I kept track of every dish sent back at my place for 6 months and the number was 214

Rowan Shah · 2026-10-22T08:30:03.754642+00:00

I run the line at a 60 seat place in Cleveland and back in January I started a tally sheet by the pass. Every return, every remake, every plate that came back cold or wrong. Six months later the total was 214, which works out to a little over one a night. I figured most of them would be undercooked chicken or steaks sent back for temp, but nope. Almost 90 of them were pasta coming back because the portion was too small. People were paying $24 for a bowl and counting the shrimp. We bumped the pasta from 6 ounces dry to 8 and the returns dropped by half in three weeks. I was sure the problem was my cooks, but it was the plate all along. The other big one was salads sent back for dressing on the side, like 40 of those, and I still have not figured that one out. If you have ever run a tally like this, what number surprised you the most?

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I kept track of every dish sent back at my place for 6 months and the number was 214 | Chefs - The Community Guide