It happened to me again!!

[GrungthepGringo]

2 minutes ago, bob smith said:

have you ever heard the expression - the customer is always right?

 

bob.

you live in a sad fantasy world. hopeless and hapless bob. 

[steven100]

6 minutes ago, GrungthepGringo said:

You've got zero finesse. If I was even going to send the burger back then below is exactly what I would have said. No instructions on what to do and not providing them with a solution to the problem. Then no loss of face for them and no distaste. I'm pretty sure if you had said the following with a smile they would have taken care of it quickly for you and with a smile too. And then we wouldn't have to be reading all your hopeless whinging. 

 

ขอโทษครับขอรบกวนนิดนึงครับปกติผมชอบกินสุกกว่านี้นิดนึงครับ

 

I think that's being a little too polite .....    next you'll want him to help clean the dishes ...  

[Liquorice]

3 minutes ago, bob smith said:

No.

 

I asked for it well done!

 

bob.

You can cook it until crisp, but if it wasn't first defrosted, it will still be undercooked in the centre.

[GrungthepGringo]

5 minutes ago, bob smith said:

have you ever heard the expression - the customer is always right?

 

bob.

you need to learn something about human nature. there is a way to do things and then there is a way to do things. 

[steven100]

I think i'd politely say ... and show the waiter that the burger meat is under-cooked ....  and could she please ask the wonderful chef if he could cook it more so it's golden brown inside ....   

[GrungthepGringo]

2 minutes ago, steven100 said:

 

I think that's being a little too polite .....    next you'll want him to help clean the dishes ...  

 

The difference is I would have left with a smile and here he is wining like an old miinger. 

[steven100]

Just now, Liquorice said:

You can cook it until crisp, but if it wasn't first defrosted, it will still be undercooked in the centre.

this is correct,    was it a frozen patty ...  or fresh mince made in the shop    ?  

if we knew the cost we could haze at a guess which one it was .... 

[GrungthepGringo]

5 minutes ago, steven100 said:

 

I think that's being a little too polite .....    next you'll want him to help clean the dishes ...  

 

In Thailand you also learn to swallow your ego. It goes a long way. 

[GrungthepGringo]

8 minutes ago, steven100 said:

I think i'd politely say ... and show the waiter that the burger meat is under-cooked ....  and could she please ask the wonderful chef if he could cook it more so it's golden brown inside ....   

 
But after hopeless bob's little display of manchildness they possibly swept the floor with his burger before returning it to him 20 long minutes later. 
 

 

Edited May 20 by GrungthepGringo

[worgeordie]

1 hour ago, bob smith said:

she brought it back after about 20 minutes and threw the plate down on the table.

 

They most likely spit in it too ,depending how angry the cook was ....

everything happens to Bob ........

 

regards Worgeordie

[Gandtee]

Never send food back to the kitchen. The chef is likely to take revenge by adding a 'not nice' ingredient. I remember Keith Floyd relating a story on the wireless many years ago. A customer used to eat at his restaurant and say the food was very nice, but.." Always something to fault. Keith elaborately prepared a beer mat, British type. "Especially for you." The customer enjoyed it without a complaint. You never know what these chefs are up to.😉

[richard_smith237]

29 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I have to agree with Bob a few too many times recently food under cooked, my latest episode the other night a fancied egg fried rice, thats all, I ordered it on grab, it was plain garbage, there was no egg in it, I mean FFS if you cant cook egg fried rice then you are in the wrong business, and no I didn't eat it as it also had to much oil, 

 

I believe everyone fully agrees with Bob that encountering subpar food is not uncommon. In this instance, the food was undeniably below standard and inedible.

 

It is not unusual for incorrect dishes to be served, when dining at certain restaurants, even when my wife orders, we sometimes receive the wrong order. Issues such as poor food quality, undercooked meals, and incorrect orders are not exactly uncommon occurrences - we learn to roll with it.

 

 

What stands out as particularly unusual for most of us, yet seems to happen with disconcerting regularity for Bob, is the negative human interaction he experiences when dealing with Thais.

 

 

 

The only logical deduction is that Bob, for whom such encounters are the norm, somehow invites these experiences upon himself. Conversely, for the vast majority of us, such occurrences remain somewhat alien and outside the usual realm of experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20 by richard_smith237

[Ralf001]

8 minutes ago, GrungthepGringo said:

 
But after hopeless bob's little display of manchildness they possibly swept the floor with his burger before returning it to him 20 long minutes later. 
 

 

 

I did chuckle at this urban dictionary entry.

 

[roo860]

19 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

Hey Bob, I somewhat sympathise with your experience, but expecting a Thai establishment to cook foreign food to your liking is rare.

 

Burgers and sausages in particular are taken straight from the freezer and cooked without defrosting first.
The result is as you experienced, cooked on the outside, raw in the middle.

