An American tourist in Toronto says he got an extra something that wasn't on the menu when he ordered a hamburger medium-done. Not only did he receive the burger as requested, but moments later, the server surprised him with a waiver.
According to the Reddit user, the Hilton restaurant at the Toronto Airport usually only cooks their burgers well done, and decided not to take any chances with this diner's "undercooked" request. In other words, if he wanted a medium burger, he'd have to sign a release form first.
"I ordered my burger medium and the waiter took it with no question or comment," the tourist wrote on Reddit, via Yahoo! News. "She brought it and it looked great! When I had my first bite she brought me a release form and said we always make our burgers well done, but since you wanted it medium … you should sign this." So the man signed it, but says he then lost his appetite and left without eating.
I can't even imagine the legal documents this diner would serve if you ventured to ask for your meat cooked medium rare.
From Yahoo!:
The server returned with a release form as the customer was starting their meal. They were told by the server that they needed to sign the form based on their special request, since the restaurant only makes burgers well done. The form would clear the hotel restaurant against any claims for damages related to to any food-borne illnesses arising from the medium-cooked burger. …
"I tried to be nice so I paid and left, but could not eat the burger," they wrote. "How can you sign a form like his and still eat it?"
Glenford Jameson is a Toronto-based lawyer specializing in food matters.
He explains it's common in certain places in the U.S. to identify food hazards directly on the menu to communicate possible dangers related to eating certain seafood, undercooked meat or allergens. In Canada, this practice doesn't exist in the same way.
"This idea of a waiver is not something we see often in Canada," he tells Yahoo Canada. "I can understand why they might want to do it, but it's not common practice."
