Well, today is our wedding anniversary and being aware that there are very few places open for dinner on New Years Day, I had decided on cooking hubby a nice meal out of my Jamie Oliver book he got me for Crimbo.

So we went to 2 supermarkets to find the right ingredients - Okay so I now need to go to Nutters when it reopens to get the right ingredients.

Plan B

We will try to eat out with Denny's being a fall back - Denny's is always open.

Well to our surprise there were a couple of restaurants open at our end of town and we plumped for Montanas (we don't like East Side marios or Earls very much, too noisey for us old farts) and we had daughter with us.

So Montanas - pretty simple basic food, chicken, ribs, steaks - all stuff I cooked when working in the restaurant industry prior to motherhood, so I know how simple and easy this stuff is to heat up and bung on a plate.

So why in Our part of Canada is it so hard to get hot food?????
1st we had the fries on hubby's and daughter plates replaced, then my jacket spud was replaced and then we didn't see the waitress again. I also discoverd my replaced potato was luke warm and my chicken was cold (hoping I'm not goint to get food poisening).

Alright our bill was reduced by 50% (and no we didn't leave a tip 'cause the service was crappy too). BUT why is hot food so rare here? Do they serve it semi hot on purpose because they are worried a customer may burn their mouth and sue them?

I'm a puzzled person tonight.

(Oh and me and hubby bought exactly the same anniversary cards too - how cute it that?)

Well congratulations anyway. Maybe things will warm up later

Best wishes Piff on your anniversary....hope you had a happy day.

Have you tried Tony Roma's? We used to be big Kelsey's & Applebees fans until we tried TR's for a change and now we won't go anywhere else.....and the food is hot!! Worth a shot for future eh

Happy anniversary PP Another year over

Think this is gripe with me too and think that the 74 degrees or higher for serving food on a plate in the England and 80 for Scotland is so bred into us working in the restaurant business in the UK that it is a hard cultural thing for us to get out of - even if it is managing a Brewers Fayre

Have to admit that when I eat out here I tend to go for things which I feel "safe" eating at a lower temperature in restaurants.

I have also noticed that if I eat out at friends who are Canadian or family who have been out here for 30 years I think the same way

Remember I used to have a customer who had to have "hot" food in a BF in Poyton where I worked and I used to get so pee'd off at them we used to pre heat their plates in the oven, cook the food to spec and then mike it till it steamed like a volcano. Had to carry the plates using two oven cloths to the table.

Hot food is happy customers

Gay
x

We are not in Red Deer, but I think you probably have the same problem we do - can't find the staff to work/staff start and then don't bother to show up!

Mind you we have been out a couple of times lately, I can't remember where we were and the waitress was using cloths to carry the plates and the food was almost too hot to eat! Oh - I remember it was Brewsters - we went for breakfast the other day!

However, I know what you mean. Sometimes its just not worth sending it back because its just as bad the second time!

I don't know this, but I would guess that in London (and lots of other places) being a waiter is a profession, whereas here its something kids do until they finish university usually!

Congratulations PP and Mr PP for buying the same card - two great minds, and all that eh?

BTW - never erver send anything back into a restuarant kitchen

When we were in Geneva there, the food was served quite cool as well which cracks me up but OH thought it was great as thats the way he likes his food.

(slowly & curiously) Why?

anyone who has ever watched a hidden camera show knows exactly what happens to your food once it gets back to the kitchen!!!!!

But what if you are very nice about it??

Like

"Oi you imbecile this food is bloody cold . Now take it back in the kitchen and nuke it for 30seconds because I like my food to at least be warmer than the air"

or the more usual British style

"excuse me, sorry to bother you but this food is a little on the cool side. I don't suppose it would be to much trouble if I could ask you to pop it in the microwave for about 30seconds to reheat it, would it? Thank you, Sorry"

My OH (the Jules part) insisted on a double oven purely so she can heat up the plates for dinner. Our plates are a toasty 80c and the food stays warm right to the last bite!

The only problem is me being very careless when taking things out of a hot oven (I often just use the tee towel) and sometimes just my hands and rely on the thick skin and fast action to get the plate to the worktop before it burns me. So I am nearly at the stage for qualifying as a plate juggler nearly and this is our third dinner service

My feelings are if your ordering hot food, it should get to you hot!

We go to a Chinese/Western buffet place in town and the food there is always piping hot and it just sits on hotplates. I just don't understand it. As for waiter/essing being a career job - I agree in the top notch London/Paris/New York Restaurants and Brewers Fayre where Gay worked and Beefeater where I worked were chains very much like Montana's - certainly not top notch more of a 'you know what yer gonna get and ya know it's gonna be good' type place and the whole family is going to find something to eat. Why don't these places put the lamps on over the hotplate? That would help to some degree.

When I worked for Beefeater we used to have to introduce the wait staff to the cutomer, we had one lady called Gaye and it was habit after taking a drinks order to say and tonight your waitress will be.....We soon learnt to say Gaye will be your waitress and when offering the rolls we all soon learnt 'Would you like a BREAD roll?'.

Restaurant management is a gruelling job - but boy did we have some good times.

I wouldnt want my food nuked tho, just hot, ie recently cooked. Nuking would be wrong, so wrong

But surely there are ways of saying your food order is wrong without ending up with spit sauce?

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PIFF POFF.

Thank you