re: Bad meal / dining experiences. Problems and solutions.

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Yeah, but the real source of the issue is the person who incinerated the food, where is their blame and accountability? Why didn't he or she come to the table and offer a mea culpa to the customer?

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If this person in in FOH, how is he going to burn the food for other diners?

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it was inedible because it was overcooked and crusty.

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What kind of dish was it and why was it inedible? I mean was it a steak ordered med rare and came out more than well?

I worked in food service for a long time through HS, College, and until I was married.

Like most things, service especially from management is business specific. Some places will comp everything to make your dining experience great as soon as there is an issue, others refuse to do it until they absolutely have to.

Some places the management's bonus is tied to food cost. So I've had managers refuse to comp horrendous meals because of that.

Also, just because the food is not fantastic doesn't mean the income is bad. There are plenty of servers who work somewhere short term for reasons above and beyond the food being great. I always laugh when people are quick to blame the servers especially if they didn't deliver the food and a food runner did. Now if they delivered it and there is a visual issue with the food, different story.

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What kind of dish was it and why was it inedible?

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Lasagna.

The melted cheese was burnt, making it hard and crusty.

The lasagna noodles were also crunchy. These are execution issues.

My friend did not comment on the sauce. He didn't care for it, but it wasn't a topic of conversation when dealing with our waiter.

I don't mind being told no, if given an alternative. But to simply not try, be defeated, not being an "advocate" for your customer, not willing to get help or not making an effort on your own doing to make it right (as best as you can) is not acceptable. That's just poor customer service.

Browned, bubbly cheese is grat on lasagna, but it is easy to overdo it. It is about 30 seconds under the salamander for it to go from perfect to burned.

A good restaurateur want his customers to be happy, period. It is easy to tell when someone is abusing that privilege and being unreasonable.

I was in Newfoundland recently and in a serving of mussels the last one I ate was bad, horribly bad. I asked the waiter to bring some bread so I could get the taste out of my mouth, he brought the bread, a salad and comped the entire meal. I told him that wasn't necessary, my wife enjoyed her meal, but he insisted and treated us to after dinner drinks. I'll likely never be at that restaurant in Newfoundland again, but obviously I was impressed with their professionalism.