As a chef, I pretty much challenge my immune system daily. I handle raw chicken, I handle raw meat, I wash those vegetables and goodies, and I wash my hands, and I use gloves. But here's the thing: your hands likewise transfer microbes to whatever you touch.

I throw out any plate that comes back from a table. I would rather remake the dish, than expose my grill or my cooking surfaces to the sh*t that a patron exposes their food to. My people? They wash their hands 50-100 times a day, minimum. We use gloves. We sanitize surfaces. We heat treat dishes that go through the machine before they go back into circulation. We sanitize our knives and cutting boards. Your knife? That you touched with your grimy hands, I don't trust it. It goes directly into the soak when it comes back, and your plate goes directly to the dishwasher. I'd rather make the whole thing again, than risk putting anything that went to the public back anywhere NEAR the food I'm putting out. Because y'all are a cesspool for contamination. My people? I KNOW that they are washing their hands. You? I can't guarantee that you washed your hands before you left the bathroom. I can't guarantee what in the hell you touched BEFORE you put your mitts onto a knife and fork, a glass or a plate.

You send me back a steak? You're getting a new one. A new plate. I'd rather absorb that cost, than risk putting anything that went onto your table--and got exposed to Gods knows what you brought in with you--contaminating my service line. I sanitize surfaces regularly. I have HACCP procedures to follow, and part of that is NOT exposing my line to your germy ass plates, that have touched your germy ass hands, and been exposed to whatever the f*ck you might have drooled or mouthed or crumbed over. You send a steak back? Guess what? The staff has NO desire to eat the f*cker, because we have no idea what in the Hells you might be carrying. You send a pasta dish back? Right into the circular file. No one is taking that thing home, because the customer touched it. You are the uncontrollable factor in our equation. We know the temps, the possible exposures, we can track that sh*t from the point it comes in, to the time it leaves to the table, and once it leaves us, we don't want it back, because we have NO idea what you have done with your hands, and we have no idea what in the heck you might be carrying. Doesn't go to the table? Mistake, that the waitstaff catch before it heads out? Dishwasher has a free meal. Drink that got made by mistake and never hit the table? Guy on grill may split that with guy on the fryer. Pitcher of the wrong margaritas? Party in the back! Once it hits the table? That sh*t is considered toxic and treated like any other waste. Because the public is essentially considered a risk factor that we can't control. HACCP procedures point anything that the public has touched is just gone, mang...

dletter: While you sound like you are certainly doing your due diligence in those matters.... as a professional, do you think that is the norm, or are you a special case?   (ie, the steaks, I'd always assume they just put it back on for another minute, but, I can certainly see your point).

I can't confirm what other places are doing. They have their own HACCP procedures, and while it is generally industry standard in the circles I run in, I couldn't imagine what Mom and Pop joints are doing. Well, I can imagine, and there's a reason why I am picky as Hells with the places I eat at. And mind you, my immune system can pretty much handle whatever's thrown at it, because of constant exposure to all sorts of things thanks to chicken and beef and pork. I don't fear the hotdog vendor cart, because my stomach flora and fauna are hardy bastiches who killz their competition. Doesn't mean that I'm wolfing down prion laden brains into my scrambled eggs for grins, but I have less fear of food borne illness, just because I challenge my immune system on a regular basis thanks to work--and there are plenty of places that just simply don't go into. Yes, I'm looking at several fried chicken joints, I'm looking at more than a couple of diners, and that's because I just don't trust the owners or the operators. And I never recommend a place that I suspect is being dodgy with their procedures. A lot of that has to do with who their suppliers are as much as their food handling. There are purveyors that I just don't trust, and if I know someone is using a vendor I don't trust, there is no way in Hells I'm eating there.

The One True TheDavid: hubiestubert: You send a steak back? Guess what? The staff has NO desire to eat the f*cker

Don;t you people have dogs? The ex's mutt still insists on eating literal shiat whenever she can and there's literally no way to prevent her from it; somehow I doubt she'll be adversely affected by patronized cow meat.

I trim beef pretty much every day; if folks want scraps for their dogs, I provide raw product that is fresh daily. Bartender generally takes home a bit for her dogs every few days. Table scraps? That's not something I encourage, because it's not great for the dogs in general. But that's me.