Sneaky Restaurant Cut-Back Tricks

How many of these two dozen or so have you spotted when eating out of late?  Not that we post-ops should complain, I guess, but I can imagine what pre-ops think about them!:  

  http://money.aol.com/special/i-spy-restaurant-tricks

Oh my! I'll pay more attention from now on ..

  

If this trend continues, we may no longer have an obestity crisis in this country.

I am pre-op...

For the limiting bread baskets -
We ate at Olive Garden two nights ago - there were 4 breadsticks in our basket... Of course we had a second batch and there were four again (Proud to admit, I had none of the second batch and took 3 home for lunches!)

Veal Switcharoo -
I don't eat veal, can't get past the baby cow part.... but if it were pork, I would eat it!  Maybe they shouldn't lie about what the serve!

Outback Cutbacks -
This "our" place for Friday nights, this week was a rare change from that.  I have not noticed any cutbacks there - could it be because we are regulars who go at least 2-4 times a month?  Are the saving the good stuff for regulars, I don't know...  I do know the prices went up when we were in last weekend...

Robust Salads -
I have noticed this in a few places, namely KFC/LJS whose side salad used to have tomato, carrot and cheese on top with a packet of croutons... The last two I got (from two seperate locations York, PA and Randallstown, MD) they were lettuce only!  In York, I had to ask twice for a packet of dressing!  At Chili's I noticed it was almost all iceburg lettuce, no romaine and had very little anything else.... used to be one of my favorite salads!  Outback still has the best hands down in my opinion!

Carraba's Cut Backs -
We don't go here, but how in the world can a person spend $350 for two there??? We don't usually do apps and dessert but the few times we have been there, we spend about $50??

Here is my take on it... :)
Hope to hear others chime in...

 I did a double-take @ her mention of the $350 tab at Carraba's ..    She said "w. girlfriends", so I would assume with a bill that large she must go there with like at least 10 or so friends at a time ..   Otherwise that is ONE high tab ..  

  Veal - I love it, but too feeling guilty about eating it (don't get me started about my apologizing to the lobsters in the tanks @ Walmart when taking home a package of frozen shrimp   )

   Now Wendy's ..  get me started, please!  

    I went and got a "taco salad" at Wendy's last week for the first time I've bought Wendy's in a LONG time ..  I was impressed initially by the menu pic, which didn't show it to have a tortilla shell like most of them do ..   I was never so disappointed, however, when they gave it to me and I saw it was basically an oversized iceberg lettuce salad (with a tiny bit of tomatoes and shredded cheese on top) and the rest of it was make-it-yourself,  consisting of a cup of watery chili, a packet of sour-cream and a small bag of strips made from taco shells .. 

For Wendy's I but a cheapy salad off the dollar menu (that isn't a dollar anymore!) and a small Chili... The side salad has as much "stuff" as their taco, and I wouldn't eat the strips anyhow!  Nor do I want their southwest dressing on my taco salad! 

I use their FF Honey mustard on the salad and eat my chili plain... :)

I agree, I've noticed a few things that angered me and I don't even eat that type of stuff anyhow. It amazes me what some restaurants do and it's disgusting to say the least. My sister and her hubby go to Olive Garden quite often or use to should I say. Her hubby is a big eater so he would always get the "all you can eat" pasta deal.  There really wasn't a deal because after the first dish they brought you, if you asked for another, it would be a 20 minute or so wait for the second portion. When it did come, it would be very little and if you wanted more....another 20 minutes or so wait.  I think they figured the customer would get tired of waiting or angered by the wait and just pay the bill and go without eating more than 1 or 2 portions.  They also had an issue with the bread, they got 2 sticks at a time and when they asked for more, would either be told it would be a 15 minute wait...or just get 2 more.  They no longer go there....lol    Ya know, they advertise all the bread and salad you care to eat....and thats what they should give.  I don't eat bread anyhow but I can understand why others get so angered.   They should be ashamed of themselves.....      I work with a guy who use to work in a restaurant and his boss did the same thing with retrieving jelly, crackers, butter packs, etc....off peoples plates and washing them for other customers.  NASTY....lol     I'm afraid to eat out half the time.