A customer told me my ribeyes were cut too thick and I fought back but they were right

I've always cut my ribeyes at 2 inches because that's what I learned. This guy comes in 3 weeks ago and says they're too thick for his pan and he wants them at 1.25 inches. I argued with him about it for 5 minutes but he insisted. So I cut his order at 1.25 and he came back last Saturday saying they were the best steaks he'd ever cooked at home. Tried it myself on a couple of packs and yeah, the thinner cut cooks way more even on a standard home stovetop. Has anyone else had to adjust their standard cuts for home cooks vs restaurants?

2 comments

2 Comments

gonzalez.grant2d ago

I went through the exact same thing about 8 years ago when a lady told me her prime ribeyes were cooking uneven and wanted them at 1 inch. 2 inches is great for a restaurant with a 700 degree broiler but on a normal stove the outside burns before the middle gets warm. I felt like I was betraying the craft at first but after testing it I realized most home cooks just want a steak that fits in their pan and cooks in under 10 minutes. Now I keep a sign that says "ask about our home cook friendly cuts" and it sells way more meat than the thick stuff does. The real trick is you can always cut a thick steak thinner but you cant make a thin steak thicker. So why not just give people what works for their setup?

owens.willow2d ago

Lean into selling them the same steak already sliced into medallions instead.