We Lie and Other Confessions of a Waiter at a Fancy Restaurant

There’s more than what meets the eye at high-end restaurants. A waiter gives us the scoop. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Think you know what’s really going on at high-end restaurants? Think again. We asked Fred — the most charming Manhattan waiter we know — how to be a better guest at a restaurant, and here was his advice (along with a fascinating peek behind the kitchen door):

Don’t Assume That Every Ingredient is Precious

“Every restaurant in the world lies about where food comes from. Well, maybe they don’t lie — but they let you make assumptions,” Fred explains “Restaurants are all about a numbers game, and the executive chef will cut corners — with croutons, or seasonings, or lettuce. I can buy an organic head of lettuce for $5, or a three pack from Sysco [a big-box restaurant supply store] for $3. If you were to compare the organic one and the Sysco one, unless you’re a microbiologist, you will never know the difference. And yes, we might still tell you it’s organic.”

And Don’t Assume That The Food is Fresh, Either

Don’t assume that all the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced. (Photo: Getty Images)

Don’t be like every other diner and make assumptions about how ingredients are sourced. “People are stupid,” Fred says. “They think it’s magic food. But it’s not. It’s often from a big box store. And when they run out of something in the kitchen, they send a dishwasher to the grocery store for more.”

In his opinion, it’s our own fault if we presume that every single ingredient comes from a farm nearby. “Most people who go out to eat are stupid when it comes to food,” Fred explains. “They’re just happy they don’t have to make it themselves. So unless it is indicated on the menu that Farmer Joe sold us that lettuce, I bet you dime to doughnuts it came from Sysco.”

Related: Dirty Business of Restaurants: Confessions of a New York Waiter

Don’t Assume Everything is Made In-House

“People think everything is made to order that day, but a lot of the dishes have store-bought ingredients,” he explains. “The chicken in the salad is pre-shredded from a can, and the chicken cutlet was frozen and tossed with “Shake ‘n Bake.” Order carefully. “There’s always something the chef is proud of making himself. On our menu, these are called the specials. That’s what you should order.”

Restaurants Repurpose Ingredients

People think that most dishes are made from scratch, but the reality is that lots of things on the menu are probably being repurposed from other dishes. “Take our lobster dish,” he says of the restaurant he works at now, “people love the sauce, but it is just our lobster bisque. And the bisque — the soup is from a box. We open it up and add chopped lobster to it.”

Related: Confessions of a Cruise Ship Chef

His Advice: The reality is that restaurants have to repurpose ingredients to keep food costs down. You can probably tell where it’s happening if you pay attention to the menu.

You Need to Ask the Right Questions

Read between the lines of the menu and be sure to ask your waiter the right questions. (Photo: Thinkstock)

“It’s all about reading the menu carefully. If the lobster doesn’t say it’s from Maine, it isn’t. It’s frozen and air sealed in a bag. I get asked ‘Is your lobster fresh?’ And I say yes, because it is,” laughs Fred. “But the correct question is ‘Is your lobster cracked here?’ and ‘Is your lobster frozen?’” (Or depending on the food, you could also ask “Do you shuck your clams here?” and “Do you butcher your steaks here?”) Fred also worked at a place where it looked like the crab would be hand cracked on site, but it was from a can. And the lobster was from a bag.

Related: 10 Restaurants Worth Waiting in (Very) Long Lines

Know the Exceptions

Fred has worked at several places where there are no entrees under $20 per person, and the clientele is extremely wealthy. But not all restaurants in that price point are created equal. “If it’s Jean-George, and they wrote on the menu that they get their micro greens from Gobblety Gobblety farm, they did. They’re not just telling you for snob appeal — they’re justifying their food cost.”

His Advice: Don’t eat at a place at the same price points as the famous top restaurants, but without the doting critical reviews. You’re simply not getting the same thing. “Unless the menu says the name of the farm,” he reiterates, “you should assume a lot of the ingredients are from Shop Rite.”

WATCH: Kitchen Confidential: Confessions of a Cruise Ship Waiter

Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.