3 Rules For Healthy Eating At A Restaurant (That Won't Piss Off The Chef Or Your Friends)

The high maintenance food orderers are so not cute and adorable. Let's treat the restaurant staff like they are our slaves. I don't think so. I agree with the suggestion to just keep it to one thing you want to change.

Hey Margarita, I do in fact have a friend like this and yes it is very annoying. It is also quite embarrassing when she does order this at places we frequent. I can see the waitresses glaring at us the minute we sit down! I think the "one request rule" is a great way to eat healthy while dining out but also keeping the special requests to a minimum. Tip number 3 about choosing bread, cocktails or dessert is also great advice. I also say not to a second (or third) round of free bread at places because I know I will eat it and I know I don’t need to it :)

Thanks for the tips Margarita!

Well, some restaurants don't have anything close to lowfat, low carb, without more than one request. I eat at some locally owned Mexican restaurants. They have no problem when I say " lunch chimichanga, soft with chicken, no cheese, no sour cream" . They are good waiters and I tip better than most! I don't dine with people who need to approve of how I order my meal.

I cannot stand it when folks do this type of stuff. Personally, I like to eat the meal as it is prepared. If I want something different then I order something different. I see their point about paying to get it their way, but the movie scene is overkill and I hope no one is that demanding or that picky. If they are then it'd be better that they stay home and make it themselves. Stick to one, maybe two (at worst), minor changes and don't make a huge fuss about it. Going out to eat should be a treat to get away from cooking for the night. It should be fun and carefree and it "should not" be more work to order the meal than it is to eat the meal. Otherwise, what's the point of even going out.

If any of my friends or family get this bad, I'd avoid eating out with them altogether. I'd get tired of having to wait on them to get their meal right still, after I've already finished eating mine. "No, no, no. I said brown rice, not white rice. Take it back and do it right this time." It'd just be more trouble than it's worth. Way too much aggravation.

OMG.....That just described me. LOL!! I can't even imagine what the chef's have done to my food before it got to me, because of what a picky a$$ I am. My hubby always shakes his head and rolls his eyes, and tells me to just scrape off the mayo or pick out the tomatoes or whatever it is. As far as I am concerned, I am paying for it, so I want it how I want it. I have gotten better though and am far less nit-picky. It wasn't a matter of choice though, either I had to lighten up or my hubby and kids might strangle me in my sleep. Anyone else out there like me?? I hope I am not alone!! LOL!!

thats just silly, the "take what you can get" mentality where its a seller's market is over. If you're polite about it you should be able to request whatever you'd like from a purveyor, they can refuse if they'd like as well. There are many people like myself who really do have different dietary needs -- I'm a vegetarian and there are very few options for me most places, so TWO non-meat meals on the menu may need a little tailoring. If I'd like a different cheese on my salad and hold the croutons, the waitor and the chef should be able to handle it.

I agree with you, thanks for an explanation. As always all ingenious is simple.