"Some diners are truly baffling — I don’t understand why they even eat out."
When a server brings a plate of untouched food back to the kitchen, it’s a pretty clear sign something went wrong. Most chefs might sigh or roll their eyes, but they’ll still handle it with patience and professionalism. Every once in a while, though, a request goes from reasonable to downright ridiculous — these moments feel straight out of The Bear or Hell’s Kitchen.
Recently, a Quora user asked chefs and others to share stories of the wildest reasons diners send food back to the kitchen. The responses? Pure edible gold. Here are some of the best stories from people dealing with customers who know exactly what they want, even when it's downright wrong:
1. "In the 70s and 80s, my mom worked as a waitress at a restaurant known in her area for its steaks. The restaurant started having trouble with customers ordering 'rare' steaks when they wanted medium rare, which resulted in many plates being returned. One day, a customer came in and told my mom, 'I want the steak grilled for 30 seconds on one side, flipped, grilled for another 30 seconds, and brought straight out.'"
"She relayed the instructions to the cook, who was irritated. He grumbled, 'FINE!' assuming the steak would be returned like usual. Determined to follow the order precisely, the cook grabbed a timer and did exactly what the customer requested.
He sent the steak out, expecting trouble.
About 20 minutes later, the customer asked to speak to the cook.
My mom went to the kitchen and told the cook, who had been bracing himself for a complaint. Frustrated, the cook threw his apron onto the counter, stormed out, and approached the customer. 'Yes?' he asked, ready for the worst.
To his surprise, the customer smiled and said, 'I’ve traveled to all 50 states and more cities than I can count. Every time, I order my steak the exact same way. You’re the only one who’s ever cooked it exactly as I asked. Thank you.'
Then, the customer stood up, handed the cook a $100 bill (which, in the 70s or 80s, was a huge tip), and walked out.
My mom said both she and the cook were completely speechless — which, if you knew my mom, was a miracle!"
2. "Some diners are truly baffling — I don’t understand why they even eat out. At a sushi restaurant where I worked, a woman ordered a sashimi salad. When it arrived, she complained that it was too large for a salad. We explained that it was a main dish, not a side, and suggested she eat what she wanted and we’d discard the rest. But she insisted on a smaller portion. So, we took it to the kitchen, transferred the same salad into a smaller bowl, and brought it back. She smiled, said, 'This is better,' and ate the entire thing."
3. "My first job as executive chef was at a traditional Mexican restaurant with two mayoras — experienced female cooks known for their 'grandma-like' cooking. They handled the specialties, like rice, sauces, and in this case, mole negro, a sauce made with burnt chilies and tortillas, giving it a black color and slightly bitter taste."
"A customer sent back his chicken in mole, insisting it wasn’t 'real' mole negro. We replaced it with a fresh batch made by one of the mayoras, but he returned it again, questioning if we even knew what mole was.
Frustrated, I added a few drops of black food coloring to the sauce, turning it pitch black. We returned it to him, and he sent his compliments to the kitchen, claiming this was the 'real taste.'"
4. "I had a diner send their food back to the kitchen because it was too hot — the opposite of what people normally complain about. I simply set the plate aside for five minutes and then returned it. The customer tipped the server generously and sent extra appreciation to the kitchen. In my opinion, they had more dollars than sense."
5. "While working at my hotel in Rajasthan, I served an American couple traveling through India. They loved our lakeside restaurant and were excited to try authentic Indian food, ordering laal maas — a spicy lamb curry. Not long after the dish was served, the server told me the couple didn’t like it. When I asked what was wrong, they said it wasn’t spicy enough. I apologized, made a new batch with extra chilies, and sent it out again. They still found it bland. Frustrated but determined, I asked for 15 minutes and promised to make it even spicier. My wife, who’s from Northeast India, had brought me pickled ghost chilies from her hometown."
"I usually kept them in my locker for personal use, but this time, I had my commis make a paste from three of them. I added the paste to a fresh laal maas, making the curry intensely fiery. I served the dish myself with phulkas.
The couple dove in eagerly, enjoying it at first, unaware of the slow-building heat. Five minutes in, the ghost chilies kicked in, and tears started rolling down their faces. I quickly offered them curd, which helped a little.
The next morning, they told me over breakfast that they loved the food — despite the fiery experience."
