The customer isn't always right

[Yes Chef]

What a reputation for buying a good quality bit of meat and whacking it in a pan ? It's not rocket science. Two weeks at catering college and a certificate

No, No you don't understand, his steak was to die for

You're pretty clueless

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It's finally taking off in the direction I wanted

#SlightlyHungOverMischiefMaking

 

[Brian Fantana]

It depends where you are, if you're in a beefeater or harvester, knock yourself out tbh If I was in either of those I would probably lean towards well done. But in a real restaurant that as someone mentioned above has a reputation to uphold these chefs are proud of their produce and its flavour and when you cook a steak well done it just eradicates all flavour from it.

Surely a reputation of actually being accomodating to customers and delivering food in a manner that they choose to eat is the most important?

 

[skipper734]

As a sales man I would have given advice. The customer takes it or ignores it at their peril. The more you cook it the tougher and tasteless it becomes.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Surely a reputation of actually being accomodating to customers and delivering food in a manner that they choose to eat is the most important?

It depends on the establishment I guess. Personally, if it's a good chef, I'd let them make the decisions.

 

[beorhthelm]

You see, I don't understand that. Personally, I enjoy my steak rare to medium-rare but if someone wants to eat theirs well done and is paying for it, what's the issue?

because the point of steak is to pick good quality meat that is naturally tender doesn't need to be roasted to be edible. the chefs that take umbrage at cooking it well done as they see it as a waste of good steak. i don't suppose the chef in a local chain pub would get upset, because they just take delivery of pieces of meat and that's it. at your fancy restaurant the chef has probably selected each piece of meat personal from their preferred meat supplier and see that as a bit of a wasted effort.

the real problem here is giving the customer the option. either ask "would you like it rare or medium" or simple have a supply of substandard meat that can be left to burn for those special customers.

 

[crasher]

It's finally taking off in the direction I wanted

#SlightlyHungOverMischiefMaking

There is nothing, literally NOTHING, which cannot develop into an argument on NSC.

My contribution to this thread - eating meat, however it's cooked - is ethically wrong and should not happen. Also, if we all became vegetarian we'd be able to solve world hunger and massively reduce carbon emissions .

 

[WATFORD zero]

If it's so simple why is there such huge variations in quality of steaks?

Probably because there are millions of cows being bred, fattened up and slaughtered and then prepared in different ways. I'm sure you know that sourcing and preparing the steak is they key. Any competent cook should be capable of cooking it to the likes of the customer.

 

[Brian Fantana]

because the point of steak is to pick good quality meat that is naturally tender doesn't need to be roasted to be edible. the chefs that take umbrage as they see it as a waste of good steak. i don't suppose the chef in a local chain pub would get upset, because they just take delivery of pieces of meat and that's it. at your fancy restaurant the chef has probably selected each piece of meat personal from their preferred meat supplier and see that as a bit of a wasted effort.

How can it be wasted effort is the customer is paying for their meal? It's not like the chef has invited them around to their house.

I just find it odd that you can go to a high-end restaurant, order a steak, be asked how you'd like it cooked and then have a chef be relunctant/refuse to comply. Why give customers a choice then?

 

[WATFORD zero]

How can it be wasted effort is the customer is paying for their meal? It's not like the chef has invited them around to their house.

I just find it odd that you can go to a high-end restaurant, order a steak, be asked how you'd like it cooked and then have a chef be relunctant/refuse to comply. Why give customers a choice then?

Because if you don't give them a choice then you can't be pretentious ?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

There is nothing, literally NOTHING, which cannot develop into an argument on NSC.

Yes there IS

 

[WATFORD zero]

because the point of steak is to pick good quality meat that is naturally tender doesn't need to be roasted to be edible.

So am i also wrong to get a good quality Sirloin, Rib or Aitchbone joint for a nice Sunday roast ?

 

[beorhthelm]

Because if you don't give them a choice then you can't be pretentious ?

there are a myriad of ways a restaurant can be pretentious without giving a choice of how to cook a steak. and putting "medium-rare cooked 18 day hung ... " on the menu would be a fine piece of pretension. which is what they do for many other dishes, so more i think about it, this is the way to solve this problem. don't like a bit of red, order something else, everyone knows where they stand.

 

[Yes Chef]

Surely a reputation of actually being accomodating to customers and delivering food in a manner that they choose to eat is the most important?

You are right, and ultimately in my restaurant we'll do what our customers ask for, it's just a bit disheartening to be honest.
It's not necessarily about the chef's ego either, for example we have Hanger Steak on our menu and I try to deter people from having them well done because that cut would be particularly unpleasant overcooked.

 

[Brian Fantana]

You are right, and ultimately in my restaurant we'll do what our customers ask for, it's just a bit disheartening to be honest.
It's not necessarily about the chef's ego either, for example we have Hanger Steak on our menu and I try to deter people from having them well done because that cut would be particularly unpleasant overcooked.

I totally understand your point on this. I've been to high-end restauarants where the menus have diplomatically-worded descriptions of some of their steaks, to gently discourage customers from ordering them well-cooked.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Cooking a steak well done carbonates the meat, leading to a richer flavour and better texture.

And anyone that EATS BLOOD is a SAVAGE.

 

[Simster]

because the point of steak is to pick good quality meat that is naturally tender doesn't need to be roasted to be edible. the chefs that take umbrage at cooking it well done as they see it as a waste of good steak. i don't suppose the chef in a local chain pub would get upset, because they just take delivery of pieces of meat and that's it. at your fancy restaurant the chef has probably selected each piece of meat personal from their preferred meat supplier and see that as a bit of a wasted effort.

the real problem here is giving the customer the option. either ask "would you like it rare or medium" or simple have a supply of substandard meat that can be left to burn for those special customers.

I do like this idea. Give the shit meat to the customers who haven't got a clue how to enjoy a good piece of steak, and the rest of us will enjoy a proper tender piece cooked perfectly, which in my case is either rare or medium-rare.

 

[WATFORD zero]

there are a myriad of ways a restaurant can be pretentious without giving a choice of how to cook a steak. and putting "medium-rare cooked 18 day hung ... " on the menu would be a fine piece of pretension. which is what they do for many other dishes, so more i think about it, this is the way to solve this problem. don't like a bit of red, order something else, everyone knows where they stand.

How about a menu that says

Filet mignon - Chef prepared to cook blue, rare, medium rare. If, on a good day, you are prepared to put up with a bit of tears and a tantrum, he may go to medium.

Then we would all know where we stand and I would only have to ask the sommelier for a nice glass of spumante to wash it down

 

[nicko31]

There is nothing, literally NOTHING, which cannot develop into an argument on NSC.

My contribution to this thread - eating meat, however it's cooked - is ethically wrong and should not happen. Also, if we all became vegetarian we'd be able to solve world hunger and massively reduce carbon emissions .

You have a point. Cutting out the processed crap and one meat free day a week is more realistic though

 

[seagull 1979]

To give you a chefs point of view, it could be that the steak was a Bavette or Onglet that will become tough if cooked more than Medium Rare....
On the cooking well done issue, no problem doing this, happy to give the guest what they want, the only thing that bugs me with well done steak is it takes so long to cook nicely that it can slow the whole table and bugger up a busy service