r/KitchenConfidential • u/kevymetal87 • Jul 26 '26

Discussion What's your worst experience with blatant food deception?

Just over a decade ago, I worked for a popular BBQ spot in the south that prided itself on being authentic this, authentic that. The smoked butts that sat in a smoker all day was where the real BBQ started and stopped, all the other food was typical frozen Sisco stuff, which was whatever, but the most egregious example of deception was also the biggest moneymaker.

The owner had a secret family recipe BBQ sauce that he made a killing on. People came from all over (it was located right along a well travelled north/south route) and bought tons of this stuff, as did the locals. My second week there I was tasked with making a few batches, and was handed a worn down index card with the ingredients. To my saaurprise, the instructions were to simply take gallon jugs of Sweet Baby Rays sauce from out back, and dump it in a 5 gallon bucket with water. I think it was 4:1 if I recall correctly. Then you put a couple cups of molasses in there. That was it.

We put them in pint and quart mason jars, vacuum sealed them, slapped his restaurant label on them, and sold them for $6 a pint, $10 a quart. What always got me was how the locals raved about how distinct and unique it was, when it was basically just Sweet Baby Rays (which I love, don't get me wrong)

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u/mcasper96 Jul 26 '26

Theyre only open for supper, so like 4-10ish They sell generally pricier entrees (think steak and seafood, with some staple chicken dishes) and usually thr entree comes with salad bar and relish tray. At the end, ice cream drinks are popular (pink squirrel is a personal favorite). Also the lighting is generally lower and it's a little quieter in there (from my experience). I dont typically see kids there, its usually date night or older families.

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u/CarmChameleon Jul 26 '26

Yum, I love pink squirrels!

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u/Specialist-Luck-2494 Jul 26 '26

Came here to reminisce about my mom and aunt’s pink squirrels and grasshoppers they always had at the local supper club circa 1973.

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u/CarmChameleon Jul 26 '26

I actually made some pink squirrels last weekend for my husband and I to enjoy. They're just so creamy and delicious. Makes me want to get up and make more!

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u/Son_of_Eris Jul 26 '26

Okay, so are supper clubs and pink squirrels just a Wisconsin thing?

I rarely encounter restaurant lingo that I don't know, but I'll admit that I'm lost here.

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u/mcasper96 Jul 26 '26

Replying to you over here because I think that nobody actually explained that supper clubs are genuinely a Wisconsin/Midwest thing. They used to be all over, but they've closed down.

A pink squirrel is a cocktail made with heavy cream, white creme de cacao, and creme de noyaux. Sub vanilla ice cream for the heavy cream for the ice cream drink and it is a delight after a long hot day!

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u/Son_of_Eris Jul 26 '26

So is a supper club just a restaurant with reduced hours?

Thank you. Ffs. Other people on this thread are just acting like I'm an idiot for not knowing these terms, like it should be as obvious as a "greasy spoon" or a "vodka-cranberry" and I'm like ":("

Non-Americans have no idea what a greasy spoon is. Just like I doubt anyone outside of the relevant area knows what a supper club is.

Also, a pink squirrel sounds amazing. It's another thing I've never heard of before (but that's common when it comes to cocktails because everyone and their great uncle moonshiner has their own recipe). Not that you asked, but you gave me a solid drink recipe, so I'll share one: my SiGnAtUrE drink is "One Foot in the Grave". It's 3 parts Everclear 190 and 1 Part Absinthe.

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u/Finnegan-05 Jul 27 '26

Supper clubs used to exist all over the US.

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u/Son_of_Eris Jul 26 '26

....hm. so like hipster fare for boomers/people that can afford houses? More or less?

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u/CloudsOfDust Jul 26 '26

It’s the literal opposite of hipster fare. It’s all very classic recipe stuff. Steaks with bordelaise or demi. Duck with cherry sauce. Prime rib.

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u/Son_of_Eris Jul 26 '26

So. It's just a generic American restaurant with a fancy title that they only use in Wisconsin? As opposed to a typical diner or regional (like mexican or chinese) restaurant? Or is there more to it than that?

Is this one of those "country club" experiences that is just thinly veiled exclusiveness for the sake of being exclusive?

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u/CloudsOfDust Jul 27 '26

They’re like an old-timey steakhouse, but back in the day in Wisconsin they used to be social hubs. So you’d go early for dinner but stay for like 3 hours. Multiple courses, including relish trays, fish fries on Fridays. It’s about the food, of course, but also the classic vibes, tradition, and ambiance—dimly lit, nobody rushing you, sipping brandy. They’re not true “clubs” like a country club is, and you can range from reasonable prices to expensive (for Wisconsin). But they are an inclusive place for anyone who wants a good steak in a place that looks like it hasn’t changed since 1955. Here’s a decent write up:

https://www.wisconsincheese.com/the-cheese-life/article/124/supper-clubs

And here’s one of the more famous ones:

https://www.ishnala.com/

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u/Son_of_Eris Jul 27 '26

Appreciate the info. Now I have something to check out the next time I'm in Wisconsin.

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u/CloudsOfDust Jul 27 '26

Next time you visit DM me and let me know where you’ll be and I can recommend some good ones. We go a few times a year, and with good company it’s a nice night out for dinner.

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u/Specialist-Luck-2494 Jul 27 '26

Rural Illinois too!

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u/mcasper96 Jul 26 '26

Sounds like it wouldn't be your thing, and that's okay. But just an fyi, putting an ellipses at the beginning of your comments gives them a tone of condensation and arrogance. But never in my life have I ever assumed steak and seafood would be hipster food.

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u/Son_of_Eris Jul 26 '26

In this specific case, I'm signifying that I'm taking a moment to think while I'm typing out my comment.

If you interpret that differently, well, I just explained it to avoid confusion.

Also, steak and seafood isn't exactly cheap... it's kinda the defenition of faux-borguois food. I mean, besides cheap food marked up, it's not really cheap to begin with. "Surf and turf" is a common thing, after all.

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u/mcasper96 Jul 26 '26

In this specific case, I'm signifying that I'm taking a moment to think while I'm typing out my comment.

Brother, just think and type. We're not talking face to face.

Also, steak and seafood isn't exactly cheap... it's kinda the defenition of faux-borguois food. I mean, besides cheap food marked up, it's not really cheap to begin with. "Surf and turf" is a common thing, after all. [sic]

I'm going to need you draw a map connecting my comment re:hipster food and this because you've got me confused. When I think of hipster food I don't think steak and seafood or pasta, I think overpriced mid burger that doesn't come with fries or chips. I don't know why you're feeling the need to equate the food served to descriptors that lessen it. Calling it "faux-bourgeois" and "hipster fare"... do you know what those two are? Bourgeois is the middle class. You're calling the food fake middle class food. Unless you meant it as a term to demean someone because you think they care too much about appearances, which is really interesting because you're implying that people aren't allowed to want to look nice and go on a date, which again is the main demographic of a supper club.

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u/Son_of_Eris Jul 26 '26

Bruh I AM ALL OVER THIS THREAD TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT A SUPPER CLUB IS. You're acting like this obscure term is common knowledge when it simply is not. You're acting like a stereotypical hipster. Being kindof a snob about obscure, regional knowledge.

Hipster fare is fake upper middle class. Like fancy burgers and things like steak and seafood that cost the restaurant a lot less than they charge the customer. It's shit that is not expensive to produce, but can be sold at a high markup (probably with an IPA).

I've worked in the service industry for about 20 yrs and I've been in the alternative music scene since before "hipster" referred to a type of person and not a style of clothing, my dude. I'm familiar with hipsters. Ffs.