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When Is It Okay To Send Food Back At A Restaurant?

On a couple of occasions, I’ve been out to dinner with a friend and they’ve decided to send their meal back. It’s a bit cringe-worthy if it’s just because they…

(Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

On a couple of occasions, I've been out to dinner with a friend and they've decided to send their meal back. It's a bit cringe-worthy if it's just because they decided they want something different or just don't like it.

But there are a couple of situations where it is perfectly fine to send back your dish:

1. If you find a foreign object in your food, send it back. A bug, a hair (or a bat or frog if you're eating salad)...these items don't belong.

2. If your food isn't cooked the way you requested. For example, if your meat is undercooked or overcooked, send it back.

4. If the temperature is really wrong, send it back. You have every right to complain about a hot dish being cold and vice versa.

5. If they bring you the wrong order or don't place your order with certain dietary requests you've specified, you can send it back. On the flip side, servers and chefs don't appreciate it, understandably so, when you make add-on's or deletions to your order that are over the top.

Roxanne is a co-host on the MJ Morning Show and host of Middays on Q105 in Tampa Bay. She also hosts segments on The Current, which features local feel-good stories and health and wellness segments, and airs on five of the six Tampa-based Beasley Media Group stations. Roxanne has conducted hundreds of interviews, from athletes to Oscar winners, including Matt Damon, Christian Bale, and Chadwick Boseman. She also specializes in media training, having worked with clients in the NFL, NBA and WWE for television, in print, and online. Roxanne is a published author and will be releasing a thriller novel in 2024. Her favorite thing in the world is being with her two daughters and husband. As a content creator for Q105, Roxanne writes about family activities in the Tampa Bay area, as well as reviews for local restaurants and travel.