What's the etiquette when you get the wrong dish?

[Anonymous]

Two questions:

1. If you are seated at a restaurant and get a dish (appetizers, fries, onion rings) that you did not order and the waiter is taking the dish off your table, would you reach for the food and eat from the plate?

2. As the waiter is taking this away, you realize it is probably your order. The waiter takes the dish into the kitchen and a couple minutes later, comes back out to put it on your table. Would you be ok with it?

[Anonymous]

1. No.
2. Probably.

[Anonymous]

You need fewer cocktails before you hit the restaurants. 1) to remember what you ordered, and 2) to recognize it when the waiter brings it. Also, fries and onion rings are not good for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need fewer cocktails before you hit the restaurants. 1) to remember what you ordered, and 2) to recognize it when the waiter brings it. Also, fries and onion rings are not good for you.

LOL +1

[Anonymous]

What? You didn't order it but he's now taking the dish OFF your table?

And #2 makes no sense either.

[Anonymous]

Short answer, you're probably getting what you deserve. Get off your iphone, remember what you ordered and pay attention.

[Anonymous]

1. No, this is bizarre.

2. I don't really understand this. So you didn't realize that it was the correct dish after all? Yes, I would be fine with them bringing it back if it was the right dish, but I don't understand why that wouldn't be clarified at the table. You: "Sorry, this isn't my dish. I ordered X." Waiter: "This is X. If this isn't what you were expecting, I'd be happy to put in an order for something else."

[Anonymous]

1. No. If you're going to eat any of it then don't return it.

2. So... you've sent it back after tasting some, and then he brought it back? Weird. I hope the waiter got a good tip.

[Anonymous]

Huh?

[Anonymous]

Are you saying when he brought it back out it was literally the same plate? How do you know? Why would he bring it back if the table had told him they hadn't ordered it (even if they had) - wouldn't he expect the same reaction?

[Anonymous]

I wonder if #2 means the poster saw a plate delivered to another table, it was rejected at that table as an incorrect order, sent back to the kitchen, then delivered to the correct person, either OP or person at OP's table.

[Anonymous]

I think OP is saying OP saw her(his?) own order delivered to another table, the other patron put their fingers in it/ate some before/as the the server realized the mistake. The server took back the plate from Diner-who-didnt-order-it and brought it to OP after Other Diner had already stuck their hands in it. Order should have been re-prepared for OP and the first order should have been tossed. Is that correct OP?

[Anonymous]

So here's my guess on the OP:
The waiter offered the plate to another person as OP's table or a neighboring table. That person rejected it, but grabbed a handful of the food before the waiter took it away. (OP is asking etiquette question #1 about someone else's behavior). As OP was watching this unfold, realized that the plate was his/hers. Watched waiter take the plate back to the kitchen, then come deliver it to OP, still missing the bite that the first diner snagged (etiquette question #2 is about his/her own reaction at that point).

If that's the situation:
1. No, if I'm rejecting a plate I won't eat off of it. I'm not paying for it, I don't get it.
2. Someone at my table, like DH? Ok. Some random diner, two tables over, had their fingers in my plate? Yuck, no.

[Anonymous]

And in which case, you say to the waiter "Uh, sorry, but I think someone has eaten a bite from this plate. Could I please have a fresh order?"

[Anonymous]

Yuck. What kind of restaurant would bring food that had been sampled by another diner. No way.