That time a customer asked me to trim the fat off their ribeye

Had a guy come in last Saturday, pointed at a beautiful dry aged ribeye and told me to cut every bit of fat off. I tried to explain that's where the flavor is, but he just said 'I don't eat that stuff.' Walked out with a lean piece of meat that looked like a shoe sole. Anyone else get requests that make you question why people buy steak?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_cooper15d ago

Started asking them "tough or chewy?" when they said no fat. Works way better. They pause and think about it. Usually changes their mind once they picture eating a hockey puck. I had one guy who still wanted it trimmed. Fine. Just told him I'd make it a thin sandwich steak instead. He liked that idea way more.

troychen15d ago

abby cooper, that "tough or chewy?" line is pure gold. It's honestly the same thing with so many other things in life, not just meat. People have this idea that "lean" or "trimmed" automatically means "better" without thinking about what you're actually losing. Like when someone asks for a salad with no dressing, or wants a burger with no sauce because they think it's healthier. They don't realize they're just eating dry sad food until you ask them to picture it. That pause you get, that's real. It's like people get stuck on a rule they heard somewhere and forget that taste and texture actually matter way more than whatever that rule was. Your thin sandwich steak move is a perfect hack too. You gave the guy what he wanted in a way that actually works for the ingredient. That's the kind of thinking we need more of everywhere.

emma_wells8315d ago

Man that hurts to hear. A dry aged ribeye deserves better than to be turned into a sad lean cut.