BF and I had lunch yesterday at a little diner while we waited for the auction up the road to get to what we wanted. Its a small place, the owners are nice, there was 5 people in there and we were the only ones not eating off the salad bar (mistake). It says they serve breakfast from 6 am to 11am. I asked the waitress if they could fix me an omelt, and she said to ask the owner. So, the fellow came out and nope, he said any other time of day but now, he's just to busy. Really? I looked the menu over, all that was LC on it was cheese burgers, no bun. I'M TIRED OF EATING OUT AND THAT'S THE ONLY OPTION!!! So, stupid me, ordered a tenderloin. BTW, it was really good.

Why can't restrants give more selection? Does everything have to be breaded to be eaten? Seriously, could he have been that busy that he couldn't have fixed an omlet? Didn't he fix the rest of our food?

I ate lunch out on Sat too, and the only LC option was a cheeseburger. At this point, a cheese burger isn't a big thrill eating out. I can make them at home.

So, I ate that darn tenderloin and this morning, I'm having cravings. I want pizza and ice-cream.

I know I'm ranting, but I can't be the only LC person that wants more variety on the diners menu. Even a chicken breast or a un-breaded tenderloin would help. I was going to ask to not bread the tenderloin, but that would mean he would have to cook it on the flat grill and obviously he didn't want to heat that up.

If there are any diner owners reading thing, please think of what I'm asking.

when it is just after breakfast, in a slow place, and someone tells me I can't have an omelet, I am always astounded- um, seriously, what is easier to prepare than an omelet? I understand if the place is busy, or I asked for something more complicated like eggs benedict, but an omelet?????

I have noticed it usually occurs because a waitress/waiter did not even bother to ask the chef.....but your case sounds quite different since you spoke to him directly.

Burgers are also usually cooked on the flat grill, so I would have asked for the unbreaded tenderloin (although they may very well be breaded in advance, so it might still not have worked out).

Maybe you need to expand your restaurant horizons - we eat out a LOT, and I never get stuck with just cheeseburgers as an option! Salads with grilled or roasted chicken, bunless grilled chicken sandwiches, pork chops, steaks, fajitas (no rice, no tortillas, no beans), french onion soup (no bread/croutons), non-breaded/battered fish, crab cakes (depending on if I've had them there before to know there's not a lot of "filler")...and I'm a PICKY eater!

Ugh, I feel your pain! We also dine out often, and last week I ordered a pork chop, and asked for all veg, no potato for sides. The waitress said that the poatoes are mixed in with the veg, so it was not possible.

Um, okay, but why not give me broccoli or side salad instead, since those are on the menu, and available with other meals?!

I was just about to order a ribeye steak, double broccolini sides (my usual) when the waitress ran back and said that the chef could do it. Like it was a super-human feat!

When a restaurant won't make what I want, I leave. Simple as that. We live in an area that has many options, so I can usually find a place that will grill me whatever without salt and give me double veggis. I rarely order straight off a menu anymore.

The Rainforest Cafe is by far the worst restaurant experience I've had since becoming LC. The food there is absurdly expensive, to begin with. WAY out of my budget for eating out. So, choosing the lowest cost option possible I ordered a $16 cheeseburger and asked to replace the side with something other than fries. The waitress listed a few carb-bomb options (rice and such), and told me there would be an upcharge. So I lied and told her that I was diabetic and was sensitive to all carbohydrates. I asked if I could just substitute a side salad. The waitress said that I could, but that would be an additional $6! With no other choice, I agreed to my tiny salad witha hamburger patty and cheese for $22.

Since I'm ranting about that experience, I will take it a little further. I was only at that restaurant for a child's birthday party. But the parents hadn't made reservations. When we arrived, we were told the wait was 2 hours! Oh, but if we joined their "safari club" for $10, the wait would be adjusted to 45 minutes.

I have other complaints about if, but I've ranted off topic enough. That place is a rip off and should be avoided.

I hear your frustration but have you ever worked in a restaurant, or watched "Restaurant Impossible" or "Kitchen Nightmares"?They have to have a small selection to keep food costs down. Of that small list they have to please the most potential customers. Does your neighborhood have a lot of LC folks?
I wonder if the community really wants it or the owners haven't looked hard at their menu in a while. Either could be true.
He could have been prepping, or putting away a delivery, or making an order, doing deep cleaning. There is a ton that happens in the back of the house so they can make the things on the menu.

It was a big eye opener to me when I realized most restaurants don't serve good whole food. It was like going back to 1910 when there were no restaurants for everyday people.

