• 100 BEST PODCASTS OF ALL TIME
  • TIME
  • BEST FOOD PODCAST
  • James Beard Awards
  • Webby Awards
  • 100 BEST PODCASTS OF ALL TIME
  • TIME
  • BEST FOOD PODCAST
  • James Beard Awards
  • Webby Awards

When Is It OK To Send Food Back? (Reheat)

Posted by

Oct 23, 2026
When Is It OK To Send Food Back? (Reheat)

Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

This week we have a Reheat double-header. First up, from way down in the crevices of that deep freezer: a throwdown over proper buffet priorities, in which we also cover seat selection, line etiquette, and how far one should go to win the age-old battle against the Buffet Master. Next up: Should you send a dish back to the kitchen simply because you don't love it? Or should you just suck it up and eat it anyway? Sporkful listener Lynn and her dad, Joseph, are at odds — so Lynn called in the big guns, and sought advice from Dan and chef/cookbook author/YouTuber Kenji López-Alt.

lynn_and_joseph_11-e1481727603211

These episodes originally aired on June 1, 2010, and December 16, 2016, and were produced by Dan Pashman, Mark Garrison, Anne Saini, Shoshanna Gold, Dan Charles, and Irene Trudell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer.

Interstitial music in this episode by Black Label Music:

  • "Stacks" by Erick Anderson
  • "Soul Good" by Lance Conrad

Photos courtesy of Drazen Zigic and Lynn B.

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of The Sporkful ad-free. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Filed under //                             

comments powered by Disqus