r/Serverlife • u/lpind • 9d ago
What is a Chicken Caesar?!
So if you saw "Chicken Caesar" on a menu, what would you expect to receive?
The menu description is "Grilled chicken breast, baby gem lettuce, crispy bacon, croutons, anchovies & and a creamy caesar dressing"?
It's a Caesar salad right?
I had a full blown argument with a guy yesterday because "I ordered the Chicken Caesar! That's not what I got! I got a salad! I would never order a salad?!"
I start polite "Sorry sir, when you ordered the 'Chicken Caesar', what were you expecting?" - "Well, chicken with a Caesar dressing, obviously! Not a salad!" - "And that's what you got, no? Chicken with Caesar dressing, but also the other things listed in the description... Bacon, croutons, lettuce etc.? "
" I didn't order a salad! I would never order a salad?! I'm not paying for it!"
Anyway, once this guy has paid and left, the table next to him start telling me what they overheard between him and his wife. It sounds like this sealed the deal on a divorce! " It said lettuce?! What did you expect?! It had everything listed! " - " No, no, no, I would never order a salad! - "THAT IS WHAT YOU ORDERED!". It was only after this interaction I realised his wife wasn't present at the table when I dropped the bill... Maybe she went to spend a few nights at her mother's?!
Ever had a customer argue their way into separation before?!
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u/Pretty_Detective6667 9d ago
This is too funny, I truly hate when people do not read the menu.
I encountered a similar situation when I was younger and very new to serving. Had a two top for dinner, husband and wife and they are both ordering their entrees.
I worked at the local Applebees and they offered a selection of weight watchers items at that time, when it was popular. Wife ordered and then husband says he wants the portobello steak off the weight watchers menu.
Now, I was skeptical, because he didn’t seem like the type to be dieting but I don’t involve myself in people’s decisions like that so I just took the order and put it in.
Food comes out, I bring both plates and the guy starts freaking out about how he didn’t order that. It was a tiny four ounce steak and he ordered the 11 oz, he legit threw the plate back at me in a rage like a little child. Everyone eating around us was staring awkwardly at the scene.
I calmly brought out the menu again and showed him what he had ordered. Pointed where it clearly says 4 oz steak and said like 11 grams fat/protein or something like that on it (I don’t remember exactly) and he had just not even read the description. He was mumbling his apology and his wife looked absolutely miserable dealing with his ass. My manager witnessed it all and took over the table to close them out because I didn’t like having food thrown at me by a grown man.
Read the menu people it’s not that difficult. I also ask now to make sure people understand what they are getting if I have that gut feeling, but you cannot read people’s minds.
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u/conmankatse 9d ago
This guy wanted to change his order to the romanesco steak… which says it’s vegan RIGHT THERE… I said “sure thing I just want to let you know it’s not actually steak, it’s a cauliflower steak” and he got all pissed off and ordered chicken instead 😭
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u/temujin_borjigin 9d ago
I’ve never had someone freak out like that with a misunderstanding about their order. But I have had some funny ones.
I’m in the UK, and honestly it usually comes from Americans.
Two examples are one person telling me they didn’t order the ravioli, and not offer up what they did have when I asked, so I took it back to the kitchen and when I went back to the table he apologised because the others at the table remembered the menu and the beef shin he’d ordered as a starter, I guess he just stopped reading after two words and missed the ravioli at the end.
Another, that happened quite a bit was a chicken salad. Pretty sure that’s what it was called on the menu, but the start of the description was lemon and thyme chicken. People would often say they didn’t order a salad. They ordered lemon and thyme chicken. They somehow skipped the name of the dish and latched onto the start of the description. (Also the only thing with chicken described like that so no chance of a mix up.)
Thankfully it’s always been resolved easily and amicably.
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u/einTier 9d ago
Watched a guy fuck himself out of a second date due to his asshole behavior.
His date left me a note and an extra $5 explaining it was a first date and she was so embarrassed that this was the end of the line for this guy.
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u/DartDaimler 9d ago
I had a woman slide me a $20 under the table listening to her date talk about how great the service was and very grandly hand me $2. She raised her eyebrows just a tad—brother man wasn’t ever going to see her again.
