Savvy diners are getting more finicky about the food they are served. Rebecca Lewis reports.
Picky patrons at Kiwi restaurants are increasingly putting their hands up to complain, due to the rising popularity of TV cooking shows.
Restaurateurs and chefs believe dining shows such as UK's The F Word and MasterChef New Zealand are prompting customers to be more critical of the food served to them.
The popular The F Word - hosted by the fiery Gordon Ramsay - allows any of its 50 dining guests to refuse to pay if they find their food unsatisfactory.
MasterChef New Zealand judge and top restaurateur Simon Gault is among chefs to notice Kiwi diners becoming more finicky about the quality of their food.
And he says customers are well within their rights to voice their opinion - but only if they speak up in the restaurant, not a few days later.
"A customer has every right to critique the meal - and it's good constructive criticism. However, if the meal has met the standard of what is on the menu it's hard for them to say: 'Well I would prefer it to be cooked this way'."
Gault said complaints from his customers were rare because his front-of-house staff asked regularly whether they were happy but an odd few complained for the sake of it.
"There's the occasional one who thinks they've had more hot dinners than all the chefs put together.
"I've actually sat at a table before and heard people say: 'If we complain about this we might get a freebie.' I guess the restaurant just has to evaluate that complaint at the time."
Tony Astle, owner of Antoine's Restaurant in Parnell, is also aware of "professional complainers" who send food back in the hopes of getting a free meal.
He believes New Zealanders are generally bad at complaining, but agrees TV cooking shows are prompting more to put their hands up.
"People are becoming a little bit more savvy about these things," says Astle.
"The other night I had someone send some tuna back because it was undercooked, and I agreed with them - they were totally within their rights.
"But I think you have no right to complain unless you voice it when you're still in the restaurant, otherwise you can just shut up."
The Consumer Guarantees Act says services must be "performed with reasonable care and skill" and the goods must be of an "acceptable quality".
You are within your rights to complain about the food if it is not up to the standard you expect.
According to a 2007 Consumer New Zealand report, judging what is acceptable depends on the circumstances: "But some things should be right no matter what the price."
The art of complaining:
If you want to complain about a meal, but are unsure how to go about it, take some advice from people who know.
Chef Tony Astle and Restaurant Association chief executive Steve MacKenzie say there are right and wrong ways to make a complaint.
Go about it the right way, and you'll want to head back to the restaurant again for improved service. Judge a situation poorly, and you won't be helping anyone - least of all yourself.
MacKenzie says customers should never wait until the next day to lay a verbal complaint, and should complain "quietly" to be taken seriously.
"Don't, whatever you do, make a really aggressive complaint. If you are really hostile and loud about it, it will make the rest of the customers uncomfortable," he says.
"Having a word to the waiter or manager and taking them aside for a quiet word is far more constructive."
He said it was also important to ensure your complaint reaches the chef or manager - even if you say you will email when you get home.
"Think about how you would like to receive a complaint from someone, and go from there," he said.
Astle said fronting up to the chef or manager is a better way to manage a complaint than writing your own review in online forums.
"New Zealanders ... get all bitchy writing things online," said Astle.
"It's not fair to the restaurant because you should give them a chance to fix it on the day."
Email our specialist consumer affairs reporter, Alice Neville, at alice.neville@hos.co.nz, or write to her at: Herald on Sunday, PO Box 32, Auckland 1140.
