Sending Back Food

At lunch today my sister did not like her sandwich. When the server asked her about it she said that she didn't really like it, but that it was fine and that she didn't want anything else. She asked me as a server what I thought our server was thinking and what she should have done. Every server is different, but here are my thoughts.

I want my guests to be happy with their meals. If they are happy I will get the maximum of what they think a good tip is (which unfortunately varies alot). I would rather that if a guest didn't like their meal they would take my suggestions and let me fix it for them.

DO NOT do the following:
1. Sit there miserably while everyone else is eating and keep whining,
2. Eat everything but the last two bites and then complain, (this happens to me all the time--"you should let the chef know this was soooo salty", or "it was really overdone but I ate it anyway", I'm sorry, what exactly do you want me to do now about it?)
3. Wave down your server like someone is having a heart attack and freak out on them because you don't like your food (there are starving people in the world),
4. And don't just try to be polite and eat something you don't like. You may be one of the few nice people out there and I would rather that you (rather 1,2, and 3) actually got to enjoy your meal.

I know what I can get on the table quickly if someone doesn't like their food, and can suggest getting them something quick that they may enjoy more. When sending back food tell the server what you don't like and let them tell you what they can do to fix it. If they ask you what you would like done, ask them about their quick entrees or tell them specifically what you would like done to fix your meal.

Yes it is a pain to send back food, it backs up the kitchen and throws off your server on busy nights. That is why we hate it. And we also hate the sneer and thinly veiled contempt of guests as they complain and explain to us how food should be prepared. But I would also rather you let me fix the problem for you and see that you are happy with the result.