6. "I worked as a bartender at a Mexican restaurant when I was younger. One day, a woman ordered a Tequila Sunrise, made with tequila, orange juice, and grenadine, served in a tall, thin glass. (The grenadine settles at the bottom and rises through the orange juice, creating a 'sunrise' effect.)"
"She sent the drink back. I figured I might’ve accidentally used vodka or rum, so I carefully remade it. But when I brought it back, she still said it was wrong.
At that point, my manager stepped in and asked her what she wanted. 'Tequila Sunrise,' she repeated. So, he came behind the bar, prepared the drink himself, and delivered it to her.
'No, that’s not right,' she said again. Frustrated, my manager returned to the bar, grabbed the same type of glass we used for the drink, and squeezed it until it shattered over the trash—thankfully avoiding any cuts.
He returned to the woman and calmly asked her to describe what she wanted. She pointed to her dinner companion’s Margarita and said, 'That. I wanted a Tequila Sunrise.'"
7. "One afternoon, an older lady came into the Starbucks where I was a barista and ordered a cappuccino — always a bit of a gamble since many people don't actually know what one is. I made the drink and handed it to her. She took a sip and said, 'That's not right. Something's off.' I apologized, remade the cappuccino using the same recipe, equipment, and ingredients, and gave it to her again — though I wasn't expecting a different outcome. She took another sip and sighed, lamenting, 'I don't know what it is, but it just isn't right!'"
"Trying to help, I asked for specifics, hoping to avoid another futile attempt, but she insisted, 'It just isn’t right—you’ll have to make it again!'
Meanwhile, the line was growing, and I was getting frustrated. I set her cappuccino aside and made a few other customers' drinks. All the while, she kept repeating, 'Something’s just off! It wasn’t right!' Once I caught up with the orders, I handed her the exact same cappuccino she had rejected earlier. She took a sip, smiled, and said, 'Now that’s much better!'"
8. "In the late 1960s, I worked the steak broiler at an upscale Italian restaurant. Chefs hate getting orders for ‘well-done’ steaks. Not only does it ruin a good piece of meat — turning it into a dry, leathery excuse for a steak — but it also disrupts the rhythm of the kitchen, especially during the Sunday rush. Well-done steaks take forever to cook and throw everyone off. Of course, right in the middle of peak Sunday chaos, the dreaded order came in: a New York strip, well done."
"Frustrated, I grabbed the steak, muttering curses, and placed it off direct heat at the back of the broiler, hoping it would bake through without turning to charcoal. After a long wait, I called for the rest of the order to be plated and sent the steak out. It was, without question, thoroughly well done.
But a few minutes later, the server tiptoed back to the pass, holding the plate with the same steak. The customer said it was not done enough. I stared for a moment, then said, ‘Get out of here.’
'No, really, he wants it done some more.'
Angrily, I grabbed the steak with my bare hand and literally threw it into the broiler's maw, then got back into the rhythm of churning out other food orders.
Eventually, the server returned and said, 'Hey, what about my well-done New York?'
I pulled the grill all the way open, and there it was, shriveled and burnt beyond recognition. I grabbed it with the tongs and dropped it onto a clean plate.
The steak made a tink sound as it hit the plate. It was like a big squashed Kingsford briquette.
'I’m not serving that!' said the server. I lost it…
'Take that &*^!@$ steak out of here and give it to him!'
The next person I expected to see was my boss, but no, the server returned about 15 minutes later and held out a $5 bill.
'The customer says that’s the best steak he’s ever had, and he sent you this tip.' (I was probably making $3 per hour back then.) My eyes bugged out of their sockets.
There’s no accounting for some people’s tastes. I’ll never forget that Sunday."
9. "After delivering a meal upstairs, the same room service waitress came into the kitchen, stunned. She had taken the lift with a customer returning to his room when he turned to her and said he wanted to complain that his steak was too tender. She smiled, assuming it was a joke, but he grew upset and insisted that he wanted to file an official complaint because, ‘When I order a steak, I want to have to chew it!’ There was no mention of how it was cooked — just that it was too tender. Our only response was, ‘Huh? What do you even say to that logic?’"
10. "One time at a restaurant in Las Vegas, a woman ordered gumbo at a seafood bar known for gumbo with no spice at all. The cook, preparing it right in front of her, only added the base and seafood, with no extra spice. When she took a bite, she spat it out, gargled water, and spat again onto the counter. Then, she screamed, 'I said no spice! Are you trying to kill me?!' The cook calmly explained that no extra spice was added, just the stock, which was prepared with some seasoning. She demanded gumbo with zero spice, but the cook told her that wasn’t possible since the stock base is made in advance."
