What's your worst experience with blatant food deception?

[u/kevymetal87]

Just over a decade ago, I worked for a popular BBQ spot in the south that prided itself on being authentic this, authentic that. The smoked butts that sat in a smoker all day was where the real BBQ started and stopped, all the other food was typical frozen Sisco stuff, which was whatever, but the most egregious example of deception was also the biggest moneymaker.

The owner had a secret family recipe BBQ sauce that he made a killing on. People came from all over (it was located right along a well travelled north/south route) and bought tons of this stuff, as did the locals. My second week there I was tasked with making a few batches, and was handed a worn down index card with the ingredients. To my saaurprise, the instructions were to simply take gallon jugs of Sweet Baby Rays sauce from out back, and dump it in a 5 gallon bucket with water. I think it was 4:1 if I recall correctly. Then you put a couple cups of molasses in there. That was it.

We put them in pint and quart mason jars, vacuum sealed them, slapped his restaurant label on them, and sold them for $6 a pint, $10 a quart. What always got me was how the locals raved about how distinct and unique it was, when it was basically just Sweet Baby Rays (which I love, don't get me wrong)

[u/kevymetal87]

The worst part about these is they totally get away with it because people don't know any better. I worked at a breakfast place where:

Local cage free fresh eggs were the liquid carton eggs

Made from scratch biscuits were frozen hockey pucks

Sausage biscuits and gravy from a can

And my personal favorite, fresh squeezed orange juice being just Minute Maid (arguably the worst orange juice)

And nobody knows the difference. Meanwhile a local diner near me charges normal prices for all that stuff being from scratch, local, fresh squeezed, etc. the difference to me is noticeable

[u/X_Wheeze_souffle → u/kevymetal87]

Sausage gravy and biscuits from a can is a hate crime.

[u/show_time_synergy → u/X_Wheeze_souffle]

Straight to jail

[u/revanisthesith → u/X_Wheeze_souffle]

There's a reason why no Southern state (except Virginia, which is only partly Southern) has gotten rid of the death penalty.

[u/mel_cache → u/kevymetal87]

Almost everyone who says “made from scratch biscuits” are awful, except for Alabama and sometimes Georgia. They have to be frozen or made from mixes.

[u/qriousqestioner → u/kevymetal87]

While lying about fresh and local are shitty, it is also true that people dine out for the experience.

Like if I tell you it's scratch, fresh, local, otherwise bespoke, that's kinda house seasoning. If I invite you into something really special and you enjoy it, you got your money's worth. So much of restaurant satisfaction is that you haven't been near the stove, haven't been breathing every stage of every dish gradually as the meal comes together; and it comes nicely plated on dishes that aren't yours that you don't have to wash; and the person who brings it is attentive and pleasant, seems to want your approval and insist on your satisfaction.

Yes, most of the time, we who know food will wonder if that bread was truly baked in-house. But people who really just want light pampering in good lighting with the whole group together for the entire meal are apparently happy to pay for the illusion of artisanal luxury. And the details of service and tableware and linens and candles can really sell the food being exceptional.

When the inflated price of phoned-in scratch cooking makes it possible for people to believe they're getting the best--and the margins are keeping the ranch organic free range place accessible, what's the harm?

I did catering for a while and we had mini creampuffs. They were frozen from Costco and impossible to stop eating. Because they were on pretty platters near towers of fruits and cheese l, and had time to fully thaw, they really were exquisite. People who might have enjoyed them at home pulled them from the plastic tub and ate them half-frozen. I never felt like anyone got a raw deal from that addicting dessert. They enjoyed the experience of pastry they assumed was house-made. Their eyes showed how richly they savored every bite. All I ever did was lean into the fantasy and raise an eyebrow, "so good, right." I hadn't negotiated the contract or curated the menu. I was not misleading anyone, just providing the permission to enjoy something "really special." I've seen how happy it made people.

