Always Ask Your Server This Question Before Ordering Your Main Course At A Restaurant

Going out to eat is one of life's simplest, greatest pleasures. Sharing a table with loved ones and taking in the atmosphere of a curated space, all while being served food and drinks, is already wonderful. But, just like anything, asking the right questions can be key to maximizing that experience. I worked as a server for over a decade, and there's one question I think customers should have asked me more before ordering their entrees.

Your server isn't just the steward of your dining experience, but an asset in ways that go far beyond the obvious. Of all the questions to ask a server, I rarely got asked the one that I think is the most valuable: What is the worst or least exciting dish on the menu? When ordering the main course, guests would usually ask what my favorite dish was or which was our best or most popular entrée. I rarely got asked what I wouldn't recommend, and the difference here is key. Everybody's palate varies, so what your server thinks is the tastiest dish on the menu might not be your cup of tea. But if there's a clearly underwhelming dish — not necessarily bad, per se — compared to the rest of the offerings, your server will usually know it. In a restaurant with a full menu, it's often more useful to know the one or two items to avoid than the one your server happens to like best.

Some might think that asking which dish is the worst can come off as rude or offensive because in theory, a chef is only presenting their best dishes. But the culinary arts are just that — an art — and not everything can be a masterpiece. An alternative, less direct way to get the same information is to ask which dish gets sent back the most at the restaurant. Regardless of how you word it, there's a possibility that your server might be able to sincerely say that there is nothing bad on the menu. If that's the case, cheers, you just found your new favorite restaurant.

Another underrated reason I think more people should ask this particular question before ordering their main course is that it relieves some pressure from your server. There have been plenty of times that a table asked which entrée was my favorite, only to dislike my recommendation. Not only does that end with the guests being at least somewhat disappointed, but I'd typically remove that item from the check, as well. That means less food in the customers' bellies and less money in my pocket, and that's kind of the whole point for each involved party. Lastly, before asking your server for a recommendation, consider the fact that they probably aren't ordering off the menu when they eat at work. In fact, their favorite thing to order is likely some amalgamation of a starch and various sauces that they scarf down in the walk-in cooler. And I'm sure that's not what you imagined for your main course on a night out.