Meal for Free or No Big Deal

[disneychrista]

Cheese may mean just cheese (typical for a kid's meal) or cheese with peppers, etc. but it SHOULDN'T mean chicken. If that was the case, it should have said "chicken quesadilla." Period.

I totally agree with the above. There is absolutely no reason to believe there would be chicken in a cheese quesadilla.

 

[DeniseinNS]

No big deal, accidents happen. I'm a server and mistakes like this can occasionally happen, if it was replaced quickly with the proper meal and then your child ate it then I don't see why it would be taken off the bill. I will take food off sometimes when there is something wrong (one meal takes alot longer due to mistake, foreign object in food, if the customer freaks out about a mistake, or if the food doesn't get eaten due to something being wrong and they don't want another meal)

 

[disfan07]

I am allergic to eggs and peanuts and even if it is OBVOIUS that something does not have either (like grilled chicken w/veggies) I still ask.

I always do a visual inspection of my food to check for obvious things (mayos, ranch dressing, spreads, etc) but 99% of the time, if it was something I am allergic to, its not obvious (breads, oils, etc).

So at least you can tell when it is something that shouldnt be there. I dont think they shoul dhave taken it off. They brought you a replacement meal and thast that. Not to trivialize being vegetarian, but its not life threatening...its a choice. It was a mistake, and they fixed it.

I've had mistakes happen at meals and all i expect is the correct meal. Not free dessert, no free meal, etc. Mistakes happen and I know that everytime I go out to eat it is a risk that something might not be correct.

 

[quasar4legs]

I have been vegetarian/vegan for 12 years and I would just ask for the meal to be replaced and not expect it to be removed from the bill.

I also need to eat gluten free and that would be a bigger deal to me because when they get that wrong I spend the night in the bathroom.

Cheers

 

[RachelEllen]

Just curious, especially from the vegetarians that replied. Do you feel it makes a difference if you can actually see the meat or not? Not that I actually expect anyone to agree with me at this point, but I could imagine getting that chicken pizza, and that would definitely not seem like a big deal. With the grilled and cheesy nature of a quesadilla, it was not immediately obvious that there was chicken and the fact that dd had taken several bites before I noticed was what caused my visceral "eeew" reaction.

 

[PaulaSue]

Op I wouldnt think it should be free when the brought you a new one. It was just with meat, not bad. IMO

 

[kaytieeldr]

With the grilled and cheesy nature of a quesadilla, it was not immediately obvious that there was chicken and the fact that dd had taken several bites before I noticed was what caused my visceral "eeew" reaction.

Respectfully, now you're changing your story. Originally she had taken a bite. Now it's several bites. Originally you noticed a piece of chicken hanging from the piece of quesedilla you'd torn off for her. Now you've had a visceral "eeew" reaction.

You wanted to know if we thought her meal should have been removed from the check because the original order was prepared incorrectly. Frankly, even given the seemingly more drastic conditions, my response remains a resounding no. As I said before, while I understand your husband has a moral issue against eating animal flesh, the restaurant did correct their mistake. Your daughter wasn't physically or emotionally harmed in any way by eating a bite or some bites of cooked chicken.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No big deal, accidents happen. I'm a server and mistakes like this can occasionally happen, if it was replaced quickly with the proper meal and then your child ate it then I don't see why it would be taken off the bill. I will take food off sometimes when there is something wrong (one meal takes alot longer due to mistake, foreign object in food, if the customer freaks out about a mistake, or if the food doesn't get eaten due to something being wrong and they don't want another meal)

I thought she paid for both quesdillas. I think the OP is talking about her paying for 2 kids meals?

Maybe I am wrong?

 

[Nancyg56]

But, if you went to a restaurant ordered something that didn't normally have onions on it, would you make a point of mentioning your allergy and checking for onions?

Absolutely. Not liking something is different from being allergic tosomething. When my DGD had food allergies my DD made a point of asking if there was dairy or eggs in anything that she ordered. You really must take responsibility for your DD's allergy and not rely on what you think is in an entree when you are ordering any item from the menu.

If you want your DD's meals handled as though she has a food allergy you must inform teh waitstaff so that the kitchen is prepared to handle her meals appropriately. Mistakes can happen on any order but I can tell you from personal expertience most restaurants take very special care of those who suffer from food allergies. IMO- you chose not to take teh extra step in ensuring your D's meal was meat free.

Well, I guess I have my answer!

I do want to be clear that I didn't want a "free meal" for the sake of a free meal. It was a $4.00 kids menu item and about a $100 tab. I just always considered the "take it off the bill" to be a restaurants way of admitting that they really screwed up, and, honestly, I considered this to be a pretty big screw up.

(And, I guess I'll start checking more closely!)

I am confused why you feel this was a major screwup. First- you did not ask if there was any meat included in the menu item Then you did not check it. If a mistake was made it was not major. Major is when a customer tells teh waitstaff that she is allergic to walnuts. She asks if there are any walnuts in the pie she on teh dessert menu. Server say there are not and the customer orders that pie. Customer keeps over. THe pie crust has ground walnuts. That is a major screwup. A piece of chicken in a quesadilla is a menu mixup.

