Starters and Main Course at the same time?

[ginasevern]

Is this a new thing? My friend and I go out for lunch once a month rotating between 3 particular restaurants. They are all chain restaurants, mid range (sort of like Miller & Carter type thing). We've always chosen them because they are convenient for both of us. Anyway, over the last 6 months or so the servers in all 3 restaurants have brought our starters out at the same time as our main course. The other day when we ordered I asked the server if she would please serve the courses separately but she gave me a strange look and actually questioned it as if it was odd.

Just to clarify, the menu in each restaurant is separated into "starters", "mains" and "dessert". I do know that it's standard in some places such as tapas bars for example but this really isn't one of them. It's pretty much a prawn cocktail followed by steak sort of place.

So am I being unreasonable to want my starters served before my main course, or is this a new way of doing things?

No it's weird. I want to pace a meal and have it one at a time !

Thanks. I thought maybe I was out of touch with some new trend!

I haven't experienced this, strange.

I would send the main course back.
DH and I have had eye rolling in the past, when we know that the mains come out too quickly, they remove the empty starter plates with one hand and put down the mains with the other, we have ordered our starters and said we will order our mains later.

Nope. Strange. Make sure you request this each time or take your custom elsewhere!

Yes, good idea. Order starters and then mains later

Do you tend to go during busy times? I've only seen it in very busy places where they want you finished and out faster to get someone else down at your table.

its called starter for a reason, by the time you have eaten one meal the other would be cold

I’ve not experienced this, I would send my main course back in those circumstances. Just odd.

No, I've never noticed this before.

Are you both ordering starters? In the past, if only 1 of us has ordered one, 'sometimes' we've been asked if we want the starter to come out before the mains or a the same time. Its never been an automatic thing though.

I would absolutely send the main course back if it arrived with the starter.

It’s not something I’ve experienced, but that said, we don’t have these sort of restaurants around here. My guess is, it’s a sign of poor kitchen management. There’s no one back there actually overseeing the service, so it goes all pear shaped and the (probably inexperienced) kitchen staff are just pushing everything out as quickly as they can get it done with no consideration to timing. And enough people just shrug and accept it and think it’s a one off so they get away with it.