One Saturday ruined my whole view of prime ribs

I've been cutting meat for about 8 years now, and I always thought the priciest cut was the safest bet. But last Saturday I had a customer ask for a prime rib roast, and I sold them one that looked perfect, nice marbling, good weight, 14 pounds. They came back two hours later furious, said it came out tough and dry, and I just couldn't figure it out at first. Then I realized the issue wasn't the cut, it was that I didn't ask how they planned to cook it, and they went straight from fridge to a screaming hot oven without resting. That day taught me that the right advice matters more than the right meat, so now I quiz every customer on their method before I even grab the knife. Has anyone else had a sale go bad because you assumed the customer knew what they were doing?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_lopez641mo ago

You ever sell someone a nice ribeye and tell them to "just sear it hot and fast" only to find out they meant they were gonna boil it in a crockpot with ketchup? Yeah, that was me about three years ago. Guy came back with a slab of gray meat and asked for a refund, and I couldn't even blame him. Now I ask about their oven temp before I even wrap the damn thing, and honestly I still screw up my own steak at home half the time.

grantf731mo ago

Hold on, I gotta push back on the "ask about their oven temp" thing. That's on you for being a helicopter butcher. If the guy wants to ruin a $30 ribeye in a crockpot with ketchup, that's his God-given right, and honestly it's a good deal for you because he'll be back next week for another one when he gets tired of chewing on a tire. You're not selling cooking lessons, you're selling meat. And the refund? No way. You gave him exactly what he paid for, a nice piece of beef. What he did with it after leaving the store is a personal failure, not a product defect. Plus, if you start asking everyone about their oven settings you're gonna chase away half the people who just want to throw it on a gas grill and call it a day.