I was sitting across from my fiancee, Mel, at a restaurant the other day looking at the meal that I had ordered. Actually, I didn't think that this was the meal that I had ordered because the meal that was in my head was quite a lot nicer than the one that I had received. I began to raise my hand and out of the corner of my eye caught the look that Mel gave me. You see, we have slightly differing views on whether or not a complaint should be made. For me, if I'm not happy with what I've received and I don't think that the restaurant staff are going to spit in my food, then I'll (un)happily tell them what the problem is; whereas other people, including Mel, have a higher tolerance level for that kind of thing.

If you've ever seen Gordon Ramsay's show, Hell's Kitchen, where would-be chefs battle it out to become an executive chef at one of Gordon's restaurant, just about everyone sends their meal back especially during the early stages of the show. Although it makes for great TV, I don't think that it's realistic; when I'm out the only person I've seen complain about their food is me! Not that I'm always sending food back, but I just want to make sure I'm getting what I paid for.

Someone was also telling me recently that there are restaurant customers that complain about as much as they can.. just to get a free meal, and I believe that that's almost like trying to steal something. Apparently, there are more people that make these fake complaints than you could believe.

So when is it appropriate to complain? Firstly, you have to be careful that your expectations are at the right level and are not too high for the restaurant you're eating at. If you're eating at a fast food joint, you're not going to get gourmet food. After that, I would say that when you look at what has been served and recoil, then that should be a good indication that you should say something. Seriously though, if you feel that the restaurant is ripping you off, then you should complain.. but in the end, you can just chalk it down to experience and vote with your feet.

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