A restaurant tried to pull a switch-a-roo on the type of meat I was served.

[u/Savage_Mindset]

So a group of us went to a local popular American chain steakhouse restaurant and all ordered different dishes. I ordered a filet, when my food arrived, I thought the steak looked more like a sirloin than a filet.

Upon taking my first bite it was chewy and not buttery like a filet. It was supposed to be an 8oz filet, it was more like 12oz sirloin, 2nd bite confirmed it was definitely not a filet.

I must’ve been visibly upset because the manager walked over and asked if everything was ok, to which I questioned the cut. She said it was a filet (but I think she went based on the toppings that are only offered on the filet). I said hmm ok, I guess.

She offered to switch it if I was not happy, I said it was fine, however, she insisted, so I accepted.. The second steak was a filet, appearance, taste and texture.. only the cook made it EXTRA peppery for me.. jokes on them I appreciated the extra pepper :)

[u/SinistaJ]

Filets were probably going bad and they needed to cover the flavor

[u/no_one_denies_this → u/SinistaJ]

That's unhinged.

[u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 → u/no_one_denies_this]

Or it was a simple mistake and cooks don't want to admit it, who knows.

[u/SmallPurplePeopleEat → u/Rare-Adhesiveness522]

Could've grabbed out of the wrong drawer, or they needed to restock the filet pan and were too lazy to run to the walk-in, or it actually was a filet but the cut itself was shitty. There's tons of reasons that don't involve maliciousness.

[u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 → u/SmallPurplePeopleEat]

100% It's actually possible for people to make mistakes lol. And as a waitress I can't say I'd really know the differences between cuts at the Olive Garden of steak houses lol

[u/SmallPurplePeopleEat → u/Rare-Adhesiveness522]

Lol, for sure. I'm no longer a chef, but spent 20 years as one and I've had more than a few customers erroneously claim a steak was not what they ordered. Usually while drunk, frequently a scammer, and occasionally it was someone well-meaning who just didn't know the difference.

In 100% of those cases I just remade the steak to my best ability, and then talked shit about them to the line cooks. But we never purposely served a customer the wrong item, too much pride for that shit.

[u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 → u/SmallPurplePeopleEat]

As a stupid customer, I can totally imagine ordering a steak "medium rare" not really knowing what that was, and getting it and not really wanting it to be THAT rare? Sometimes people are just idiots but not trying to be assholes.

However, a blue steak is just not acceptable lol. And sometimes it's just a mistake that happens in a busy kitchen, you pop it back on and give it some time. I dunno, it doesn't seem like it's gotta be a big deal if the customer isn't being an asshole.

But yeah I get the frustration of ordering "medium rare" and the customer doesn't understand what they're ordering and then gets mad or some shit. As an idiot, I'd probably tell the waitress that I'd like it to be a tad bit more cooked and admit that I wasn't familiar. Still annoying for the back of house, but not a cause to be an asshole as a customer.

[u/SmallPurplePeopleEat → u/Rare-Adhesiveness522]

In the very beginning of my career I would get a little frustrated with returns on steak temps, or when someone ordered a well-done filet. But I worked with this awesome chef who would be like "I'm going to make them the best well-done steak they've ever had" and our customers absolutely loved him for it.

It made a big impression on me.

[u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 → u/SmallPurplePeopleEat]

Honestly as a home cook who absolutely loves cooking and brings me the most joy making my family happy....I think this is relatable.

I'm not a trained chef but I have opinions about recipes and technique in the home setting....but what makes me THE MOST happy is making my family happy when they eat my food. And I have done home versions of your chef: I'm compromising on something, but I'm going to make it the best I can and also make sure my prep/technique is on point lololol.

[u/SmallPurplePeopleEat → u/Rare-Adhesiveness522]

I'm compromising on something, but I'm going to make it the best I can and also make sure my prep/technique is on point lololol.

Exactly! It honestly helped shape my viewpoint for the rest of my career. Who cares if it's going to take 45 minutes to cook the well-done filet? As long as the customer knows it's going to be awhile, there's no reason to not make it as good as you can.

[u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 → u/SmallPurplePeopleEat]

(btw I love ordering steak at restaurants because I am TERRIBLE at it at home! Medium rare is what I want, I like it to be a bit red and juicy, but I can understand if someone doesn't eat much steak and gets freaked out I guess? Or ya know, sometimes it comes out sliiiighlty undercooked and it's not the end of the world.)

I have tried for YEARS to make a good steak. Sometimes the gods smile on me and it turns out great and other times it's a disaster. I'm so bad at it. But you do need to know what medium rare is. I like it to be red and juicy!!!! Not RAW, but nice and RED!

[u/windshipper → u/no_one_denies_this]

🤷‍♂️ It’s Outback Steakhouse. When you’re here, you’re family. Why shouldn’t it be unhinged?

[u/Beccamac1 → u/SinistaJ]

I was served a bad filet last week. The manager insisted I just didn't like the spices. Then corporate called to double down on the claim that I just don't like the spices. No, I just don't like rotten meat.