"Hysterical, she claimed that every gumbo she’d ever had was bland. The manager offered her clam chowder or another non-spicy dish for free, but she demanded gumbo without spice.
Then, things took a wild turn. She called casino security and even dialed 911, telling police the restaurant was trying to kill her with black pepper and that she was allergic to spice.
Soon, security, police, and management crowded the small 12-seat bar. When the police asked her to calm down, she lost it — grabbing items from the bar and throwing them at the cook. That’s when the officers handcuffed her and dragged her out. As she was hauled away, she kept screaming, 'No spice!'
After she and the officers left, everyone at the bar erupted into applause and generously tipped the cook.
11. "I had a sign at my restaurant that read: ‘The Best Pizzas in Town.’ One evening, a couple I’d never seen came in and ordered two small glasses of water — always a sign a customer was going to be high maintenance. We aimed for customers who’d order large beers and a round of Jägermeister, not just sit and sip water."
"After studying the menu for what felt like hours (another red flag), the couple finally ordered a pizza and asked for two sets of cutlery — yet another warning. When their pizza arrived, they dug in. At some point, the waitress checked in with them.
‘Are you enjoying the pizza?’ she asked.
‘Yes, thank you, it’s delicious,’ they replied.
After eating three-quarters of the pizza, they handed the rest to the waitress and asked to see me.
I went over and asked, ‘Was there a problem with the pizza?’
‘No, not at all. It was very tasty,’ they said.
‘Great! Then have a nice evening,’ I replied.
‘Wait! We want our money back.’
‘Pardon?’
‘We saw your sign that says the pizza is the best in town. While we agree it’s good, we don’t believe it’s the best. That’s false advertising, and we feel entitled to a refund.’
In my best non-diplomatic tone, I told them exactly where the door was and suggested they use it."
12. "I had an older customer send her soup back in disgust. When I asked what was amiss, she said: 'I've had the soup du jour here before, and this is definitely not it!'"
13. "One day, some customers came to my food truck in Makati and ordered the lamb burger, which featured expensive foie gras imported from Singapore. Soon after they had been served, four burgers were returned to the kitchen. One of my servers explained that the group was passionate about animal rights and found the idea of using foie gras offensive. Despite having eaten half of their burgers, they demanded a full refund. I pointed out that the menu clearly stated ‘lamb burger with pan-seared foie gras.’ If they could read the menu, I didn't see why my business should suffer due to their misunderstanding. They began creating a scene, shouting and gesturing."
"Fortunately, a police patrol car was nearby, and an officer approached to offer assistance. I had to translate for the officers, as many Filipinos have only a basic grasp of English. I expressed my frustration about their behavior.
The officers then asked if they could taste the lamb burgers, so I provided a full serving for each. To my surprise, they loved them and quickly devoured them, expressing disbelief at the high price of 450 pesos. I replied that the taste was the secret to my success.
Ultimately, the police escorted the group back to their office building, where they filed an official complaint against the customers for disorderly conduct. A few days later, Mayor Jejomar Binay visited my food truck, accompanied by the patrol officers who had dealt with the previous disturbance. They all came to try my lamb burger, and I treated everyone — 16 people in total."
14. "A couple came in, claiming to be vegetarians, but kept sending back half-eaten dishes with complaints. Our server recommended pasta with a primavera sauce, which they ordered. After eating half, they returned it, saying it lacked flavor, and asked for something with protein. The server suggested our cheese ravioli, which they mostly ate before sending it back, calling the cheese 'gross.'"
"It was clear we were being scammed, but we pride ourselves on excellent service. So, I approached the couple to hear their complaints. Their complaints matched what the server had told me, so I asked if they might enjoy portobello burgers.
At this, the woman exploded, 'We are VEGETARIAN! We eat CHICKEN!'
The dining room went silent. I calmly asked if they had told the server that they, as vegetarians, ate chicken. She shouted, 'NO! The server should just know that vegetarians eat chicken!'
I smiled and helped the woman out of her chair, guiding the couple gently toward the door. 'I'm so sorry,' I said warmly, 'but our chef has run out of vegetarian chickens tonight. Don't worry about the bill — I'll see you out.'
Thankfully, they haven't returned."