Just because a restaurant will accommodate a special request doesn't mean they like doing it. I eat lunch and dinner out approximatley six to eight times a week. I have owned restaurants in the past; my first job at age 13 was a dishwasher/bus boy in a diner (I later became a short order cook); and I put myself through college and grad school working in the food service industry. Next to customers who snap their fingers to get attention, our number one per peeve was special orders. We would try to accomodate, but we didn't like doing it. And more often than not, we found that special order customers did this all the time at every place they ate, not because of special dietary needs, but to show their dinner companions how important they are. In my experience, 99% of special orders were an exercise of ego and control.
Although the customer may not see the special order as a big deal, I can guarantee you that they are a big deal to the kitchen staff, paricularly during prime dining hours. A good kitchen runs like a well oiled machine, and if a line cook has to spend three minutes plucking the peppers from sausage and peppers, that means that someone else's food is three minutes late or that another line cook has to do two jobs instead of one, which can compromise the quality of another diner's food.
Here's an example: I used to have an ownership interest in a small bistro (24 seats). A guy and his wife came in at 8:00 pm on a Saturday night. He orders the shrimp and pasta, but asks us to cook the pasta without using salt because he has high blood pressure. We have six, stovetop, gas burners, one of which is dedicated to a pot of salted, boiling water, which is primarily used to cook pasta. To accommodate the special order, the chef either has to take the pot out of service for ten minutes while he boils unsalted water for the special order, or tie up another burner for ten minutes to boil unsalted water. Either way, another customer's dining experience may suffer. The worst part is that special order customers are often flexing their egos and can't wait to complain that the special order "is the worst food that I have ever eaten."
No doubt that there a truly asses out there who make life difficult. But that is exactly why I apologize FIRST. I also tend to limit my specials to things that are added to the meal. For example ... can you put the dressing on the side? Please leave off X (Mayo and Avocado are my two biggest) I am not allergic to avocado but as a child I was forced to eat it to the point that it still invokes a gag reflex.
I’m sure the restaurant would not want a patron upchucking their dinner where everyone can and will hear them. My most difficult state is California. For some reason they dont believe anything should be served without either avocado or yuck-a-moley. After two bad experiences at one location, I finally had to resort to saying .... “I want a hunk of meat, cooked. No coverings, no pepperings, no crust, no paste, no extras - nothing. Just a hunk of meat cooked.” Fortunately they got that one right. It was quite an enjoyable meal and I tipped rather well.
One of my favorite restaurants in town has a great policy. No kids, no substitutions and one credit card per table. The food is fantastic (Okinawan, Korean and Japanese fusion) and reasonably priced. If your are brave when it comes to food you can tell your server what you want to spend per person and the Chef will send you plate after plate of wonderful dishes. Last time we went we got local fresh sea urchin, yellowtail, grilled duck hearts, a Korean meatball dish and braised shortribs to die for among other things a 20 bucks per person.
I was a cook at some better upscale casual restaurants for a while and a lot of thought goes into some dishes to create a sense of balance with the textures and flavors. Substitutions can mess up the flow and routine of the kitchen. If a dish has something that I don’t care for I will order something else.
One of my favorite restaurants in town has a great policy. No kids, no substitutions and one credit card per table. The food is fantastic (Okinawan, Korean and Japanese fusion) and reasonably priced. If your are brave when it comes to food you can tell your server what you want to spend per person and the Chef will send you plate after plate of wonderful dishes. Last time we went we got local fresh sea urchin, yellowtail, grilled duck hearts, a Korean meatball dish and braised shortribs to die for among other things at 20 bucks per person.
I was a cook at some better upscale casual restaurants for a while and a lot of thought goes into some dishes to create a sense of balance with the textures and flavors. Substitutions can mess up the flow and routine of the kitchen. If a dish has something that I don’t care for I will order something else.