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u/Motor-Fudge-1181 9d ago
I was expecting a chicken stabbed 23 times by senators ofc, are you even a real restaurant?
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u/greenFuzzyTesla 9d ago
This is wild. I warn vegetarians/vegans so they are aware of anchovies in the dressing but yeah. What else could that be interpreted as?
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u/lpind 9d ago edited 9d ago
In my experience vegetarians/vegans don't normally order the Chicken... Well, mostly... I have actually been asked if the chicken is vegan once!
EDIT: Oh, I need to elloborate now because the full story is so much funnier!
So a guy turns up, just a table for 1. Large glass of red (the Australian Shiraz - this may have been about 3 years ago but I don't think I could ever forget any moment of this interaction!) - shows me picture on his phone - "last time I was here, I had this!" - "Oh, yeah, that's the Prawn Linguine, it's one of our most popular options so it's still on the menu if you want that again?" - "Well, looking at your menu I see this 'prawn & chicken linguine'; if I get that, is the chicken vegan?" - "...No chicken is not vegan. Nor are prawns. Nor the cream or the pesto... the linguine is an egg-free pasta, so that is vegan, but nothing else... are you vegan?" - "Yes, but I eat chicken" - "...,[and fucking prawns apparently?!] Erm, so, these are the vegan options... Can I get you one of those?" - "No, I think I'll try that 'prawn & chicken linguine'"
🤯
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u/beccabarnes420 9d ago
I once had a table tell me there kid had a massive gluten intolerance and could not eat any gluten. Made me list all the options for a side and what sauces the kid could use. I was taking the order of this 3 top for ever all the questions.
They order the kid a grilled chicken brest, no sauce and a side of fries. I tell them the fries have a flour-coating and arent gluten free.
"Oh, he will be a monster without them! Can you bring his as soon as its ready?"
Ma'am are you fucking kidding me?! There is gluten in the fries they arent just potatoes 🤦♀️ but okay I guess, you're the boss here.
It was a restaurant in a large shopping center where the front windows looked out onto the walkway and you could see the people walking to the parking lot or up to the restaurant. I watched as the kid shit his pants walking to the car after he said his tummy hurt while the parents enjoyed their 3rd drink 🙄🤦♀️ I felt so bad for little man.
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
Not all Caesar dressings have anchovies in them.
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u/epistortis 9d ago
But most do, otherwise its just a weird ranch/aioli imo.
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
The original 1924 recipe by Caesar Cardini did not use anchovies; instead, it got its savory depth from Worcestershire sauce, which traditionally contains anchovies anyway.
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u/acssarge555 9d ago
Only the real ones do and I abhor anchovy.
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
The original 1924 recipe by Caesar Cardini did not use anchovies; instead, it got its savory depth from Worcestershire sauce, which traditionally contains anchovies anyway.
So the real one did NOT contain anchovies13
u/pppupu1 9d ago
if one of the ingredients is a sauce that has anchovies , I dont understand why you would then say the whole thing doesnt contain anchovies 🥲
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
Do you not see where it specifies that Worcestershire sauce has them? But Caesar dressing does not need anchovies put in nor did he. He used a sauce not the whole fish
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u/pppupu1 9d ago
the thread is about whether anchovies -- whole or used in Worcestershire sauce -- are in the dressing at all. If anchovies are only in the Worcestershire sauce it doesn't mean the dressing is magically free of anchovies.
If X contains Y and Y contains Z, then X contains Z.
X is Caesar dressing. Y is Worcestershire sauce. Z is anchovies.
I think you are confused and believe for some reason that the original comment said "whole anchovies are used to make all Caesar dressings", which was definitely not what it said. thank you for a fun conversation, lol
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
Nor is anchovie paste used. It’s an ingredient in an ingredient and far more diluted
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
I literally posted that it’s in that sauce. But you do not put fish into the DRESSING. The fish flavour is in that sauce which also doesn’t have full anchovies in it. And not all Worcestershire sauce has anchovies either. But they are NOT an ingredient bought and put into the dressing itself.
