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Going out to eat is a huge privilege nowadays. If you think groceries have gotten expensive, try ordering two entrees and two glasses of wine from your local Italian restaurant. The shock of seeing your bill will convince you that instant noodles and PB&J sandwiches are healthy enough to sustain you for the rest of the month.

So if you’re going to splurge on a nice meal or treat yourself by ordering takeout, that food better be delicious. Or you might find yourself having serious regrets. Bored Panda has scoured the internet and found some of the most insulting and disappointing meals people have ever been served by restaurants. I’ll warn you right now that this list might give you trust issues when it comes to ordering food, but these establishments deserve to be called out for trying to pass these abominations off as edible!

#1 We Were On Holiday In Sheffield. As A Parting Gift My Wife Got This “Cheese And Onion Toastie” For £8. We Did Not Pay And Left

Image credits: TheLordofthething

#2 This Starbucks Wrap Was Not What I Was Expecting

Image credits: Darsoyea

#3 Box Lunch From Sandwich Shop Comes With Picture Of A Cookie, Rather Than An Actual Cookie

Image credits: GeezusKreist

There’s nothing like the disappointment of being served a bad meal. Whether your soup comes cold, your pizza came with olives even though you explicitly asked for none, or your burger is burned to a crisp, it’s painful to have to suffer through a gross dish. But if you’re paying for it, it’s even more painful to waste the food!

Some of us are far too polite or anxious to complain about a bad meal, but shouldn’t we be happy with what we ordered? Well, if you want to have a game plan for the next time you’re served a plate of disappointment, Food & Wine has some tips. First, they recommend resisting the urge to get angry. You’re likely to receive much better service if you’re polite and respectful. Plus, nobody wants their server spitting in their dinner!

#4 I Ordered A Salad, They Sent Me 12 Slices Of Ham

I ordered a salad from Subway using this little robot delivery service my campus has. I get back to my room, and see that my “salad” is just a bowl of ham. The cold cut combo is supposed to have three types of meat anyway, why just the ham?

I’m mostly just baffled. I’m upset because it cost nearly $8 and they just gave me ham.

Image credits: BitOBunny

#5 This California Roll My Girlfriend Ordered Through Doordash

Image credits: Baraka-Flocka-Flame

#6 Ordered A Grilled Cheese From Panera

Image credits: Sm0k3inth3tr33s

If you’re tempted to channel your inner Karen and ask to see a manager when you’ve been served a bad meal, Food & Wine notes that this isn’t always the best choice. It’s likely that they’ll offer you the exact same solution that your server did, so you probably don’t need to escalate the issue to this point.

And if you are interested in speaking with the manager, first consider if there’s actually anything they can do for you. If your server has informed you that the kitchen is out of the dish you wanted or is missing a key ingredient, the manager can’t magically make it appear. And if your waiter offered to comp your dinner, that’s probably enough to satisfy you. Try to keep calm and remember that everyone makes mistakes. Yes, even people working in restaurants!

#7 Caprese Salad Takeout From Local Restaurant

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#8 This $10 Cheesy Garlic Bread I Bought Tonight

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#9 My Friends Mom Ordered A Cobb Salad At Resort In Dominican Republic

Image credits: voxerly

Eater has also shared some advice on how to politely complain when a restaurant messes up your order. First, it’s important to know when it’s worth it to say something and when it’s best to keep your mouth shut. For example, if you asked for mild curry, and the first bite of the dish burned your tastebuds off, don’t hesitate to tell your server. However, if you forgot to ask for your salad without tomatoes or didn’t realize that there would be some onions on top of your guacamole, it might be best to just pick them off and carry on with your meal.

#10 I’m An English Man Travelling India. Fancied Some British Food And Ordered Fish And Chips. Wow, What A Sight This Was

Image credits: skyfishrain

#11 Ordered The Garden Avocado Toast From Panera, And Got This

Image credits: Fazazzle

#12 I Can’t Stress Enough That The Egg Rectangle Is Completely Homogeneous

Image credits: la___cuna

Eater also suggests that diners remain on their best manners when sharing concerns about their dishes. Don’t be a jerk, and always remain calm. It’s not the end of the world if your steak was cooked the wrong way. Just politely explain the situation and ask for a new one.

If you have something in mind that will resolve the issue, be specific when requesting it. If it’s as easy as getting a new meal, ask for that. And if it’s too late, you might want to ask the restaurant to comp your dish. Or, if you ordered an appetizer that was incredibly disappointing, you might be able to swap it out for a different one. Have suggestions, but be reasonable.

