Why do restaurants in India sometimes ignore or mis-serve foreign tourists, and how to order food correctly to avoid problems?
Based on 1 discussion with 2 participants · Last activity: 14 days ago
TL;DR
In some Indian cafes foreigners get ignored or orders are taken too literally — you might get raw chopped vegetables instead of a proper salad, or staff will double-check simple orders repeatedly. Be very specific when ordering, and avoid/report places with openly rude service.
What the community said
If staff clearly avoid serving you (ignoring your order while serving others faster), don't push — just leave and post a review instead of rewarding the business. This happened even at a cafe recommended by Lonely Planet.
19 days ago Lonely Planet-listed cafe
Ordering 'any salad' at a cafe in Delhi resulted in a plate of raw sliced carrots, cucumber, and onion rings — staff either took the request too literally or didn't understand what a Western-style salad means.
19 days ago Delhi
Order as specifically as possible to avoid confusion — staff may take foreigners' requests very literally. In one case a traveler ordered 'just onion,' staff double-checked twice ('you sure, only onion?'), then brought exactly that: a plate of onion.
19 days ago