 

[etoiles]

Just curious, especially from the vegetarians that replied. Do you feel it makes a difference if you can actually see the meat or not? Not that I actually expect anyone to agree with me at this point, but I could imagine getting that chicken pizza, and that would definitely not seem like a big deal. With the grilled and cheesy nature of a quesadilla, it was not immediately obvious that there was chicken and the fact that dd had taken several bites before I noticed was what caused my visceral "eeew" reaction.

To me it would not make a difference in that I would still need a new entree but it would be less gross if the chicken had been visible because then I could just ask for a new one without biting it accidentally. I am also grossed out by meat so if this had been mine (like one time when the waitress switched my husband's beef burrito with my vegetarian one and I took a bite before spitting it out immediately) it completely disgusted me yes. However, I can understand that it's a mistake.

Now if they had told you to just 'pick out the chicken' I can understand you would want the meal comped but they did give a new meal. I would be grossed out by it too but what can you do, it's a mistake.

I would probably not go back to this restaurant if it was me because if they don't tell you about chicken in the cheese quesadilla who knows what other meat products are hiding in there!

 

[RachelEllen]

Respectfully, now you're changing your story. Originally she had taken a bite. Now it's several bites. Originally you noticed a piece of chicken hanging from the piece of quesedilla you'd torn off for her. Now you've had a visceral "eeew" reaction.
.

Actually, I didn't change the story. I was just asking a slightly different question and emphasized slightly different aspects of things. I'm not exactly sure what you are implying, but, to be honest, it doesn't feel all that respectful.

It is interesting reading people's opinions. Rarely do I see such a united view around here!

I guess I think about this not from the perspective of, well, she eventually received what I ordered, because that's not really the point. I just know if I had accidently given a toddler a food the parent didn't request and morally objected to I would be mortified. I was actually quite understated to the waiter (perhaps why there wasn't more of a response. I believe one poster replied that one of her criteria for comping a meal was a really upset customer.) I don't know if its because vegetarianism isn't all that mainstream, or having moral issues with food is kind of ununsual. But, I genuniely find it intersesting that most people consider the problem to have been fixed by providing the right meal. From my point of view, that really didn't solve anything.

(And I'm being quite serious that I find it intersting. I'm not being sarcastic, I posted here because I was interested in different points of view and that's what I got!)

 

[ms.yt]

But, I genuniely find it intersesting that most people consider the problem to have been fixed by providing the right meal. From my point of view, that really didn't solve anything.

How can you view replacing the meal as not solving anything? How would giving you the meal free make it any more right? You can't reverse time and prevent your daughter from ingesting the probably less than one ounce of chicken that you seem to think is so horrible. Everybody respects your right not to eat meat and to have your daughter eat a similar diet, but it's really not the end of the world if she eats a bite of meat by mistake. I hate to use cliches, but this is the textbook definition of making a mountain out of a molehill.

 

[RachelEllen]

How can you view replacing the meal as not solving anything? How would giving you the meal free make it any more right? You can't reverse time and prevent your daughter from ingesting the probably less than one ounce of chicken that you seem to think is so horrible. Everybody respects your right not to eat meat and to have your daughter eat a similar diet, but it's really not the end of the world if she eats a bite of meat by mistake. I hate to use cliches, but this is the textbook definition of making a mountain out of a molehill.

Well, I can grant you that perhaps the thread is my making a mountain out of a molehill, but, I promise, no scene was made at the restaurant And, I both find it interesting and I can't sleep, so it's providing the benefit of interesting diversion.

The problem wasn't that she hadn't gotton a meal (she actually was quite full on fruit, veggies, and bread by the time the replacement quesadilla came out and didn't eat any of it!). Giving her the correct meal would only solve the lack of a meal.

No, comping the meal wouldn't have fixed the fact that she ate meat. But, as I've mentioned, comping the $4 kids meal is just the most common way a restaurant has of acknowleding they screwed up.

I mean, honestly, if had been you serving the meal. And someone had ordered something that wasn't supposed to contain meat and you served them meat. And they calmly informed you after they noticed. Would you say to them "It was less than an ounce of meat and while I respect your right not to eat it, I think you are making a moutain out of a molehill" I think most people would feel embarressed, if not on their own behalf, at least on behalf of the business they are representing.

So, yeah, four pages into a thread, it starts to seem a bit over the top. But, at the actual time, I still believe that some sort of acknowledgement that a screwup had been made would have been nice. No, not a health defying screwup. But still, it's more than meat coming out medium instead of medium rare or some cold potatoes.

 

[ms.yt]

I mean, honestly, if had been you serving the meal. And someone had ordered something that wasn't supposed to contain meat and you served them meat. And they calmly informed you after they noticed. Would you say to them "It was less than an ounce of meat and while I respect your right not to eat it, I think you are making a moutain out of a molehill" I think most people would feel embarressed, if not on their own behalf, at least on behalf of the business they are representing.