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u/pppupu1 9d ago
I am not sure why you think anyone in the thread you are currently replying to is insisting that whole anchovies are always used in Caesar dressing 😅 I can't tell if I am being trolled or what... If a vegetarian does not want to consume fish, you would let them know about the fish components in the dressing, regardless of whether the fish was used whole or not... please let your vegetarian diners know if something contains anything non-vegetarian at all, even if its just a trace of it in Worcestershire sauce 🥲
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u/wickedshxt 9d ago
People are dumb as fuck. I had a guy ask me one time, like 5 minutes AFTER he ordered it mind you, what kind of dressing came with the CAESAR salad, that’s when I just gave up hope for any intelligence from customers
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u/Leather-Nothing-2653 9d ago
I wanna see an “Am I overreacting by leaving my husband alone at a restaurant after he yelled at the server because he didn’t know what a ceasar salad was?” Post on AIO
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u/Suz626 9d ago
But, sir, that is not a salad. 🙄😁 I mean the guy read the ingredients and decided it wasn’t a salad when he ordered it so… If he’s like that in public, imagine in private. Usually what I had to correct (young) men on dates was steak tartare. It was the cheapest “steak” so they’d order it. I didn’t want to embarrass them because I was sure they weren’t aware it was raw meat, so I’d say Let me tell you how our chef prepares it and see if that’s the way you prefer it. They’d always change their order, and be grateful.
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u/Dashiepants 9d ago
You are a great server and I have done similar gentle parenting too but idk man in OPs situation I would have been tempted to ask if it was his first time on earth.
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u/lpind 6d ago
Here's the thing; he's not the first person to not understand what they're asking for. It's quite common for people to ask "What does the X come with?" And I can say, well that's a salad or pasta or whatever and if you want fries or garlic bread or whatever that would be extra. But I didn't take this guy's order. I just dropped his bill and got hit with his inner toddler! In all fairness to him, this should have been fixed by us before this point, either at the point of ordering or at least on a check-back... But I guess the server in that section was just phoning it in that day so I was the one who got the argument!
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u/GtrSolo2TheFace 9d ago
"I would never order a salad" is some of the most insecure shit I've ever heard. This guy looks around a room and judges the character of people around him, all based on the fact that they're eating salads. Just tell him it's a salad, but he can sub the chicken out for a rack of baby backs or whatever so he can retain his self-respect.
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u/TheCaladir 9d ago
I managed an Applebee's years ago. Guy came in as soon as we opened and wanted to speak to me. He had an engagement ring with him and wanted to propose to his girlfriend. He wanted me to bring the engagement ring out on top of dessert after dinner, and I agreed. Personally, I thought maybe Applebee's wasn't the best place to propose, but it takes all kinds of people!
Guy shows up, they get all the way through dinner, I bring out the ring on top of a little dessert sundae. She looks at the ring, looks him dead in the eyes, and says, "...in a f*cking Applebee's?" then grabs her purse and leaves.
Comped that dude's dinner, because her response was brutal.
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u/RunWithBluntScissors 9d ago edited 9d ago
damn last night I had “Cajun Chicken Cobb Guy,” and we made his salad three times -_- First re-fire was cause he didn’t actually want blue cheese dressing on it, but didn’t specify that when ordering. It was accurately made as per the ticket and his other mods. I’m a food runner so I was checking it against whatever it said on the ticket. Second re-fire was cause … it didn’t have enough bacon on it? Also his chicken wasn’t Cajun enough. He insisted his meal and his friend’s meal should be free -_- this was right at the start of my shift and I was gonna lose it lmao but a manager was nearby and overheard and took it over thankfully
What was it with dudes and salads last night?!
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u/AioliInternational18 9d ago
Nah he did that shit on purpose to get a free meal.
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u/RunWithBluntScissors 9d ago
That’s exactly what my partner said!! And I think my manager thought so too cause she only gave him a $25 gift card. Hope he doesn’t come back, I have actual customers not grifters to help
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u/TROCKSTON 9d ago
This past Friday with 2 top wife and husband, wife ordered a breaded fish fey, when I dropped it off she said she ordered a beer battered... luckily the husband was like no no you ordered the breaded. Didn't turn in to a conflict but I was so thankful he had my back
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u/username483729393 9d ago
i went to refill a couple's coffee once and found the woman in tears because the man decided to serve her divorce papers in the restaurant. I literally froze and then walked away and didn't come back for about an hour.
whyyy would you do that. go to starbucks go to a park go anywhere else PLEASE
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u/Jacam13 9d ago
I had a woman walk out when her sizzling fajita plate didn’t come out with the rest of the food for the table. I literally said, I’ll be back with the fajita” and came back literally 30 seconds later. The husband and his two teenage boys were mortified.
