Chef Gordon Ramsay Warns People to Watch Out for These Red Flag Words in a Restaurant Menu
So you gently pull the restaurant door and walk inside, scanning the interior for a nice table. Maybe you are alone or maybe your family is visiting too. Before a server notices you and ushers you to a proper table, your gaze moves around and gets fixated on a chalkboard arranged somewhere near the entrance. “Restaurant specials,” the heading reads in bold, gritty handwriting. Glancing through it, you order the “specials,” fairly excited. But as the dish is served and you begin to chow it down, you realize that the lettuce doesn’t taste as fresh as it should be, or maybe the cheese sits like an old gloop. That’s when you’ll be reminded of why Gordon Ramsay warned people against ordering the “specials,” per The Mirror.
With extensive experience in the arena, Ramsay has shared countless nuggets of wisdom about food, recipes, and restaurants. For instance, one of his famous videos shows him advising people to never order the “soup of the day” dish while dining in restaurants. Then, he also cautioned people to look out for restaurants that "boast" about their offerings with claims like "world's best," "famous," or "best in the country,” per the media channel.
In this tip, he spilled another food reality related to the restaurant menus advertising “specials” which may look like “daily specials,” “weekly specials,” or “festive specials.” Ramsay explained that a lengthy list of special items is usually a warning sign and these dishes may not be as tempting or appetizing as they appear to be. "Specials are there to disappear throughout the evening. When they list 10 specials, that's not special," he said, per The Mail Online.
Corporate chef Daniel England previously shared with Reader’s Digest, that, in reality, restaurant specials are designed primarily to use up the pantry goods before their shelf life expires. The ingredients in these specials are leftovers that needn’t be tossed in the kitchen bin. “Repurposing ingredients not only reduces food waste, but it saves restaurants money. If restaurants over-order items that have trouble selling, this is a perfect excuse to put them on the specials,” said Alex Benes, culinary director of Wood Ranch.
“Sometimes it's truffles and caviar. Sometimes there's some cabbage that needs to be used up before it goes bad,” said former restaurant worker Darron Cardosa, about restaurant specials, in Food & Wine. She added that especially in chain restaurants, a “special” might be “something the kitchen needs to use up before it goes bad. It’s quite possible there was a cleaning out of the freezer that resulted in a special of boneless chicken wings that are decidedly un-special.” She added, “For whatever reason, the restaurant wants to sell these dishes, and the more you know about the specifics, the better decision you can make. Just know that if you’re eating cabbage soup on March 20th, it’s definitely a leftover."
Apart from steering clear of the menu specials, celebrity chef Ramsay also recommended people book a table for at least three if they’re going out on a couple’s date, so the restaurant doesn’t seat you in a cramped corner. The chef also said, “We have a fear about talking to sommeliers because you think you’re going to be ripped off. So get the sommelier to come up with a great glass or great bottle and give him a price. And make sure it’s under $30 (£23.50).”