#13 I Don’t Even Have Words

Image credits: Smiththemyth08

#14 Expectation vs. Reality

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#15 The Outback Steakhouse Salad I Ordered vs. What I Got

I remember when going to a steakhouse used to mean something.

Image credits: ModsareWeenies

When expressing concerns about your food to restaurant staff, you also have to remember that they might not always be interested in hearing your feedback. It’s possible that the chef will double down and assure the customer that there’s nothing wrong with their food. And you know what, they might be right. If you’re really uncomfortable with your dish, no one will force you to eat it. But you might still have to pay and simply decide to never return in the future.

#16 Ordered Soft Serve And It Was Hollow

Image credits: NoItsBecky_127

#17 Ordered Avocado Toast From Panera Because The Photo Looked Really Good. Here’s How It Actually Came

Image credits: peopleloveourpatties

#18 Ordered A 1/2 Cheese, 1/2 Pepperoni Pizza For My Kids. The App Defaulted To No Sauce And No Cheese

Image credits: horstick

It’s also not a great practice to fail to speak up in the moment when you’ve been served a disappointing meal, and then write a scathing Yelp review after you’ve left. Give the restaurant an opportunity to right their wrong while you’re still sitting at your table. Negative reviews can really hurt a business, and it’s possible that you just caught them on a bad day. Don’t make the restaurant suffer forever because of one bad experience.

#19 The Number Of Fries I Got In My Meal

Image credits: Great-Appointment-49

#20 I Ordered A Takeout Fish Sandwich. Got Home, Opened The Box, And Noticed Something Was Missing

They told me to come back and they would give me another one. No apology, no compensation for my inconvenience.

Image credits: Isaw11

#21 I Ordered Thai Food Delivery And This Is What I Got

Image credits: mrsrobinsonkindof

Everyone loves to enjoy a delicious meal, and it’s natural to hold restaurants to a high standard. But the reality is that there are a lot of ways an order can go wrong. First, the customer must correctly explain what they want. Then, the server has to relay that information to the kitchen. The line cooks must pay attention to what’s written and properly plate the order, and then, the server has to deliver it to the correct customer before it gets cold. Let’s have some sympathy for the staff when dining out!

#22 When They Said It Was An “Elevated Dining” Experience, I Didn’t Think They Meant This $19 Vegan Burger

Image credits: veganricotta

#23 Ihop, You Better Count Your Days

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#24 How Does Papa John’s Actually Sell This? My Wife Ask Me “Why Did You Order A Box Of Raw Potatoes?”

Image credits: Positive_Ad_8198

Are these photos infuriating you, pandas? Keep upvoting the ones that you find particularly atrocious, and let us know in the comments below what the worst experience you’ve ever had when ordering food was. Then, if you’d like to check out another Bored Panda article featuring similarly disappointing photos, look no further than right here!

#25 I Ordered A Salad And Got A Plate Of Random Ingredients On A Wooden Board

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#26 Caprese Salad I Purchased From A Pizza Place. I Should Have Checked The Review First

Image credits: Umman_manda6632

#27 Ordered A Blackened Salmon Caesar Salad

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#28 Hotdog Meal While On Holiday

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#29 Dairy Queen Side Salad For $4

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#30 The Size Of The Pasta Dish I Ordered At (What I Am Told) Is The Fanciest Hotel In Gurgaon India

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#31 Ordered A 3 Piece Combo At Raising Canes. Came Home And Opened It Up To This

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#32 What I Ordered vs. What I Got

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#33 What I Ordered From Panera vs. What I Got

I got a refund, but still felt cheated. I craved this meal all day and it took over an hour to get. Had a small scoop of rice. No meat and look at everything else. By the time I got it, they were closed for the day. I was infuriated to say the least. Highly doubt that I’ll order from Panera anytime soon.

Image credits: MrsChocolateDrop84

#34 I Ordered Pizza From Bare Naked Kitchen And They Weren’t Kidding About Being Bare Naked

Image credits: Taco_Cat2819

#35 Chicken And Waffles At My Local Bowling Alley

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#36 Ordered A Bagel With Cream Cheese. Thanks?

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#37 Pizza Place Salads Be Like

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#38 Ordered Vegetable Fajitas At A “Mexican” Place. Didn’t Expect This

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#39 Friend Paid 10 Extra Dollars For Meatballs

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#40 I’m Extremely Disappointed Dunkin’ Donuts

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#41 Airport Breakfast

First photo is screenshotted from their online menu and second pic is what I got. I paid extra for a side of avocado and they gave me a little scoop of an overly ripened one that tasted tangy.

