Why You Won't See Chefs Ordering The Specials At Restaurants

It's doubtlessly happened to you before. You sit down at a nice restaurant whose menu you scoped out online the day before, and you already know exactly what you want to order for dinner. Maybe you've decided it's the right day to order fish, or maybe you have a craving for a delicious mushroom risotto. You're eager to put your order in so you can get started on the complimentary bread basket, but when the waiter comes, they don't let you order straight away. Instead, they go over the evening's specials, trying their very best to sell you on them. But hey, there's nothing wrong with being given more options, right? If one of them sounds enticing, why not order it?

Well, there's nothing stopping you, and it's very unlikely to cause you any harm. Unless you're dining at a real cut-rate establishment, they won't serve you anything that's not safe to eat. But, when chefs eat out, they almost never order the specials — because specials are used to move inventory that's either unpopular or approaching its use-by date.

To be clear: Not every restaurant that offers specials is doing so to foist inferior products upon you. There are plenty of restaurants, especially some of the fancier ones, where the specials are just as fresh and delicious as the regular menu. But there are some warning signs to keep in mind that will let you know something hinky is going on. Watch out for special prices that are noticeably lower than the main menu, as well as overly insistent servers trying to get you to order a special. Be especially careful if the restaurant already offers loads of dishes, like those diners with menus thick enough to serve as a booster seat. (Stick with diner favorite disco fries, in that case.)

If you're really after something fresh, ask your waiter if they can recommend a dish made with local ingredients, or with ingredients that just arrived that day. After all, it never hurts to ask — just be sure to leave them a good tip.