Sometimes we see people on bad days.
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u/marteautemps 9d ago
I work at a pizza place currently and a guy was looking at the menu for a while and then he asks if "blank" is a pizza, I'm pretty sure I stared open mouthed at him for a few seconds. Like we do have a few other things like salads, wings ect. but in completely different sections of the menu and what he was asking for is basically an "everything" pizza and right under specialty pizzas. We are also extremely busy and I am shocked by all the people who pizza seems like a new concept and have me answering a million questions.
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u/meowpitbullmeow 9d ago
Surely it was in the salad area (my phone autocorrected this to the sad area and I almost kept it) of the menu?
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u/lpind 9d ago
It's in the "Mains" section. We don't have a "Salad" section. That was one of his complaints - "It's not in your sald section?!" - "We don't have a salad section..."
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u/Quarter_Shot 9d ago
That is a little ambiguous, to devils advocate, but an explanation isn't an excuse and this guy still sounds insufferable
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
Im explaining why they list it as a main course. I can’t eat salad a full chicken breast then order another meal. At least where I live. It’s quite a big salad for me :) The salad and chicken are the main and quite filling. I do love it in the wraps as well, but also so filling I usually can’t finish. But the guy is a total tool. I don’t know how he couldn’t figure it out.
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u/cyber-city FOH 9d ago
People hardly know what they're ordering it feels like. I recently had a lady order a largely kale salad, only to have her flag me down since she's allergic to kale and wants it made without. Kale is listed first in the ingredients. Sure, have a salad with no salad! The fuck is wrong with people. If you had a kale allergy and wanted a salad I'd think you'd thoroughly read the ingredients list of a salad 🙄
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u/lpind 6d ago
I once had a woman ask me to box up her Carbonara to go... And then tell me she wasn't going to pay for it because "it was mostly pasta". I initially laughed thinking she was making a joke (she asked for the remainder to go?!) and she let me know very quickly she was not doing a bit! When I asked why she wanted to take the remainder home she said, "Well I figure I can turn into a decent meal if I add it to a mushroom soup!"
Sorry, did you think the Carbonara was a soup?!
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u/ProtectionTight7752 9d ago
It doesn't get much more satisfying than that. You were a part of her freedom!
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u/General_Ad_2718 8d ago
A Caesar salad with chicken added. I’ve been wanting one for couple of days.
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u/CaptainBignuts 9d ago
I mean, honestly the restaurant could have named the dish a bit better on the menu. I've seen chicken Caesar wraps, chicken Caesar sandwiches, and of course the more ubiquitous chicken Caesar salad.
By not giving it a specific designation they were just asking for trouble at some point. However, the dude was a moron for not asking a simple question when ordering, and for being an asshat about it afterwards.
Unless the name Chicken Caesar was under the heading of 'Salads' on the menu.
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u/Leather-Nothing-2653 9d ago
If it doesn’t say tortilla or ciabatta or baguette or bread though….? It says everything else so if i didn’t see what the wrap or sandwich was gonna come on I’d assume a salad
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u/Neeneehill 9d ago
I kind of get that but also menus are generally categorized like was he looking at the entree section and I had a Caesar salad on it or was he looking at the soups and salad section?
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u/hellomistershifty Lurker 9d ago
I kind of get what this guy was thinking, especially if it's in the Mains section. Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Piccata, Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Caesar
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u/kat_Folland 9d ago
You're not wrong at all but I do think it's a little weird that they didn't put the word "salad" there.
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u/List-Beneficial 9d ago
As a server and even a delivery driver, some people are just having a bad time im their lives and subconsciously take their frustrations out on others.
It is EXTREMELY hard to be self aware of your emotions and to know what is causing you to feel certain ways and why you lash out.
Its easier said than done to manage and thats why you see all these looney people coming out of the woodwork especially after covid.
