Raele Altano shares how to send back food or drinks without apologizing. Say "excuse me" instead, frame it as personal preference like "this isn't what I expected," have an alternative ready, and speak up early rather than halfway through your meal.
So picture this. You are at a restaurant. You order food or drinks that you don't really like. You want to order something else but you're completely dreading bringing up to your server and don't know what to say. How do you approach it? Not to worry, I have some pointers for you to do this confidently. Number one, when you get the server's attention, don't start where you're going to say with sorry, but replace it with excuse me and get into what you want to say. You don't need to lead with an apology to convey warmth and respect. Number two, keep the feedback about your preference specifically so something like excuse me, this isn't really what I expected or excuse me, something here tastes off to me. Would I be able to order something else? Focusing on your preference and want, not critiquing the kitchen or the bartender. And finally have a backup or alternative in mind already. When the server asks you what you want instead, or at the very least ask for a menu, it closes your statement and gives some sort of action to your feedback. And to caveat all of this, speak up early. Do not wait until you're halfway done with your food or your drinks to say something and say that you didn't like it because that's just not fair to the wait staff. Also, another caveat that's worth mentioning. If you find yourself wanting to do this often or doing it often, maybe reconsider what you're ordering and stick to the things that you know you will definitely like. This is meant for those Once in a blue in situations when you don't know what to say and shouldn't be your go to every single time you're dining out, speaking up in smaller situations like this helps you build that confidence to speak up in higher stake situations and environments. As always, I hope this was helpful and follow along for more communication and social navigation tips.