 

Usually if you order French fries together, it's common the fries to be served first and the burger 10 minutes later when you've eaten the fries.
Or as you experienced, they cooked the fries then waited for the burger before serving together ........ cold fries.

 

Even some of the best 'Thai' restaurants, do not understand the concept that foreigners like their meals served hot and together.

Thais don't complain, they often eat food cold by choice.

Absolutely spot on about the fries, I always ask them to serve them together with whatever else I ordered and to be hot! If not politely ask the waitress to stick them back in the fryer or whatever they use. If it's them match stick things I won't order them.

[bob smith]

8 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

I did chuckle at this urban dictionary entry.

 

living in your head, rent free...

 

bob.

[norfolkandchance]

16 minutes ago, GrungthepGringo said:

 
But after hopeless bob's little display of manchildness they possibly swept the floor with his burger before returning it to him 20 long minutes later. 
 

 

Or worse.

[GrungthepGringo]

18 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

Or worse.

I was being optimistic. ✌🏼

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, bob smith said:

went out for lunch yesterday,

kept it really simple,

ordered a cheeseburger and chips, well done.

food comes and the burger is raw in the middle and the chips stone cold.

I called the waitress over and told her to send it back.

 

the look she gave me was like I had just farted!

then she brought it back after about 20 minutes and threw the plate down on the table.

no apology, no sorry sir, nothing.

this isn't an isolated incident, it's happened to me a few times, hence the title..

 

what is this all about?

is it cultural that one cannot complain about ones food in Thailand?

does the chef lose face or something?

christ, it's starting to become a chore now just eating out.

more trouble than it's bloody worth these days!

 

bob.

This is kind of nonsense has happened to me as well.  Instead of sending it back I pay,walk out,  and never return.  I have experience this behavior from cheap places and unfortunately at some higer priced locations. Only Buddha knows what kind of food will be sent out the second time.  Bob on this issue you are not alone.  If almost seems like Thai Problem Solving is: 1) Shoot the messenger 2) Ignore the problem. 

[Gandtee]

42 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I believe everyone fully agrees with Bob that encountering subpar food is not uncommon. In this instance, the food was undeniably below standard and inedible.

 

It is not unusual for incorrect dishes to be served, when dining at certain restaurants, even when my wife orders, we sometimes receive the wrong order. Issues such as poor food quality, undercooked meals, and incorrect orders are not exactly uncommon occurrences - we learn to roll with it.

 

 

What stands out as particularly unusual for most of us, yet seems to happen with disconcerting regularity for Bob, is the negative human interaction he experiences when dealing with Thais.

 

 

 

The only logical deduction is that Bob, for whom such encounters are the norm, somehow invites these experiences upon himself. Conversely, for the vast majority of us, such occurrences remain somewhat alien and outside the usual realm of experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you believe Bob? I think he has a bumper book of 'Stories to wind up readers.' And just picks one at random. Some fall for it.

[thesetat]

2 hours ago, bob smith said:

went out for lunch yesterday,

kept it really simple,

ordered a cheeseburger and chips, well done.

food comes and the burger is raw in the middle and the chips stone cold.

I called the waitress over and told her to send it back.

 

the look she gave me was like I had just farted!

then she brought it back after about 20 minutes and threw the plate down on the table.

no apology, no sorry sir, nothing.

this isn't an isolated incident, it's happened to me a few times, hence the title..

 

what is this all about?

is it cultural that one cannot complain about ones food in Thailand?

does the chef lose face or something?

christ, it's starting to become a chore now just eating out.

more trouble than it's bloody worth these days!

 

bob.

Haha this is normal reaction for Thai at a restaurant where they think you are supposed to be grateful for anything you get there. I once stopped at a restaurant and ordered food and some coke for me and my family. The coke was already opened and flat as hell. I complained about it and said they needed to send me a fresh bottle. They threw me and my family out because of that request. Next time, take video and make it obvious you are making a youtube or other social media video about restaurants service and food in Thailand. See how they react if it happens again. 

[GrungthepGringo]

It takes a brave and naïve man to eat anything after having sent it back in a fit of dissatisfaction. 

[Sticky Rice Balls]

even though its a troll post i'll attempt to explain to those that really want to know as I was a Chef in CM

 

Burger and fries--or chips as some say...a dish that NO thais prefer in most cases--why?

 

Burger..usually beef  which is another rare meat eaten here as buffalo are needed out in the fields working

hence thais tends to eat pork---fish--chicken--as we all see in nearly ALL thai places and markets....

 

The concept of the burger....bread--usually beef---cheese--bacon--lettuce--tomato--etc....all strange to THAIS

 

I tried desperatelt to train thais in at my job on western recipes and they just could NOT get it....i eventually quit.

 

Do thais eat bread..not in the way we would on a burger....aka donuts-thais sweets..they treat it as a dessert --like corn!

