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#Post#: 59481--------------------------------------------------
The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: LifeOnPluto Date: October 29, 2020, 6:19 am
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I was out with my partner and friends the other night at a
bar/restaurant (COVID is thankfully not an issue where I live,
and things are more or less back to normal). This is a middle of
the road type place - it specialises in craft beer, gourmet
burgers and fried chicken, so it's not like a dive bar, or your
average chain fast food restaurant.
My friend "Rita" ordered a chicken burger. She was halfway
through, and realised the chicken was undercooked (she showed
us, and it was definitely pink in the middle). She took it up to
the counter and explained the situation, and the staff said that
they'd 'fix it for her'.
About ten minutes later, they returned her plate, with her half
eaten burger. It was obvious that they'd simply microwaved it.
The burger was now warm, and the chicken cooked all the way
through (but as Rita said, the bun and lettuce were now soggy.
And her chips were now cold). The staff did not offer to provide
a refund (at this place, you order and pay at the counter
upfront before you get your food).
I personally thought the staff should have either comped her
meal, or fixed her a new burger free of charge. Our other friend
"Pete" reckoned they should have done both! Rita however, is
very much a "let's not make a fuss" type person. She reckoned
that the staff had offered to fix the problem, and technically
they did (given the chicken was now cooked) so they kept their
word, and therefore it would be petty of her to go back and
complain some more. She also felt the place was busy, and the
staff were probably "doing their best".
I completely realise this is a really minor issue in the grand
scheme of things, but I am curious to know what Brimstone
thinks? Do you reckon it's an acceptable solution for a busy
restaurant to microwave a customer's undercooked food, or did
the restaurant drop the ball here? Would Rita have been rude to
go back and ask for a new burger and/or her money back?
#Post#: 59483--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: bridalviolet Date: October 29, 2020, 7:25 am
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They simply microwaved the half-eaten burger? No, no way is that
acceptable. A whole new sandwich was the only way to go.
#Post#: 59484--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: Aleko Date: October 29, 2020, 7:41 am
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It's totally unacceptable.
Serving pink chicken isn't like serving a steak a bit rarer than
the customer ordered - it's a serious failure of food safety.
'Being busy' is no excuse - if having a full restaurant means
you serve potentially poisonous food, you shouldn’t be open. In
many jurisdictions it could in and of itself get them fined or
worse if the customer were to notify the relevant food safety
authority. Certainly if she went public, in a review, social
media or a newspaper, it could give them a bad knock.
So - given that they have served their customer something that
could potentially have poisoned her, and at the lowest reckoning
is just nasty to find oneself eating - the first thing the
staff should have done is to say sorry, and look and sound as
though they really meant it.
The second thing would be to offer her, at the very least, a
freshly cooked replacement meal of her choice (given that she
might well have gone off the idea of chicken) and serve it, hot
and good, as fast as they could. Ideally comp it; though if they
offered a free dessert or drink, or appetiser to eat while she
was waiting, or a voucher, that would pass, I guess.
Microwaving a half-eaten patty is simply not acceptable. It will
have cooled a good deal, what with being put inside a bun with
sauces, salad etc, and microwaving it enough to cook the centre
fully will overcook the outside, and also destroy the crispness
that the surface of anything grilled or fried should have. So it
can't by definition be a nice burger.
And putting it back on the plate with now-soggy bun and cold
fries is an obvious no-no. Even if it had been not a chicken
burger but a too-rare steak, which could have been cooked a bit
more without ruining it, any but the lowest-grade dive should
have then added fresh accompaniments.
My feeling is that asking them politely but firmly for a
completely fresh meal or her money back is not only not rude,
but is a duty Rita actually owed to all potential customers of
that establishment. If this joint think they can get away with
serving unsafe meat and, when the customer points this out, just
microwaving it and sending it back on lukewarm soggy
accompaniments, they will continue doing it.
#Post#: 59488--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: BeagleMommy Date: October 29, 2020, 9:16 am
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[quote author=Aleko link=topic=1905.msg59484#msg59484
date=1603975298]
It's totally unacceptable.
Serving pink chicken isn't like serving a steak a bit rarer than
the customer ordered - it's a serious failure of food safety.
