11 ridiculous restaurant orders that really happened
Hospitality in the restaurant industry means doing everything possible to make a guest feel welcome. But sometimes things go very far indeed. Because besides normal requests, chefs also get the strangest questions on their plates. From salmon that isn’t allowed to taste like salmon to a vegan omelet (huh?). These are 11 ridiculous restaurant orders that were really made.
When you read these stories, you can hardly believe they’re true. To some guests, a restaurant sometimes seems like a kind of wishing well: “I’m paying, so I can ask for anything.” The American magazine Food & Wine managed to record some gems from the real-life experiences of restaurant chefs. Unbelievable, but delicious reading for us!
1. Shrimp from another restaurant
“A guest asked if I would get shrimp from Outback Steakhouse and serve it as an appetizer. Seriously! And this while I was working in a Michelin-starred restaurant that had even won a James Beard Award.”
2. Grinding filet mignon into ground beef
“A man ordered filet mignon, rare. He sent it back: ‘not cooked properly.’ So I cooked it medium. Back it came again: could I turn it into ground beef and make a hamburger out of it? So he got a hamburger made from an $18, very expensive steak. In the end, he complained that the meat was dry. Well…”
3. Hollandaise without egg yolk
“A guest wanted eggs Benedict, but ‘light’, so without the egg yolk. The chef tried to explain that Hollandaise without yolk is basically impossible. But the guest stood her ground. The result: poached egg white with a sort of… meringue on top.”
4. The ultimate crazy combo
“A breakfast that sends your taste buds into a spin: fried egg with cheese and bacon, plus lettuce and tomato – served on a chocolate bagel.”
5. The vegan omelet
“Order of the day: a vegan omelet. Right. An omelet. Without eggs. I’m still confused.
6. Bringing your own food from home
At a French restaurant in St. Louis, a guest brought vegetables and pasta from home in ziplock bags. Her request to the chef: prepare this for her children. No allergies, no medical reason. Just because she wanted it that way. The chef refused (quite rightly): “I’m not going to prepare food that wasn’t prepared in my own kitchen.“
7. Engagement ring in a dessert
Not every unusual order is annoying: sometimes they’re actually fun. “I got to hide a box with an expensive engagement ring in a dessert. It was wonderful to do!”
8. Latte macchiato without milk
“A man ordered a large Latte Macchiato, but not with too much milk. So basically a cappuccino. Luckily, he was happy with what I served him.”
9. Risotto without rice
Guest: “The mushroom risotto, what is that?”
Waitress: “It’s sautéed wild mushrooms with some tarragon, sir.”
Guest: “I love mushrooms. What is risotto?”
Waitress: “That’s rice.”
Guest: “Aha. Then I’d like the mushroom risotto, without the rice.”
10. Allergic to… pasta shape?
“May I have the pasta of the day, but with fettuccine instead of penne? Because I’m allergic to penne.”
Waitress: “Allergic… to a shape?”
11. Salmon that isn’t allowed to taste like salmon
A couple ordered scallops and stuffed salmon. With the following instructions: scallops well done, but not rubbery. And the salmon… “don’t let it taste like salmon, because we don’t like that.” In the end, the chef simply served the dishes as usual, with extra sauce. They loved it.
Thanks, chefs!
These ridiculous restaurant orders are hilarious and sometimes downright absurd. From risotto without rice to filet mignon ending up as a hamburger: it proves that guests dare to ask for the most bizarre things. A deep bow to the chefs who deal with this every day!
Also read:
- Bizarre and disgusting behavior by restaurant guests, part 5
- 11 of the strangest guests so far
- 10 things restaurant guests do thinking they’re polite, but which are incredibly irritating