 

do thais eat cheese..maybe that weird stuff on pizza....another dilemma...bacon? nope they prefer pork belly..etc

 

see where this is going??...and cooking a burger to order when they like shrimp RAW!!!.....and the size of a burger--compare that to grilling moo ping or chicken satay 5 bt grilled thai meat sticks.......

 

fries--chips..ever been to a thai night market? they have NO clue about how to cook fries and it drives me crazy as its so simple to cook fresh yet they have a pile of cold fries sitting there...stale--hard....limp....sad!!!..where as even cutting them fresh and precook and then fry them again for crispy hot fresh cut fries....this is a WESTERN concept...not THAI....

 

so unless having been abroad or trained properly i gave up trying to teach them after 5 months....deal with it or go home...

ps the OP states this has happened before...the lesson is repeated until its learned..and there are several places around em that DO make a good burger..im just not that interested to pay that much for one as im in thailand...enjoying THAI food..duh

[Sticky Rice Balls]

11 minutes ago, GrungthepGringo said:

It takes a brave and naïve man to eat anything after having sent it back in a fit of dissatisfaction. 

as a chef of 30+ yrs i can confirm this......unless you are paying a dude to cook food that he has zero training to do...

 

is why im not a sushi chef.....I can make it for myself but when I cook food for a customer it has my name on it and is why I stopped cooking here as i could not keep up my level of quality control as to the people i worked for her..they didnt care

[Sticky Rice Balls]

1 hour ago, norfolkandchance said:

Or worse.

oh the stories i could tell of my reckless teen years as a cook........or just read Kitchen confidential...or watch "waiting" movie

or "the Bear" series..pretty accurate

[Sticky Rice Balls]

1 hour ago, Gandtee said:

Never send food back to the kitchen. The chef is likely to take revenge by adding a 'not nice' ingredient. I remember Keith Floyd relating a story on the wireless many years ago. A customer used to eat at his restaurant and say the food was very nice, but.." Always something to fault. Keith elaborately prepared a beer mat, British type. "Especially for you." The customer enjoyed it without a complaint. You never know what these chefs are up to.😉

as a Chef here in LOS i had to quit after 5 months mostly due to unsafe procedures with temps..cleanliness and hygiene issues but then again u can watch kitchen nightmares and thats pretty typical back home too from my 30+ yrs cooking

[Sticky Rice Balls]

1 hour ago, worgeordie said:

They most likely spit in it too ,depending how angry the cook was ....

everything happens to Bob ........

 

regards Worgeordie

thats the good thing about 7-11 burgers you can see them "cook" it and its never under done as its hotter than h3ll!!!! 🙂

[Gecko123]

There can be service issues vis-a-vis foreigners in Thailand. The lack of accountability/slacker approach to service standards seems to stem from four things: (1) a mentality that all foreigners are here temporarily and thus their value as a repeat customer is limited; (2) a belief that the language barrier will prevent the foreigner from complaining to the owner or disparaging the service to other potential customers, or (3) cutting corners or doing a half-a$$ed job is OK because the customer isn't Thai, or (4) because they think they can get away with it or it's a macho power trip thing to provide crummy service (I'm in control, not you.) Poor training has a lot to do with this as well.

 

Trust me, I'm not shy about telling people when I receive crummy service, but the longer I've been here, the more I doubt whether providing "constructive criticism" is the way to go about it. It's almost never well-received. Long ago, I stopped talking to the employee, and opted to talk to the manager, but you're wasting your time unless you have confidence in the manager's ability to improve the situation in the future. More and more, I'm thinking that just stop patronizing the business is the most efficacious solution, i.e., vote with your feet. Believe me, they notice when business drops off, and I've noticed that if I've been dissatisfied with the service or how I've been treated, it seems like other people are as well.  I recently took this approach with a lawn mower repair shop which was doing half-assed repairs and I ended up finding a great new mechanic. I also found a new auto insurance agent because my policy renewals were being handled incompetently. Unfortunately, the idea that you will be rewarded as a faithful customer is not always the case in Thailand. Sometimes, familiarity does breed contempt, and you gotta vote with your feet in order to keep people on their toes.

 

Edited May 20 by Gecko123

[ChipButty]

I would rather stay home and cook myself a nice salad 

[KannikaP]

Best burger I have had today. The cooking and service were perfect. The salad came on the side, and the beer was cold.

[ChipButty]

This time last year my family was here for a holiday and every night we eat out somewhere different, I have to say the majority of it was garbage, the best ones were where it was farang owned, 

One night we went to a well known restaurant on the island with more than one branch, the burger wasn't cooked the salad all soggy it was on it's last legs it wouldn't have survived another day, 

My daughter ordered a pizza take away one evening same not cooked, 

I think the best meals we had were a couple of Turkish restaurants and an Iranian place was the few times everybody was happy with their food,

And one Thai place was good, but I know there is a farang owner and he's always there,