Check out the article below. Gordon Ramsay and a pregnant Victoria Beckam were denied special privileges while dining at one of LA’s hotspots, Gjelina.
I’ve been seeing the “no substitution” policy on more and more restaurants in LA and personally, it’s not an issue for me.
Do your due diligence beforehand, especially if you’re pregnant or have some other issue, and pick a restaurant accordingly.
God forbid people take on some personal responsibility.
I concur. Plus, are you really experiencing the restaurant if you modify what’s on the menu? Go someplace where they make something you want.
You guys are nuts … dressing on the side is too much? For a pregnant woman … really? Totally unreasonable IMHO. Sounds like a nice place to avoid.
Yeah, I said that before reading what the hubbub was all about. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal but then ordering something else doesn’t either. Eh.
It can be a dicey issue. I’m a bit uncertain whether they were asking just for the dressing on the side, or to have all the accoutrements left off and just be left with greens and trout. If it was just dressing on the side, I think that is a request that should always be fulfilled. I have no problem if ingredients will not be modified. Just don’t have an attitude about it, be open. Not like the idiot manager on the phone.
+1.
It’s one thing if you are asking to completely re-make a dish to your liking (adding ingredients, swapping sides, etc.), but reasonable requests should be tolerated. I don’t eat pork, and I’ve never had a problem asking a restaurant to hold pancetta/bacon/etc. from my dish, unless it was already pre-prepared by the kitchen.
It sounds like they were asking not for dressing on the side but for everything but the trout to be left off/on the side.
And what does the fact that she’s pregnant have to do with anything?
I could not figure that out either. Sounds more nutritious with the fruit, etc ON the salad.
I thought it was a reasonable request, and also a reasonable policy. While I can understand why a restaurant might agree with this request, I suppose the counter-argument is that once you start accepting ANY request, it becomes more difficult to decline other requests.
Overall, much ado about nothing. If it weren’t for the personalities involved, no one would care. And I still don’t.
Bruce
Rick … really? Serious question?
Pregnant women can be very sensitive to certian flavors. It can can them to have nausea and feel unwell. I guess I have a different view of what a restaurants attitude should be …
I think there are 2 sides to consider–the customer’s needs and the restaurant’s ability to be flexible. In an ideal world, a restaurant should be able to be flexible enough to accommodate small changes requested by a customer, esp. if the customer has a food allergy or such. HOWEVER, we don’t live in an ideal world, and I’ve seen some diners sit there and try to practically dictate a specific recipe or preparation to the server. Try running a busy kitchen on a weekend night when “special requests” keep coming in.
I have good friends who really hate garlic. They have tried asking for dishes to be made without the garlic, but often it still gets in there. Instead, they just ask if there’s garlic in the dish, and if so, they order something else…
Bruce
Actually, people do get all hot and bothered over this type of policy.
Do a search on chowhound and you’ll find numerous, lengthy, negative posts about the no substitution policy (specifically the no ketchup rule) at Father’s Office.
There’s such a simple solution; go somewhere else.
I just don’t get it.
But then you can’t tell people you eat at Father’s Office. 
Sometimes, particularly early in a pregnancy but sometimes throughout, strong smells and flavors can be off-putting. Some women’s palates are permanently changed.
Of course the response is…“then order something else or eat at home”, but I think a plain undressed salad request is not any more work for the staff. Its actually less work.
I imagine places that cater to the pampered rich have to deal with “I’ll have the trout picatta, but can you just slice the capers into halves?” It must gum up the line and frustrate the chef who thoughtfully put together the menu. I just think this was just kinda silly.
Yes, I get that. But from the article it wasn’t at all clear that was the issue. It felt a bit like “…they wouldn’t alter the prep. And she’s pregnant to boot!!”
But if you’re sensitive to certain flavors… don’t order something smothered in those flavors, then ask them to change the prep. I’m not sure I’d take as hard a line if it were my restaurant, but at a certain point the diner also has some responsibility here - if one’s sensitive to a lot of things, go to places that serve foods you like and can eat. If you’re in a place with foods you don’t like, order something that you DO like, not something you don’t and then expect the kitchen to alter the prep.
Well, true enough–there are some people who get all up in arms about a “no substitution” policy, and many of them reflexively say “the customer is always right.”
I completely agree that the simple solution is to go elsewhere. But for some people, kvetching online seems to be more fulfilling (not that I’ve ever seen such behavior on WB, of course).
Bruce
I think chefs can be unreasonable. Yes. They’re artist, but so what. If I’m paying, then do as I ask. Please don’t confuse that with me asking for a different side or unusual preparation.
If you want to be embarrassed, come with us when we go to sushi with another couple that we know. They’re always asking to sub chewy for non-chewy etc etc. Makes me want to ![[head-bang.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/b1cd199e4b2b2988b5107c3c9598fd28dc92a776.gif "[head-bang.gif]"){kind=small}
But where’s the line between “If I’m paying, then do as I ask.” and “They’re always asking to sub chewy for non-chewy etc etc. Makes me want to ” though?
I guess I look at it like this - I’m going to a fine restaurant to eat the food prepared there in pretty much the way they prepare it. While I’d hope that most places would be open to small variations like ‘dressing on the side’ it seems presumptuous to go to a place that does fine food professionally and attempt to second guess them in significant ways.
Accomplished chefs/kitchens ought to be able and willing to improvise. I don’t expect them to run to the store to pick up something that’s not in the kitchen, but come on. They should be embarrassed that they can’t or won’t accommodate a reasonable request.
I think “reasonable requests” sometimes are in the eyes of the beholder. In any event, if the restaurant policy is “no substitutions” or “changes and modifications politely declined,” then that’s their call, isn’t it? It’s like their BYOB/corkage policy–it’s their business, and their prerogative to set policy (as long as it’s not illegal).
As the customer, you have a choice–go there and order the dish the way they’ve prepared it, or order something else off the menu, or just go to another restaurant.
Personally, I think asking for dressing on the side is a very reasonable request, so if it were my restaurant, I would accommodate it assuming the item hasn’t been dressed/sauced already.
Bruce