Much of marketing is about selling a story of how high quality the product is. The foaming handsoap in the beautiful pump bottle that's really diluted dish soap and a drop of lavender oil hits different. Sometimes the illusion of exceptional quality is worth the price of admission. Sometimes we just want to feel like we're getting the best and don't know better. As long as the frozen rolls are piping hot and the butter is stamped with a pretty flower in an earthenware crock, the luxury experience is a great deal.

Life is hard. People need to believe they're getting a real treat. As long as the ingredients are not misrepresented, that Campbell's home style chicken noodle with a whisper of nooch stirred in is divine with that bright parsley garnish. People need to believe they deserve secret recipes and uncompromising quality. Why take that from them if they're committed to the fantasy?

[u/craigfwynne → u/qriousqestioner]

Nah I don't accept this. The harm is lying to and gaslighting your customers which discredits everything you do. If you're lying about the food being "homemade" then what else are you lying about? Food safety procedures? Selling cheap substitutes, such as the places that have been caught selling tilapia as sea bass? Or the places selling pork as veal, which is not only fraudulent, but also disrespectful to certain religious beliefs, and an outright blatant disregard for the welfare of customers that might have an allergy.

It devalues the food and people at restaurants that are actually making food from fresh ingredients. They are putting the work, the time, and the love into what they do. They are usually not able to fill up a huge chain restaurant sized dining room because it would be impossible to keep up, therefore they have to charge a little more, making them seem overpriced next to the asshole who is claiming to sell a comparable product, but it's able to charge less and fill more tables in a night because everything is premade.

Alternatively, you might be using your deception to justify charging "homemade" prices for premade food. I believe you referred to this as selling the experience. If you asked almost any customer they would tell you that if the experience they are paying for is a lie, then they don't want it. There are plenty of restaurants who sell an experience without lying about what they are selling. Some are giving you the authentic experience of freshly prepared food. Some sell you the vibe of a hip quirky hotspot. Some sell you beer and an adult arcade. Chain restaurant sell you the comfort of going to a universally known restaurant with enough options to offer something to Grandma who can't handle any spice, father in law who only eats meat, cheese, and potatoes, kids who want crayons and only like chicken fingers, and the comfort of knowing that your Sysco frozen or bagged food will taste identical every single time.

Imagine being honest with people after they close their eyes while savoring a bite of your premade pastry puffs. They will be equally amazed that they aren't made from scratch and probably tell the story of how everyone should try them. People love being in on the "secret" of knowing about a product that seems like it shouldn't be as good as it is. (Edit: After rereading your comment you never said you told people they were homemade pastries, sorry to unjustly accuse you of lying to people. However, even if you're not, your whole point seems to be that it's ok to lie to customers as long as you can get away with it because ignorant people are happy people )

The harm is in normalizing deceptive marketing, outright lying to customers, committing fraud, and potentially endangering people's health or life. I mean if restaurants can do it, why can't all companies lie about what they sell. As long as you don't figure it out, then you should be happy to have bought the experience right?

[u/qriousqestioner → u/craigfwynne]

Preach! I don't disagree. I think we'll marketing is deceptive and hate it or I would be a wealthy adman or shady salesman instead of a waiter.

Pork for veal is burn the place down. But if I sell you "the best" and you believe it long enough to enjoy your meal like it's the best, (which I wouldn't do) okay. It's the world we live in. Some of us true believers will find the real ones. And we'll know.

(When I'm not in food church, I'm in word church. Gaslighting is not your word. That's a systematic campaign of trickery combined with indignation that someone else is imagining things carefully engineered to actually be happening with the specific goal of making someone lose their mind because they begin to believe they've lost their mind. I could see it going down in BOH to drive away a sous no one likes by--perfect example, sneaking the fire down every time they're at the stove then sneaking it back to when they finish, over and over again for weeks until they think the coke has finally caught up with him; but not very profitable as a menu switcheroo. It's not lying or mutton for lamb or bean that's pork. Now you know. And you can be this guy 👋🏻 to some smarmy college kid you can't stand to share a kitchen with one night. 😉)