a Denny's. The only appeal is that they are open 24 hours. So it's the only place we can eat late at night. We do have Denny's here. It's just that with all of our food allergies there is little there that is safe for us to eat.

I had suggested another place to my dad and he thrust his nose in the air and made a face. He has recently had a stroke. Hasn't been out of the house much. And his memory is now shot because of the stroke. One thing he seems to have forgotten about is food. For some reason he seems to think he dislikes everything. So when he said he wanted to go there, we just said we would go.

If we do go again, I will for sure ask the waitress to check in the book in the back before we order anything.

[sariesue]

I'm really tired right now after working as a waitress for 6 hours tonight, so forgive me if these points have been made.

1. If you have food allergies TELL YOUR SEVER all of your allergies every time. Severs don't know what you don't tell them. If you had told your server about the wheat allergy and it still came with the flatbread it's her fault. If you failed to tell her, it's your fault it came out with the bread.

2. Menu descriptions are general and don't mention things that are garnishes. So if you need something to be free of a specific food, you need to tell your server.

3. If your bill is incorrect or you have questions about it ask your server or the manager. Where I work you have to enter the specific amount that you want to comp off a meal. Your waitress could have meant to comp the entire meal and got the price wrong. I did that one night because I looked at the price of the wrong meal.

[Juliebove]

I'm really tired right now after working as a waitress for 6 hours tonight, so forgive me if these points have been made.

1. If you have food allergies TELL YOUR SEVER all of your allergies every time. Severs don't know what you don't tell them. If you had told your server about the wheat allergy and it still came with the flatbread it's her fault. If you failed to tell her, it's your fault it came out with the bread.

2. Menu descriptions are general and don't mention things that are garnishes. So if you need something to be free of a specific food, you need to tell your server.

3. If your bill is incorrect or you have questions about it ask your server or the manager. Where I work you have to enter the specific amount that you want to comp off a meal. Your waitress could have meant to comp the entire meal and got the price wrong. I did that one night because I looked at the price of the wrong meal.

This doesn't really work either. It would seem that most people don't understand what wheat is. We have gotten salad with croutons, bread and rolls and pork chops with flour on them. They will just tell us it's only flour, or seasoning of some sort or just bread. Even when I have said something specific like "no croutons" we have gotten a salad with one crouton which they wanted to just pick off.

I guess I will just have to ask more questions.

[Jestgar]

I'm really tired right now after working as a waitress for 6 hours tonight, so forgive me if these points have been made.

1. If you have food allergies TELL YOUR SEVER all of your allergies every time. Severs don't know what you don't tell them. If you had told your server about the wheat allergy and it still came with the flatbread it's her fault. If you failed to tell her, it's your fault it came out with the bread.

2. Menu descriptions are general and don't mention things that are garnishes. So if you need something to be free of a specific food, you need to tell your server.

3. If your bill is incorrect or you have questions about it ask your server or the manager. Where I work you have to enter the specific amount that you want to comp off a meal. Your waitress could have meant to comp the entire meal and got the price wrong. I did that one night because I looked at the price of the wrong meal.

Thanks for writing it all down. Somehow seeing it sticks with me more than just sort of doing what makes sense at the time without really thinking about what could be or should have been. Yeah, just tell them. Every time. Assume nothing. Got it now.

[sariesue]

This doesn't really work either. It would seem that most people don't understand what wheat is. We have gotten salad with croutons, bread and rolls and pork chops with flour on them. They will just tell us it's only flour, or seasoning of some sort or just bread. Even when I have said something specific like "no croutons" we have gotten a salad with one crouton which they wanted to just pick off.

I guess I will just have to ask more questions.

Did you mention an extreme allergy to wheat, or just say no croutons? Because those really are two different things and are treated differently in kitchens. And if something comes out wrong, just send it back. Accidents do happen, and they happen more with the team service approach of many resturants. Since your server may not be the one delievering your food, it might be a completely different server who doesn't know that you have a gluten problem. Another way to prevent this from happening is to not go to a resturant during busy meal times. If you go to a resturant at a saturday at 6.30pm, there is a good possibility that a mistake might be made because everything is coming out of the kitchen so fast. Go at slower times and the service is usually better.

[Skylark]

This doesn't really work either. It would seem that most people don't understand what wheat is. We have gotten salad with croutons, bread and rolls and pork chops with flour on them. They will just tell us it's only flour, or seasoning of some sort or just bread. Even when I have said something specific like "no croutons" we have gotten a salad with one crouton which they wanted to just pick off.

I guess I will just have to ask more questions.

I've had that problem too. What do people think flour is made of anyway? Fortunately I always mention "bad wheat allergy" as well as the "no bread or croutons" and when I call a manager and explain the situation it's always been set right.

[Juliebove]

Did you mention an extreme allergy to wheat, or just say no croutons? Because those really are two different things and are treated differently in kitchens. And if something comes out wrong, just send it back. Accidents do happen, and they happen more with the team service approach of many resturants. Since your server may not be the one delievering your food, it might be a completely different server who doesn't know that you have a gluten problem. Another way to prevent this from happening is to not go to a resturant during busy meal times. If you go to a resturant at a saturday at 6.30pm, there is a good possibility that a mistake might be made because everything is coming out of the kitchen so fast. Go at slower times and the service is usually better.

When I got the croutons I did not mention the allergy but did order from their gluten free menu. I would have assumed that would be enough. Apparently not. Once there was a lone crouton. Apparently it fell on the salad. The waiter was just going to pick it off. Uh... I don't think so.

[Katrala]

I worked as a waitress for years and never charged a customer for sent back food. And I had some food sent back for a variety of reasons - including some that were completely ridiculous, "I forgot I didn't like alfredo sauce."

I do know some restaurants do charge wait staff for certain things. For example, Red Lobster (Darden restaurants) charges wait staff for the full price of the meal if a table "walks out" without paying. The server's other option is to claim a walk out. If it happens either 2 or 3 times (even over the course of years and years) the server is fired.

And while the entire situation stinks, I'm glad they actually wrote "re-cook" instead of just taking the flatbread off and trying to serve you the exact same salad.