Heard a customer say plating is overrated, almost lost it

Last Saturday at brunch I overheard a guy at the counter telling his date that food styling is just for Instagram and nobody actually cares how it looks. I was mid-plate on a smoked salmon benedict and had to stop myself from walking over. I've been on the line for 11 years, worked in Portland and Austin, and plating is the last thing you control before the food leaves your station. A messy plate tells the server you rushed it, tells the customer you don't respect the $18 they're dropping, and honestly it makes the whole kitchen look lazy. I've seen regulars send back a dish that tasted great just because the sauce smear looked like a mistake, and I've seen a simple burger get compliments because the pickle fan looked deliberate. So is plating dying in casual spots, or am I just old school about this? Anyone else had a customer say something like that to their face?

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the_alice15d ago

My cousin runs a food truck in Tulsa and one time a guy sent back his brisket because the sauce zigzag looked too perfect, said it seemed fake. We still bring that up at holidays. But honestly I get what you're saying, I worked at a diner for two years where the owner would yell at us if the pickle spear wasn't at a 45 degree angle next to the sandwich. Customers notice way more than they let on, even the ones who claim they don't care about looks.