9 orders that chefs go absolutely crazy over
Everyone has their annoyances at work, and the hospitality industry is no exception. There are orders that chefs really go crazy over. From sharing boards to well-done steak: these are the ultimate hospitality-industry annoyances according to the people behind the stove.
1. “Can I have it, but without…”
Without sauce, without vegetables, without cheese, without herbs… and could the chef then “come up with something else tasty” to go with it? The result: coming up with a completely new dish in the middle of the dinner rush, while the original was actually perfectly fine.
2. Sharing boards
One of the biggest hospitality-industry annoyances: sharing boards. On Reddit, a chef reveals that the sharing boards on the menu drive him absolutely crazy. Sounds cosy, looks great on Instagram, but for the kitchen it’s pure misery. Prosciutto arranged into rosettes, aioli in little bowls, arranging olives… And the worst part: once one has been served, ten more follow. ‘Those things are contagious.’
3. Margherita pizza, with half salami
This is another order that chefs go crazy over. You order a margherita but want “half with salami”? Then you can feel the Italian chef in the kitchen dying inside. The same goes for extra sauce with pasta: ‘The chef decides the balance, not you.’
4. Gluten-free
The entire kitchen goes into a panic because a guest suddenly announces they eat gluten-free… only to cheerfully order a dessert full of gluten afterwards. Because the gluten intolerance suddenly no longer existed? You can almost see the chef jumping into the deep fryer.
5. A round of the entire menu
Not one dish, but everything. Hot, cold, sweet, savoury, starters and desserts all at once. ‘I start work at 12, and the first order is immediately a round of the entire menu. Everything mixed together: hot, cold, salads, dessert, EVERYTHING. It really happens.’ One of the most time-consuming orders that chefs go completely crazy over.
6. Mojitos
Bartenders have their own hospitality-industry annoyances too. Mojitos turn out to be a nightmare: muddling mint, washing the muddler, cleaning the glass.. ‘I can reasonably prepare other cocktails in advance, but the mint for a mojito has to be muddled to order. And afterwards you have to wash the tumbler and muddler properly, otherwise all the other cocktails taste vaguely of toothpaste. It’s impossible to take them off the menu, but when someone orders one on a busy evening, I really hate it.’
7. Steak, well done
The classic among the orders chefs go crazy over: steak well done. Several chefs, the same complaint: a well done steak. ‘Then order chicken or schnitzel, or even better: a tractor tyre. It tastes the same, but is easier to chew than a well-done steak.’ Another chef: ‘And then they complain if it isn’t on the table within ten minutes.’ Chef number three: ‘Or whine that it’s too well done. Give it a rest.’
8. Everything “just a little”
You know the type: guests who want “a little” of everything. “Can I have that salad, but with a little less cheese, a little extra avocado, a little of the dressing on the side, and a little chicken instead of tuna?” In the kitchen, that means working completely outside the recipe, dirtying three extra pans and serving a plate that no longer looks anything like the dish. And nine times out of ten, you then hear: “Hmm… I imagined it differently.”
9. “Just make something surprising”
Nice and vague. The kitchen can pull out all the stops, but nine times out of ten the response is still: “Oh… didn’t you have anything with chicken?”
And what doesn’t help either: slow colleagues
TV celebrity David Chang can’t stand slow colleagues, just like 99 per cent of his fellow professionals, presumably. Journalist Jenny Oh describes in her book how she went to work as an amateur at the Momofuku restaurant and couldn’t keep up with the pace. Everything she did, Chang continually urged her to work faster, faster, FASTER. She resigned after one evening.
How to stay on every chef’s good side
Want your food to receive just that little bit of extra love? Order without crazy modifications, let the chef do their thing and be kind to the staff. Small effort, big difference.
Also read:
- Bloody annoying: those people who pay the bill separately
- Painfully recognisable: how Dutch tourists are recognised abroad
- 10 things hospitality guests do that they think are polite, but are bloody annoying
