What would have the proper response have been?

[ijack]

Saturday night we were out a restaurant and DD ordered chicken strips. When we cut into the first one it was totally raw on the inside. We cut into the others (there were a total of 3) and they were fine. We called the waitress over and she took the one strip away and brought us a new one. At the end of the night nothing was taken off our bill.
Do you think that's okay or would you have expected them to comp that portion of the meal?

[Deleted]

That was ok, but it would've been better if they'd comped the strips altogether.

Seeing as how you were at a restaurant with chicken strips, though, I wouldn't expect more than just getting a non-raw strip.

[MadamePresident]

They fixed the problem and replaced the food. I don't see why they also need to give it to you for free.
I used to work at a chain restaurant and we were not able to comp people for part of a meal.

[UMaineTeach]

I would have expected her to take the whole meal and bring another or to have taken the raw one and come back with 3 new strips.

but a 1:1 trade isn't bad.

[mbcdefg]

I think it's fine.

[amity]

I also used to be a server at a chain restaurant, but I had a lot of leeway with food comps and great managers who generally trusted servers' judgement. If someone sent something back to the kitchen, I would generally get that item comped off or offer a free dessert or something. I did this all the time as it made customers feel happy and special and generally made my tips higher. I'm sure it drove the managers crazy.

That said, it sounds like she handled the situation as she should have. Could she have done more? Maybe. But, something was wrong with your meal, your server fixed it, your kid ate the food. Sounds like it all worked out in the end.

[noodleoo]

I probably wouldn't have trusted them after that, so I would have sent it back and made sure it was taken off the bill. But since you took the replacement and ate them, why should they be free?

[Deleted]

May 14, 2012 16:05:16 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

I probably wouldn't have trusted them after that, so I would have sent it back and made sure it was taken off the bill. But since you took the replacement and ate them, why should they be free?

That's not the standard for comping a meal.

Comping is just good customer service when something goes wrong at a reputable establishment. It doesn't only happen if you refuse to eat your meal. LOL.

[Deleted]

As long as they fixed the problem promptly I wouldn't have expected them to comp me anything.

[slug*bug]

I don't think they were obligated to do anything beyond what they did...

...but I'm surprised that they didn't comp you for that item. Unless they were the world's most expensive chicken strips, it seems like a pretty cost effective way to try to keep your customers coming back.

[livinitup]

I would have expected a NEW order of chicken. Period.

If the server took the raw away and left the cooked bits -fine. Maybe the the kids can eat the good bits until the fresh food came by. But 1 raw = new order.

[Deleted]

I probably would have figured there was about a 50-50 chance they would comp the meal. If they didn't I wouldn't say anything.

[The Impossible Girl]

As a former server I would have replaced the entire plate with a new meal. I wouldn't have comped it but offered free dessert or something.

[steph96]

Some managers are jerks and refuse to comp meals unless the customer throws a fit.

If you thought they should have comped it, why didn't you bring it up to them when you got the meal?

[Deleted]

May 14, 2012 19:09:11 GMT -5 steph96 said:

Some managers are jerks and refuse to comp meals unless the customer throws a fit.

If you thought they should have comped it, why didn't you bring it up to them when you got the meal?

The onus is not on the customer to request good service.

It should be automatic.

[ijack]

May 14, 2012 19:09:11 GMT -5 steph96 said:

Some managers are jerks and refuse to comp meals unless the customer throws a fit.

If you thought they should have comped it, why didn't you bring it up to them when you got the meal?

I didn't expect anything, which is why I didn't mention it to them, I was just surprised when they didn't. I've had meals comped for far less without having to ask.

[housegeek]

I probably wouldn't go back over raw chicken. If mine was raw I would've expected it comped.

[chia]

May 14, 2012 18:53:46 GMT -5 kooshball said:

Im a little grossed out that the plate had raw chicken juice on it and they didn't give you a new plate of food.

This is what I was thinking...

[Redpoppy]

I would've wanted it comped, but not requested it. Given that it was raw chicken versus an undercooked steak they should've brought a new meal out. What if your daughter had eaten it without you noticing it was raw?

[Willis Jackson]

Raw chicken = completely new plate, new food, new silverware, and lots and lots of apologies.

[agnes]

May 14, 2012 20:13:05 GMT -5 Willis Jackson said:

Raw chicken = completely new plate, new food, new silverware, and lots and lots of apologies.

I'd feel this way. I wouldn't care if it was comped though.

I'd just want to make sure that my food was safe to eat and I wouldn't get the shits from eating it.

[Deleted]

May 14, 2012 20:13:05 GMT -5 Willis Jackson said:

Raw chicken = completely new plate, new food, new silverware, and lots and lots of apologies.

This completely. I'm surprised that most people think it was OK to just swap out the raw one. There is no way their health department would be OK with that.

[mollybrown]

I would've expected a new plate of food. And I would not be back to a place that served my child raw chicken.

[dexteroni]

May 14, 2012 21:27:59 GMT -5 agnes said:

May 14, 2012 20:13:05 GMT -5 Willis Jackson said:

Raw chicken = completely new plate, new food, new silverware, and lots and lots of apologies.

I'd feel this way. I wouldn't care if it was comped though.

I'd just want to make sure that my food was safe to eat and I wouldn't get the shits from eating it.

This was my thought as well. It's one thing if you want to eat cooked chicken from a raw chicken plate at home, but a restaurant shouldn't be engaging in this practice.

[spiderspray]

I wouldn't liken this situation to getting a slightly undercooked steak.

They served you something that could have made your child very, very sick had you not caught it. Potentially a lawsuit could have followed had she eaten it and become ill.

Just for the sake of making you happy, I would've comped the chicken strips meal, brought out an entire new order, and likely would've offered the kiddo a free dessert or something. (we're talking less than $20 at a chain to smooth things over - why not?)

Had the raw food been served to me/ my kid? I would've sent it back and just left, honestly. You manage to send my kid raw chicken, what the hell else is going on in that kitchen that I just don't want to know about?

[ECB]

May 14, 2012 20:13:05 GMT -5 Willis Jackson said:

Raw chicken = completely new plate, new food, new silverware, and lots and lots of apologies.

This.

[soozy87]

I would have been fine with a replacement. But if they would have taken it off the bill I woud be happily surprised.