Why You Should Always Let Restaurant Management Know If A Foreign Object Is In Your Food

Even when you encounter an unpleasant surprise in your restaurant meal (like a piece of plastic or a small pebble), it's understandable if you don't want to cause a fuss. Shy diners might even refrain from telling their server. But according to Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, the owner of Cecchi's restaurant, during a conversation with Tasting Table at the New York City Wine & Food Festival, neglecting to report a foreign object in your food does a disservice to both yourself and the restaurant's management.

Cecchi-Azzolina has dealt with foreign objects in food countless times over his career. No matter the situation, he implores diners to speak up. "Let us know," he exclaims. "We don't want you to break a tooth." Not only does the manager want to make the situation right for you, but they'll also want to figure out if it's the result of a bigger issue in the kitchen. It could be an isolated incident, but if there's a root cause — like a bag of veggies that hasn't been prepped properly — you'll be doing the kitchen, management, and other customers a favor by calling attention to it.

While customers shouldn't ignore signs about when to send a dish back, Cecchi-Azzolina has encountered diners who "really freak out" over an issue with their meal. Remember that being rude helps no one, including yourself. "If you do [say something]," the restaurateur adds, "just be polite about it. We're not trying to kill you." Speak to staff politely and don't assume negligence or ill intent, and you'll make it a lot easier for them to rectify the matter.

What if you find a foreign object in a takeout meal that you've already brought home? Or, perhaps you sift through the plate with your fork and don't see any other stray bits. Isn't it fine to just pick it out and continue to eat your dinner? Definitely not — if a certain ingredient in the restaurant's kitchen is the cause of the problem, there may be more than one piece of foreign matter in your meal.

Cecchi-Azzolina's example of breaking a tooth is only one outcome here, as you could also end up choking on larger objects or getting lacerations from sharp ones. "I've been to a restaurant, and there was a piece of metal — maybe it was a metal tie that got into it — and I had to spit it out," Cecchi-Azzolina recalls. "I didn't even say anything because I know what it was." Nevertheless, he implores diners to notify the staff ASAP and send the meal back, as this helps keep other customers safe. It's similar to the safety reason you should send cold food back at a restaurant.

There's another reason why you shouldn't keep eating after finding a foreign object in it: it's easier for the staff to replace your meal or otherwise deal with the situation if your food is mostly uneaten. If you only find something unexpected after finishing most of the dish, that's a different story. However, if you find an object, pick it out, finish your food, and then make your complaint, it appears as if you're trying to force a refund. This puts the restaurant in a difficult position and is one of the worst mistakes to make at a fancy restaurant (or any eatery) for that matter.