It's kind of a fine line between expecting good service based on what they offer, or going so far as to demand things from restaurants as if they owed us.

We were in a very small town, not far from where we live, I believe its the only restrant in that town! We left the auction food wagon for better fare and got stuck with not much better. The diner did offer a salad bar, I guess lesson learned, I will get that if I have to go back there again.

A few years ago, I went on a trip to Florida. The folks I was with insisted on beffet every where we went. There wasn't much for options there, so I asked the manager if I could have something fixed without flour or sugar. She asked what I would prefer, and I told her fish, preferably fried. She made me my fried fish, no flour and used new grease to fix it in so I wouldn't get any flour on it at all. I wish all restraunts were willing to work with you.

If we had an option of going to a different diner, I would have been a little mroe demanding on the omlet or picked up and left. But, we didn't have options as to where to go. I have a feeling, not that many people care about how healthy there food is, and if they do, they turn a blind eye when they eat out, around here.

Well, I would say most people eat out either for convenience or to "splurge," so healthy fare isn't usually at the top of most customers' lists. Not to mention that "healthy" is so subjective - I bet there were some nice low fat options on the menu! You know, like a super healthy whole grain muffin or a big baked potato with margerine or something

This made me think of a time when I was in the Army stationed in Augusta, Georgia. My wife and child were in Columbus - a pretty fair drive away. I had just gotten off 24 hour duty at 7AM, had not eaten since the night before but was in too big a rush to get "home" to care to eat there in the "big" city. After a quick shower, I jumped in the car and headed out.
Some time after 11AM, and in the middle of nowhere, I stopped in a little roadside cafe to get a big cuppa coffee (I had been working 24 hours) and decided to get something to eat. I wanted ham and eggs. They said they did not serve breakfast after 11AM. So I saw on the menu a ham and egg sandwich and asked if I could get an extra egg on the ham and egg sandwich. The waitress said sure.
So I said make me a two fried egg and ham sandwich and leave the bread off. She came back with a plate of ham and eggs, grits, and toast and jelly.

Didn't look at there idea of healthier fare. Thankfully, we don't eat out often and I dought if we will be eating there in the near future. Like I said, if we do, I'll get the salad bar.

I've lifted weights for an hour this morning, stayed busy and now am eating my LC lunch. I am feeling a lot better! I'm sure that craving monster will show up later, but for now, he's off visiting somebody else.

I am very tempted to go back to the diner and have a nice chat with the owner and explain to him that I was dissapointed with my options and that he wouldn't make me an omlet. I believe I will explain to him the whole LC approach and see if it helps his menu or approach at all.

LOL! She didn't listen to good, did she? I'm sure she was trying to be nice, but she seemed to be hard of hearing.

I have worked at a restaurant before and I say that if the man who is actually cooking has time to come out to explain, he is definitely not too busy. Omlettes take a maximum of 4 minutes, and that is pushing it! He was going to be cooking SOMETHING! So why not the omlette. Maybe his chicken house was really far away!

The experience in the cafe from Augusta, Ga is hilarious!

[QUOTE=maryb1]I have worked at a restaurant before and I say that if the man who is actually cooking has time to come out to explain, he is definitely not too busy. Omlettes take a maximum of 4 minutes, and that is pushing it! He was going to be cooking SOMETHING! So why not the omlette. Maybe his chicken house was really far away!

Thats kinda what I thought. Before we left he had the time to sit down with a couple of older fellows to visit. The more I think about it, the madder I get about it. He is in the buisness to serve me, and take my money for it. He didn't really serve me, did he.

If you think trying to find low-carb food at restaurants is hard, try to find strictly no-wheat/no-gluten food. Wheat seems to be hidden in everything - restaurants coat meat in flour, add a pinch here and there to thicken sauces, add pancake batter to eggs to make then "fluffier", etc. etc.

For most low-carbers, these hidden wheat sources aren't a concern but for someone who's like me, who is allergic to wheat (Helllloooo migraines!), this is a HUGE concern. I've tried the easy route in restaurants and ordered just steak and veggies or egg omelets but still wake up the next morning with a raging migraine that kills all productivity for a day or two. And when I ask the waiter/waitress about wheat in their food, they always act as though I'm creating a fuss about something stupid. Um...hello! This is my HEALTH we're talking about!

So, my easiest solution was to stop eating out. At least if I cook at home, I know what's in the food. Another side benefit - I save a LOT of money. ;-)

Anne