'Being busy' is no excuse - if having a full restaurant means
you serve potentially poisonous food, you shouldn’t be open. In
many jurisdictions it could in and of itself get them fined or
worse if the customer were to notify the relevant food safety
authority. Certainly if she went public, in a review, social
media or a newspaper, it could give them a bad knock.
So - given that they have served their customer something that
could potentially have poisoned her, and at the lowest reckoning
is just nasty to find oneself eating - the first thing the
staff should have done is to say sorry, and look and sound as
though they really meant it.
The second thing would be to offer her, at the very least, a
freshly cooked replacement meal of her choice (given that she
might well have gone off the idea of chicken) and serve it, hot
and good, as fast as they could. Ideally comp it; though if they
offered a free dessert or drink, or appetiser to eat while she
was waiting, or a voucher, that would pass, I guess.
Microwaving a half-eaten patty is simply not acceptable. It will
have cooled a good deal, what with being put inside a bun with
sauces, salad etc, and microwaving it enough to cook the centre
fully will overcook the outside, and also destroy the crispness
that the surface of anything grilled or fried should have. So it
can't by definition be a nice burger.
And putting it back on the plate with now-soggy bun and cold
fries is an obvious no-no. Even if it had been not a chicken
burger but a too-rare steak, which could have been cooked a bit
more without ruining it, any but the lowest-grade dive should
have then added fresh accompaniments.
My feeling is that asking them politely but firmly for a
completely fresh meal or her money back is not only not rude,
but is a duty Rita actually owed to all potential customers of
that establishment. If this joint think they can get away with
serving unsafe meat and, when the customer points this out, just
microwaving it and sending it back on lukewarm soggy
accompaniments, they will continue doing it.
[/quote]
Not only that, but the bun, lettuce, etc are cross contaminated
from the undercooked chicken in the first place. She still
could have gotten very sick from that. They should have made
her a different meal at no charge.
#Post#: 59489--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: TootsNYC Date: October 29, 2020, 9:26 am
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and contamination issues aside--who microwaves the whole plate?
At home, I have discovered that my chicken or burger is
underdone; I don't throw the whole thing out. I take the MEAT
out and microwave IT.
I don't microwave the whole plate with all the other things that
DON'T need to be heated.
They should have made her a whole new one, at a restaurant.
And she should feel free to write to the place and alert them
that this is what their staff is doing.
#Post#: 59497--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: Hmmm Date: October 29, 2020, 10:04 am
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Unacceptable. They should have made her a fresh meal. I know
most of the restaurant owners I know would have made a fresh
meal and would have comped her meal since underdone chicken is
such a no-no.
If I enjoyed the restaurant, I'd make the manager or the owner
aware so that they can retrain their staff. If I learned it was
the manager or owner who did this, I wouldn't go back.
#Post#: 59503--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: OnyxBird Date: October 29, 2020, 10:38 am
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Aside from initially serving raw meat and the bad service to the
current customer, they apparently stuck a customer's half-eaten
(and thus germy) sandwich in their microwave to reheat. The
microwave that is presumably there to serve some purpose in food
prep for their restaurant. I don't know all the details of
health regulations for commercial kitchens, but that sounds very
iffy to me. :-\
Is it actually dangerous? Intuitively, microwaves seem prone to
both splatter and vaporizing stuff from the food being heated,
which could spread the germs around the microwave, but probably
also has at least some sterilizing effect. Is that enough? I
don't know. But I wouldn't be willing to count on these clowns
knowing either. Reheating food a customer's mouth has touched in
the commercial kitchen certainly doesn't seem in line with the
regulations I have heard about.
#Post#: 59510--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: Luci Date: October 29, 2020, 11:22 am
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If I talked to the manager and he didn’t start over or said that
is standard operating procedure, I just wouldn’t go there for a
year. However, we have lots of dining options here and maybe you
don’t. Then I don’t know what I would do except spread the word.
#Post#: 59511--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: Winterlight Date: October 29, 2020, 11:59 am
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I would not go there again and I'd post reviews wherever I could
to warn people, because this is a safety issue along with bad
customer service.
#Post#: 59513--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Mysterious Case of the Microwaved Meal (at a restaurant)
By: Rose Red Date: October 29, 2020, 12:05 pm
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I would politely ask for a new meal or a refund. I pay money to
eat out so I don't have to cook, and I want the food and
experience that my money pays for.
It's not making waves. I may not say anything at a friend's
house, but in this case, it's business; not personal.
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