Bread with dinner?

[kengk]

We tried a new restaurant last night. Not what I would term a fine dining type establishment but fairly upscale. They purport to serve "Contemporary Southern Cuisine" and I wouldn't disagree with that description based on the menu. Most entrees are in the $24-30 range which is fairly expensive for this area.

I was astounded by the fact that they did not serve bread. I like bread with my dinner. Most places serve bread.

Now, we do go to a couple of places that require you to order bread separately if you want it and it is at least better than the "free" bread that some places serve.

We both had a wedge salad (not a cracker or crouton here either), my wife had a steak and mashed potatoes and I had lamb chops with roasted potatoes. Add a couple of glasses of wine and dessert and the check was just over a hundred dollars.

When we realized bread was not forthcoming we looked around and saw that nobody else had any either so it was not just an oversight.

So, to sum up the long post. WTF is up with that? Should I have asked if they had a crust of bread in back that they might be willing to share with us?

[laliz]

yea, I would have asked for the bread basket at the type of restaurant you describe. I would have expected it, just as you did.

[Puffin3]

Take heart. You may not have got the bread the last table didn't eat......or the bread someone sneezed on at table six an hour ago.

[mojoeater]

If you want bread, ask for it. Your server is not a mind reader and far to many bread baskets go untouched and then tossed. And if you do ask for it, be prepared to pay for it. Of all our regular haunts, only one serves bread gratis and only when requested. Sometimes we want it, sometimes not.

[viperlush]

I know that when I first started not receiving bread I thought it was weird. And then it seemed like instead of bread it was breadstick or flat bread/crackers. Like the OP I want bread with my meal, but I'm not surprised when I don't get it.

[INDIANRIVERFL]

I suggest that this is a corollary to the lack of water automatically provided.

[mrbigshotno.1]

If you are forking over $50+/person for a meal there should be quality bread on the table, they are just cutting cost. Also, I don't know of anyone who would require (or need) bread with sushi, as far as "issues" go.

[ttoommyy]

Just curious: why didn't you ask if they served bread? It would have been a perfectly acceptable question. The server may have even offered an answer as to why not.

[ipsedixit]

This sounds more like a "you" issue than a restaurant issue.

I think I would flip out if I got a bread basket at the sushi bar, or if I'm having dim sum.

[jgg13]

I think it's somewhat regional. I've had visitors from other areas of the country being completely astounded that many of the places we go near me don't have bread - yet I never really notice if a place does or does not.

[huiray]

Why would you expect bread with your meal, whatever it might happen to be?

Were you "astounded" because it was a "Southern Cuisine" restaurant, or because you expected to have bread with whatever kind of food you are eating, whether it be "Southern Cuisine" (Do you mean US-American Southern, or some other kind of "Southern"?) or Chinese, or Indian, or Japanese, or whatever else?

It does depend on where you are and what you are eating, with regards to your comment about "Most places serve bread." Perhaps much of "Western Cuisine" or "USAmerican'-Western" cuisine tends to have bread as an adjunct to one's meal but even there bread is no longer an automatic part of a meal.

[chefj]

I know that many places in in my area offer bread on request (always noted on the menu), but no western style restaurant that has no bread to offer.
You definitely should have asked judging by the importance to you.

[escondido123]

I have been served bread and not served bread. If I wanted some, I would certainly ask for it.

[TeRReT]

I have worked in many restaurants, some have served bread, other's have not, some instead of bread send a different sort of amuse bouche, its not mandatory and maybe they've had bad experiences, or maybe they just don't want it to be a part of their restaurant. Maybe they are striving to be gluten free, maybe they used to get bread delivered in the morning and had a problem with theft as most companies leave a bag of bread outside the door until someone comes to work and can bring it in, maybe they had a problem with people constantly asking for more bread or filling up on bread, maybe they haven't found a bread they like yet. Maybe they are just going against the norm and don't feel the cost of having bread is worth it or what they want to do. It is something most people expect at restaurants, but I haven't actually been to a restaurant in over a year that gave bread at the start, and only half the restaurants I've worked in have given bread at the start. You can always ask, but if nobody has bread they aren't likely to have any in the back just kicking around.

I think I would have used to find it strange, but I think restaurants are changing and either trying to be different or trying to cut expenses or something but I certainly don't expect it anymore, and haven't encountered it in awhile, and don't actually miss it.

Its also possible they just didn't have any that night, again it could have been stolen, if they make it in house maybe it was burnt or gone bad, maybe they were closing for a few days and didn't want to have extras kicking around or maybe they forgot to order it that day *shrug*

[kengk]

Yes, I suppose it could have been many reasons.

Had it been a supply problem I might have expected an explanation. Sorry, no bread tonight.

If I were in the restaurant business I think I would consider charging for bread but make it special. Leave it to the customer to order it or not. It seems like it would be aggravating to put bread on the table and then the low carb folks leave it go to waste.

Other regions maybe different but it is very unusual around here for this type restaurant to not serve bread. If I had liked the restaurant in general well enough to go back I might have considered taking my own home baked loaf with me on the next visit.

[huiray]

"...around here..."
------
Uhh, we still don't know where "...around here..." is. :-)

[kengk]

Sorry about that, West Central Georgia, U.S.A. About an hour south of Atlanta to be more specific. A region where bread is served at the vast majority of restaurants. Excepting of course those restaurants who serve cuisine where one would not normally expect to get bread.

[huiray]

Aha, thanks. Well, you will have to decide if you wish to bring your own bread, as you say, and if the place would allow it :-) if you wish to return.

[Infomaniac]

a new meaning to BYOB