We Asked 10 Chefs: What’s the Weirdest Dish Modification Request You’ve Received?
Working in the service industry, one of the biggest parts of the job is to meet the expectations and wishes of guests. In restaurants, hosts and servers are the business’ first point of contact with the patrons. They are tasked with making sure specific needs are met, such as flagging any allergens or grabbing extra utensils. Likewise, chefs also frequently bend to the whims of their customers, whether that be cooking a burger to a certain temperature or removing raw onions from a side salad.
Most customer modifications are welcome and reasonable, and are a normal part of working in kitchens. But occasionally, a request will come through the kitchen that’s just outright bizarre. That’s why we asked 10 chefs from around the country to name the weirdest demands they’ve ever seen on an order ticket.
From marshmallow fluff dolloped onto a steak to a “vegan” egg white omelet, these are the craziest dish modifications that guests have asked for, according to chefs.
The weirdest dish mods chefs have ever received:
Marshmallow fluff on everything
Deep-fried steaks
Prime rib sandwich mixed into farmhouse salad
Ground ribeye burger served with packaging labels
No ginger, garlic, onion, or cilantro
Steak cooked half-rare and half-well done
Well-done steak tartare
Non-fried fried oyster mushroom sandwich
Vegan egg white omelet
Well-done tuna tartare
Caesar salad without the lettuce
Exactly seven French fries
Hamburger that isn’t on the menu
“Early on, a family brought their own marshmallow fluff and asked us to put it on everything their kids ate, including the steak, fries, and salad. We did it, and it was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. We’ve also had guests ask us to cook their steak in the deep fryer because they only eat things that are deep-fried.” —Mark Bucher, co-owner, Medium Rare, New York City
“A few months after opening Millstone, we had a guest request one of the more unusual modifications I’ve seen: combining our smoked prime rib sandwich with our farmhouse salad. They wanted everything — the warm, thinly-shaved smoked ribeye, caramelized onions, melted provolone, mixed field greens, seasonal vegetables, and crumbled goat cheese — all chopped up and tossed together with our horseradish aioli as the dressing. Essentially, they turned two completely different dishes into one very unconventional steak salad. Nearly a year into service, it’s still one of the most memorable requests we’ve received.” —Tyler Murray, chef, Millstone, Lexington, Ky.
“One of the strangest modification requests I’ve had was a guest who asked us to grind a ribeye steak to make his burger, replace the fries with a salad, and bring out the original packaging for every ingredient so he could personally verify the allergens. He told us he had both a citrus allergy and a ‘greens allergy,’ and said that the price should be reduced because he wasn’t getting the standard sides. After about 40 minutes of us trying every possible way to accommodate him, he took off his shoes and socks and put them on the empty chair next to him. When we finally explained that there were simply some requests we couldn’t safely or reasonably fulfill, he responded, ‘So the chef is refusing to make my meal?’” —Clinton Snowling, vice president of culinary operations, Parched Hospitality Group, NYC and West Palm Beach, Fla.
“Cilantro, ginger, garlic, and onion are part of every Indian and South Asian dish, especially on Drāvida’s menu. One of the craziest modifications was when a guest walked in and said they cannot eat ginger, garlic, onion, nor cilantro. We still made it happen: We made them two amazing dishes from scratch using spices and herbs that would make the sauces flavorful. Instead of using onions, we used leeks and they enjoyed it.” —Aarthi Sampath, chef and founder, Drāvida, NYC
“I have worked in a variety of styles of kitchens, so I’ve seen some weird stuff. But I think the modification that takes the cake was when someone asked for a flat iron steak cooked half-rare and half-well done. Then, the server came back to the kitchen and said the guest was adamant about it ‘not being cut in half,’ which I still think about it to this day. Thankfully, the guest was eventually receptive to ordering another dish.” —Mikey Miller, chef, Field Note at The Ashbrook Hotel, Frankfort, Ky.
“One of the strangest requests I’ve ever received was for a well-done steak tartare. Considering the dish is traditionally served raw, it definitely caught me and our team off guard. At that point, you’re not really ordering steak tartare anymore, but we did our best to capture the flavors of the dish.” —Adam Plitt, executive chef, Delmonico’s Hospitality Group, NYC
“The weirdest dish modification I’ve ever gotten was when a guest didn’t want anything fried, but still wanted a fried oyster mushroom sandwich. So, I had to roast all the ingredients in the oven. It took significantly longer to make, like upwards 30 minutes for a sandwich that otherwise took less than three minutes to get out. The server that was helping the table tried to direct them to items on the menu that didn’t include any fried elements, but they were set on this particular item and then lectured me on the unhealthiness of frying food. Nonetheless, it was very early in my career, and I didn’t know it would have been much easier to say, ‘No.’” —Haley Duren, executive chef, Long Count, NYC
“We were asked to cook a shared ribeye half-medium rare and half-well done because the couple liked different temperatures. We’ve also gotten ‘medium rare, but closer to rare’ and, my personal favorite, ‘medium rare, but cooked through with no pink.’ Someone also once asked for an egg white omelet with no yolk or cheese because they were vegan. We’ve also had requests for an omelet with no eggs, just mushrooms and spinach.” —Barry Tonks, culinary director, IGC Hospitality, NYC and Orlando, Fla.
“One of the most unusual requests I’ve received was for a tuna tartare, but well done. It caught me off guard because raw tuna is what defines the dish. Of course, every guest has their preferences, but that request has certainly stayed with me. The second of the strangest requests I’ve received was for a Caesar salad without the lettuce, just the croutons, parmesan, and dressing. It turned into more of a Caesar salad-inspired snack, but in a restaurant, part of the fun is figuring out how to make a guest’s request work.” —Antelmo Ambrosio, executive chef, Merchants Hospitality, NYC and Nashville
“Two unusual requests stand out to me. I had one customer who would always order French fries, but insist on exactly seven pieces, no more and no less. Another guest would regularly order hamburgers for the entire table, even though they weren’t on the menu at the seafood restaurant where I worked. He would leave an enormous tip and keep coming back.” —Teddy Kim, culinary director, Oiji Mi and bōm, NYC
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