Gartenhof — Restaurant in Zurich

This was my first and certainly my last experience with this place. Tonight, I had a pre-booked dinner with my colleagues and our boss.

I ordered the beef tartare, unaware that it was served raw. When I saw the raw meat, I politely asked to change my order.

However, the waiter was incredibly rude; he started lecturing me in front of everyone about how tartare is "served raw internationally." We all had to sit and listen. Then he went on to explain how much work goes into preparing beef tartare.

Finally, I said, "No problem, it can stay," to quiet him. He looked very young, so I decided to attribute his arrogance to his inexperience and didn't want to disrupt the nice atmosphere of the dinner with my colleagues.

After he finished his "lecture," the waiter finally offered to change the dish. I quickly confirmed that "the ravioli on the menu was actually pasta" and placed my order.

The bottom line for restaurant management is this: Your customer may be the most clueless person in the world, but they don't have to eat the food you bring them. Here's the "international knowledge" you should really stand behind. Just politely apologize, hand over the menu, and offer to order something else.

In my culture, tartare also refers to vegetable-based dishes; "raw meat" isn't used in every cuisine.

Also, since your menu is only a small A5 sheet, you can add "raw" to the small description section below the dish.

I read the other comments before writing this—there have been complaints about your service staff for years. I hope you take some steps to improve this for your own good.

As for me, you're definitely off my list.

P.S. There was another waitress who served us; I commend her; she was very...

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