Bobby Flay Will Never Do This One Thing When Dining At A Restaurant

While Bobby Flay has arguably become better known for his work in the celebrity cooking world than for being a restaurateur — which Flay is also successful at – his experience working in kitchens and running food establishments has nonetheless informed his lifestyle and etiquette. Among these etiquette choices is a refusal to do one common thing that others do without a second thought — sending food back to the kitchen for absolutely any reason.

Flay revealed that he will never return food to the kitchen at a restaurant in an interview with Popsugar in 2017. "I won't send food back to the chef. Never," Flay told the website bluntly. Despite Flay not giving an exact reason why he decided to hold himself to this rule, it's likely a matter of Flay wanting to show courtesy to his fellow chefs, recognizing the job's difficulty after several decades of experience in the kitchen. Furthermore, this choice from Flay is also likely a matter of Flay trusting the restaurants in terms of overall quality, even if the dish he receives ends up missing the mark for his personal tastes.

Now, just because Bobby Flay would never send his food back on one of his routine visits to restaurants like J.G. Melon — the celebrity chef's favorite burger spot – doesn't mean you need to be as tight-lipped as he is. There are several completely understandable reasons to send dishes back at a restaurant, with the most justifiable among the general public being when there's a potential allergy or health issue at play. Beyond that, if a dish is overcooked, undercooked, or straight-up cold upon its arrival at your table, politely requesting that the dish be fixed or remade is no problem at all.

However, the line begins to blur when you simply aren't a fan of the way a properly executed dish tastes. While some may find sending a dish back for this reason impolite, many servers and chefs — including Bobby Flay himself — would prefer you send food back regardless so you can enjoy your dining experience to the fullest. "It happens in all my restaurants for one reason or the other," Bobby Flay admitted. "I want my customers to be happy, and I will try to the end of the world to make them happy."