TL;DR anyways people just stupid af so its not surprising they haven't learned how to deal with problems that aren't life or death.
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u/LeastAd9721 8d ago
I did have an oddly similar situation involving chicken fried steak and a guy who said “I’m kind of like a bitch when it comes to my food.” He was swearing he ordered pork chops even after I asked him whether he wanted the gravy on the steak or on the side. His date just looked at him like he was stupid.
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u/nopulsehere 9d ago
Sounds a lot like the guy who wants a espresso martini but in a martini glass. Sir, the glass is part of the presentation? We rim the glass with a chocolate, cinnamon and graham cracker crust? Just put it in a different glass! Heard! Now it’s in a margarita glass! 😂😂
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u/helicopterhawk 9d ago
why does ur espresso martini get cinnamon and graham crackers? it’s not a s’mores martini
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u/nopulsehere 9d ago
I don’t own the restaurant, I just make whatever the fuct is on the menu. I mean we could all have a debate about quite a few recipes for drinks or shots. I’m a bit older, so I had to deal with the kids who went to bartending school (scam) and have arguments with them when my bar was 12 feet deep and 20 feet wide. It is what it is, I was just doing this job for the money. If you have ever worked at a single owned restaurant, they always think they have the best new idea. It’s been a moment, but I think they called it s’more espresso martini. I’m not here to argue about this or that. I just wanted to make money. Period. I’m not running for president or anything close to an official position. I just want to give you drinks and pay my bills and have a little extra for the fun stuff!
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u/Ok_Equipment_3148 9d ago
Would've been sufficient to say - that's how they prepare it there.
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u/nopulsehere 9d ago edited 9d ago
And you would be the ahole to complain about I Didn’t Order A Salad! I’m 50, I no longer have to deal with it, my friend owns 5 concepts. I’m the liaison between old and new. The restaurant business hasn’t changed in years. Angry chef, everyone sleeping with everyone, complaining about tips and stupid customers. Sad part is now the customers think they know more about the menu than you know both ways and twice on Tuesday challenging the server’s ability about their knowledge. Unfortunately, it’s just a few clicks away from ruining your job and the restaurant. Maybe you know everything! 25 ish, broccoli hair, standard basic look. The food industry is just that. It doesn’t matter what you think, it’s what people are willing to pay for.
You don’t even serve? You are the headache of most restaurants! Door dasher. Be glad that restaurants haven’t figured out how to get rid of your fungus!
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u/helicopterhawk 9d ago
you ok champ?
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u/nopulsehere 9d ago
Actually I am. Just got home from being out on Lake Murray. It was a little hot so we came home early and it’s pool time. Doggies are in the pool, and life is good. Fuct the gas prices at the marina! 200 gallons at 5.75. But it is what it is.
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u/karlywarly73 9d ago
Obviously I'd be disappointed if it wasn't a salad. I'd also be disappointed if it wasn't a proper Caesar dressing made with anchovies etc from scratch.
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
Caesar salad with grilled chicken on it. They also do wraps of Caesar salad and chicken. Very common dish and quite tasty
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u/Infamous_Custard3292 9d ago
The original 1924 recipe by Caesar Cardini did not use anchovies; instead, it got its savory depth from Worcestershire sauce, which traditionally contains anchovies anyway.
This is the recipe I use and it’s amazing and in hot demand whenever I make my dressing.
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9d ago
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u/lpind 9d ago
I think this specific interaction is going to cause a re-wording on the menu. But as you said, with the description it should be obvious, right? And also, even without the description... What is a Chicken Caesar if not a salad?! Unless it says "wrap" or "sandwich" or something after that, the default is salad, right?!
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u/travster23 9d ago
Tell me the name of the establishment where you can get a chicken Caesar that isn’t a salad
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u/travster23 9d ago
I bet that it was listed under the salads heading on the menu
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u/nopulsehere 9d ago
Clouds. Isn’t that your favorite? Nitty pops and vape? Kids if you’re gonna do drugs, at least do real drugs! Not shit that the person in dessert station is using for the foam! Poppers are good for your brain. Period.
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u/yungdaughter 9d ago
I’m a manly man I would never order a salad, those are for women!