Was I right not to eat this steak? (Pic)

[JulyDreams]

Went to restaurant tonight. Ordered steak well done as I am 30 weeks pregnant. Came like this after opening it up. Looked worse in person, the photos don't show it as pink as it was in the restaurant. I was nice enough and just asked at the end to have it taken off.

Was I right I'm not eating this? Waitress was very polite and agreed to take it off bill for us although didn't say much about how it was cooked....? DP said it looked 'ok'

First pregnancy I would have probably swerved that, second pregnancy I wouldn’t have bat an eyelid. And personally I’m a ‘pink enough that a good vet could revive it’ girl when not pregnant 😄

But it’s not how you asked for it, and steak is expensive. So frankly they should have done it as you asked, irregardless of pregnancy.

You were wrong to ask it to be taken off the bill IMO. If it wasn't cooked as ordered, then it should have been sent back and the kitchen given a chance to rectify the mistake. Even a really vendictive restaurant owner would be unlikely to do something unsavoury to it if you asked it to be chucked back into the pan for a bit and explained it's because you're pregnant and trying to follow the guidance.

We have the best steaks at home also. DP cooks it's really well.

Ah now I'm conscious I've come across completely wrong than I've been meaning to 🤦🏻‍♀️

To be fair the nhs does say to eat meat well cooked so its no longer pink. More of an issue with burgers/minced meat than a steak though. I'd have just asked for it to be cooked for a bit longer.

That looks well done to me. I need to order rare these days to get what I want. I'm starting to think blue is more my thing now. I doubt that steak would do any harm even when pregnant.

I really should have done as I really wanted it and was hungry. DP is a fast eater and I tried to get the waitresses attention a few times with no luck (very busy) just didn't see the point .. first time I've ever asked for something to be taken off the bill (can't do confrontation)

Your very high-handed and supercilious post implies that you work in a high-end establishment, and are used to dealing efficiently with customers.

Yet you gloss over the appalling service provided to the OP. Anyone who frequents decent restaurants knows that a customer should always be asked whether their meal is to their liking, particularly an item cooked to order such as a steak.

Curiouser and curiouser.

www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/ nhs advice

I would of done the same as you. I dont eat steak but regardless of you being pregnant or not if its not cooked as you like it then it isn't what you asked for. And it's a nightmare when you are out and its busy and you can't get their attention. They should be coming back over checking your meal is ok, if youre going spending that kind of money id expect a nice restaurant with good service and I wouldnt be chasing them round the restaurant trying to get their attention. Sometimes you can sit there for 10 min and no one appear and just as they do you have a mouthful of food! 😂 You defo did the right thing.

thanks @dementedpixie

I would have utterly devoured that at 30 weeks pregnant.

If it wasn't cooked the way you wanted it though you should have said. No chef is going to begrudge pregnant woman an over done steak.

That's a perfectly cooked medium steak. Yum

@roosnunlilei I didn't demand for it to be taken off AT ALL. I apologised as I HATE confrontation but I literally felt I couldn't eat a mouthful, was uncomfortable and it's not my idea of a pleasant meal. I wasn't rude at all.

Agree it's definitely great medium which is usually what I go for.

I wasn't aware that you're supposed to have steak well done when pregnant. I'm a vegetarian who suddenly developed a craving for steak medium rare when pregnant 😳

Thank you @Cookiedough123 it was a bit awkward, just very busy and we had one waitress (bless her) for a whole large area. About 10 tables I think

Your very high-handed and supercilious post implies that you work in a high-end establishment, and are used to dealing efficiently with customers.

I have worked in all sorts but there is no high handed anything here, if there is an issue it would be rectified. We cannot rectify mistakes we do not know of.

Yet you gloss over the appalling service provided to the OP. Anyone who frequents decent restaurants knows that a customer should always be asked whether their meal is to their liking, particularly an item cooked to order such as a steak.

I didn't gloss over it, I mentioned it wasn't done. Adding on to my above comment about rectifying mistakes, the steak was just one mistake; the staff issue is another and if it isn't communicated nothing can be done to fix it.

I never said you were rude.

As mentioned @roosnunlilei I did try to get her attention a couple of times. No immaturity or entitlement here. There are FAR worse people than me....

So there were two failures - two members of staff who did not do their jobs properly - and OP not only ended up with food that was not edible to her, but the front of house staff failed to provide her with the usual, expected means of registering her dissatisfaction by checking back.

And your contention is that the onus was on OP to chase up the negligent waiting staff, and that her ruined meal was therefore her own fault? You stated, after all, that had you been dealing with her complaint, you would have refused to refund her for the inedible meal.

You may have worked in "all sorts", but you could do with a refresher on customer service basics.

Well the restaurant had to pay for you being to shy to say “can you cook this a bit more for me”.

@5zeds yeah I suppose but there were plenty more customers there. I don't think they gave a crap about me when I walked out hungry. Don't mean that in a shitty wait either literally just saying.

I'm not pregnant but I wouldn't have eaten that either, I'd have asked for it to be returned to the kitchen and cooked to how I had requested it first time around.

It does, assuming you want to minimise the risk of toxoplasmosis.

No idea why you are getting so many responses that it’s fine to eat rare steak. The nhs guidance is pretty clear on this.

But shit that whoever you were with was happy to chomp away while you sat there not eating. If I couldn’t get someone attention to send it back me or my husband would have stood up and got someone. What a waste of a meal!