Image credits: noodledancefloor

#42 $12 Crispy Scallops

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#43 Panera Is The Absolute Worst

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#44 Ordered Some Pancakes With Syrup And Bacon, But I Got The Top Slices Of A Brioche Bun

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#45 Taco Bell Nuggets

I knew better. But, I always try new things, and I’m a sucker for limited & special items.

The box was larger than I expected so I had high hopes. But it was light and upon opening, I was greeted with chicken marbles. They wouldn’t qualify for boneless wings let alone nuggets. These are the extras that get thrown in your chicken strip meal at other places.They were crispy, but that doesn’t make me any less of an idiot for ordering them.

Image credits: skunkybeerz

#46 I Ordered Pizza From A Local Pizza Joint, And This Is How It Arrived

I legitimately don’t understand how this is possible. When I called the restaurant, the cook said he “cut it weird” and was completely dismissive.

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#47 Ordered From Pizza Hut And I Ended Up With More Crust Than Pizza

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#48 Ordered A Regular Sausage Biscuit. And I Received This Sausage Blueberry Biscuit With Icing

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#49 Ordered Mozzarella Sticks At Ruby Tuesday And Half Were Hollow

Image credits: I_Only_Have_One_Hand

#50 The Sandwich I Ordered For Dinner Was The Same Size As This Coffee K-Cup

Haven’t eaten in days due to medical procedure and medication that caused severe nausea. First time I was able to get out of bed and pickup some food that I’d be able to keep down so I was starving and very excited to get home and eat this sandwich. It looked positively mouthwatering on the advertisement window at the restaurant. $8 for only the sandwich (no sides). Bun is the size of this K-Cup and the meat inside is would have fit onto a teaspoon. I’m going back to bed.

Image credits: Haunted-Harlot

#51 25+ Minutes One Way To 5 Guys- Got Home To No Meat On The Burgers

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#52 First And Last Time Trying Taco Bell’s Garbage Nuggets

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#53 My Friend Ordered The T-Bone Steak At Ihop

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#54 Ordered Takeout From The Lowest Rated Wing Place In My Area

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#55 What I Ordered vs. What I Got

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#56 $10 Salad

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#57 What I Ordered And What I Got

The original dish was described as yellow tomato sauce, confit cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, dried chillie flakes and garlic confit. I got 3 almost raw yellow cherry tomatoes and some garlic paste at the f***ing bottom. Violife coconut feta is insane.

Image credits: RiverOhRiver86

#58 Finally Ordered The Vegan Ramen From One Of The Most Popular Ramen Spots In Socal

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#59 The “Pizza Americana” I Ordered In Slovakia

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#60 Panera Toasted Garden Caprese. Is This A Joke?

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#61 Nutella Calzone

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#62 Bj’s Brewhouse Potato Skins Online Photo vs. Reality

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#63 Valentine’s Pastry At My Local Coffee Shop

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#64 This Is My “Pound” Of Boneless Wings Order From Tonight. Only Short 11 Of The 16 Ounces

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#65 Paid Extra To Make One Medium Pizza A Large, And They Just Gave Me 2 Mediums With 1 In A Large Box

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#66 I Ordered “Fish & Chips” From A Local Food Court And This Is What I Received

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#67 Ordered Spinach On This Pizza. There Is ¼ Of A Spinach Leaf On It

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#68 So I Ordered Orange Chicken In A Chinese Restaurant

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#69 When Chefs Hate Their Vegan Clients

A few weeks ago I went to the renowned Boschendal Wine Farm, outside Stellenbosch, and ordered their vegan aubergine pizza. One would think that they would take pride in what they do and make aubergine the star of the dish. What I got was so dissapointing, and made me feel that they really hate their vegan customers. My husband, who is not vegan got a beautiful presented plate of food. I wrote them a polite letter about customer experience, etc. but to date got no response, hence I now name them for their bad pizza and arrogance. How hard can it really be to have made this a great pizza without too much effort? For my part it wasn’t even necessary to replace mozzarella with bad vegan cheese. How about a great Napolitana sauce, grilled aubergine, a few Kalamata olives, some red onions, rocket or basil pesto perhaps? I am also a professional chef, but I would never treat my vegan or vegetarian customers with such disdain. I won’t recommend them, nor spend my hard earned cash there ever again.