Brett Goldstein’s Subway Hot Take: “Restaurants shouldn’t do specials. I’m reading the menu. There’s too many fucking choices. Then you come over and you go, ‘Oh, by the way, this isn’t even the good shit.’ […] And I’m like, ‘Well why isn’t it in the menu if it’s that fucking special?’”

Never worked in service-type take

Unless it’s an item I already like, I’m way too ADHD to remember the specials and analyze the menu.

This makes me feel better about pissing the poop off.

ugh I hate when the server come over and gels me all this information about the food. I know it’s their job but I don’t care. When I want to know I will ask. Or when they table about the wine before opening it. I’ve been to over a 100 wine tastings, if I want the full schpiel I’ll go to one just open the bottle, give me a heavy handed pour and let’s get on.

There is a podcast called Off Menu where they get celeb guests on to give their dream menu, and I think I recall the hosts (James Acaster and Ed Gamble) going on Brett’s podcast and saying they can’t have him on theirs because he doesn’t get food. He eats to survive and not because he gets joy from food.

I agree, mostly because I have never once retained the information enough to order whenever a server tells me the specials. 

Wholeheartedly agree with small talk take! I like to go nonverbal some days and that’s ok!

It’s why I like places like In and Out. We serve hamburgers and cheeseburgers. And fries. And for shakes? Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry.

Why do we have 2 cast members from a Dlisted movie on Hot Take? Hope they paid him well …

“I 100% disagree” and then ‘When the waiter comes over and starts about specials, “I’m out”‘.

So you 100% agree?!?

This show ran its course

I get a full Mexican food meal for $13 in California. Thats cheap for us here. I love the specials. Its what I order no matter what the food choice is.

I don’t have an issue with specials per se, but it’s annoying when they’re thrown in like a curveball when you’re with a group and it already took 10 minutes to get everyone to agree on an order.

Is this the perfect conversation?

The small talk opt in/out is making me want to CHEER.

As a long time professional cook this is making my eye twitch

Brett has never looked hotter ngl

On the small talk note, because I feel that take is pretty universal, here is what I have been doing to combat boring chatter.

When someone ask me a small talk question, such as “what do you do for work?”

I politely respond, but immediately ask, “what is your earliest childhood memory?”

I find this question usually sparks a conversation itself, rather than just a simple answer. And people are often very inclined to think on the question and talk about it.

It may be a conversation as to what qualifies as a memory, reminiscing on what could be the earliest, or so many other things. Rarely, does someone every just answer, it usually sparks a fun conversation that is way deeper than any small talk we would have had otherwise.

I highly recommend this question or finding a question that you like to ask that is equal parts fun, intriguing, and deep. It helps if you have an answer, for when you are inevitably asked.

My earliest childhood memory is my dad putting me in a car seat. We were in my childhood garage because I remember the red support beam behind him. I was really young, so was my dad, and he was smiling at me. I don’t know how old I was, my next memory after that is when I was four.

I wish he had said it in the Roy Kent voice LOL

I think a good restaurant has a good simple menu with things they do well. I think a great restaurant has that as well as a constantly changing special that shows the chefs creative effort, especially if some of those specials become popular enough to become regular items.