No, I wouldn't say that, and the waiter didn't either, right? He simply brought you a new, correct one. I think that was a reasonable response to an honest mistake. To you it's a bigger deal than somebody else's special request, but in all honesty, it's not any different. As others have said, the only real difference would have been if there had been life threatening allergies involved.

 

[Witch Mountain]

I have a food allergy. It is not life threatening, but very unpleasant if I consume blue cheeses (hives and vomiting.)

While I am diligent in asking if the ingredient is in an item, sometimes, it gets past me, even with explaining "Hey, I'm allergic to blue cheese, does this item contain it?" In this case, it's my responsibility to point it out to the server. Yes, I requested without, but the bottom line is that I'm the one who will get sick if I eat it.

Mistakes happen. If the server genuinely apologized and got you a replacement in a timely manner, that's acceptable, IMO. In my case, as long as my food arrived before the rest of my family finished eating, I'm good.

An extremely long wait or foreign objects in the food, that type of situation is more likely to qualify for comping a meal. As you said, your daughter had other things to eat, it isn't like she was there watching the rest of your party eat while she had nothing.

Just my .02 cents.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

My sister and best friend are vegans (and her toddler aged daughter) and although both would have been irked to receive chicken in their dish, I don't think that either would have expected the meal to be comped after the correct dish was brought out. When eating out they are both pretty careful to check the food anyway and probably would have noticed before eating any of it.

There are lots of great vegetarian/vegan restaurants nowadays, that may be a good option for the future. Even if there isn't any meat in your dish, there's a good chance there was some contamination from a spatula, grill top, etc..

 

[cluvsdisney]

I have been in the situation where my meal didn't match the menu. I am pretty diligent about checking my food before I eat it so it was corrected before I started eating. It didn't occur to me to be comped for the meal.

 

[allison443]

Actually, I didn't change the story. I was just asking a slightly different question and emphasized slightly different aspects of things. I'm not exactly sure what you are implying, but, to be honest, it doesn't feel all that respectful.

It is interesting reading people's opinions. Rarely do I see such a united view around here!

I guess I think about this not from the perspective of, well, she eventually received what I ordered, because that's not really the point. I just know if I had accidently given a toddler a food the parent didn't request and morally objected to I would be mortified. I was actually quite understated to the waiter (perhaps why there wasn't more of a response. I believe one poster replied that one of her criteria for comping a meal was a really upset customer.) I don't know if its because vegetarianism isn't all that mainstream, or having moral issues with food is kind of ununsual. But, I genuniely find it intersesting that most people consider the problem to have been fixed by providing the right meal. From my point of view, that really didn't solve anything.

(And I'm being quite serious that I find it intersting. I'm not being sarcastic, I posted here because I was interested in different points of view and that's what I got!)

Did you tell the waiter this was a "moral issue"? Maybe he just thought your two year old didn't eat chicken due to a dislike of chicken, picky eater, etc. How was the waiter supposed to know that replacing the quesdilla wasn't sufficient, unless you explained this to him?

Also, you say bringing the correct meal didn't solve anything but taking $4.00 off the bill would have solved this moral issue? Please.

My unsolicited advice is to focus on the nice lunch you had with your mom, aunt and dd instead of worrying about the small negative that occurred.

 

[allison443]

Well, I can grant you that perhaps the thread is my making a mountain out of a molehill, but, I promise, no scene was made at the restaurant And, I both find it interesting and I can't sleep, so it's providing the benefit of interesting diversion.

The problem wasn't that she hadn't gotton a meal (she actually was quite full on fruit, veggies, and bread by the time the replacement quesadilla came out and didn't eat any of it!). Giving her the correct meal would only solve the lack of a meal.

No, comping the meal wouldn't have fixed the fact that she ate meat. But, as I've mentioned, comping the $4 kids meal is just the most common way a restaurant has of acknowleding they screwed up.

I mean, honestly, if had been you serving the meal. And someone had ordered something that wasn't supposed to contain meat and you served them meat. And they calmly informed you after they noticed. Would you say to them "It was less than an ounce of meat and while I respect your right not to eat it, I think you are making a moutain out of a molehill" I think most people would feel embarressed, if not on their own behalf, at least on behalf of the business they are representing.

So, yeah, four pages into a thread, it starts to seem a bit over the top. But, at the actual time, I still believe that some sort of acknowledgement that a screwup had been made would have been nice. No, not a health defying screwup. But still, it's more than meat coming out medium instead of medium rare or some cold potatoes.

Um, in your original post you said the waiter apologized for the mistake. Why isn't that enough of an acknowledgement for you? You seem hung up about the $4. It sounds like you don't want an acknowledgement unless it's monetary? Your dd ate the meal (the sides, anyway).

 

[SereneOne]

This thread reminds me of when my son orders a bacon cheeseburger, meat and cheese only and they give it to him with only the hamburger patty, cheese and bun, lol. He goes up and says there is no bacon and they say you ordered it meat and cheese only and he raises an eyebrow at them and gives them a minute to think about it....sometimes he has to tell them bacon is a MEAT.