'Is it wrong?': Customer wonders if Italian deli is being misleading about their "homemade" food

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 7, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

This person has a few questions for their local deli. After working there for five years, they've seen a thing or two at that location. You really get to know the in and outs of a restaurant after working there for so long. In fact, u/medlabcriseshotline had worked there long enough to know that there was a bit of misleading advertising going on at the place. 

The original poster is curious about how much of the food prep process needs to be done in-house to be considered "homemade." There aren't many clear answers to this to be found, although commenters weighed in with their own opinions on the matter. Much like how brands can call any food "natural," since it holds basically no meaning, it seems that many foods can be called "homemade" even when they were certainly not made in-house. 

Numerous eateries buy their foods in bulk and add their own toppings or sauces, and customers seem to love it anyway. Not every restaurant has the space to put in a full kitchen, so they may outsource their baking to an external kitchen. As long as the customers are loving the food and coming back again and again, that's what really matters the restaurant owners. 

Up next, check out the people who just couldn't remain professional while on the job, like on person who vowed that "On Mondays, I would show up to work and not do anything." Cheers to that! 

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  • 01
    Oliver T'S CLUB BIGGEST Sandwich Cb Cr deter BREAD DELI CLASSICS DRESSING ▼▼ SALADS CHEESE EXTRAS NEATS 11.00 CLUBS - SA 447 ROLL-UPS SOUTIMEST OLIVER TS SUB BST BEEF JACK 625 TULLEY MACA 15 CALIFICERIEN $.00 CLASSE CHUS CHICKEY RESTO TIDAN TURKEY $50 OUR MOU 115 SMART TURKEY ETIMIAN 725 TURKET ROUND 515 CALLEEN'S TRISH MINILYKS ADVICE CRAZY LARRY BLT HAM ROUND MALACK CATUN TURKEY 921 HILL ST BLUES CHICKEN CESAR PITA 175 SALANE TESTO CITES NET NOT WELT BETTE 6.75 Ex-Chase Pakse, Lettuce 5.75 REU
    via Amigo Mobility on Unsplash
  • 02
    Is it wrong for a eatery to sell a certain food as "homemade" but it's really bought in?
    via u/medlabcriseshotline
  • 03
    There's an extremely popular Italian deli in my hometown. They do subs, pizza, catering, baking, cakes + cupcakes, and have a daily hot bar. I worked there for 5 years the place is such a hub and people order the pizza to be shipped frozen.
    via u/medlabcriseshotline
  • 04
    They advertise everything has "homemade" but I can say 90% of everything is bought in. The only thing that's homemade is the bread for sub rolls and pizza dough! & it's gotten worse we use to make the pasta salad now it's bought in already together.
    via u/medlabcriseshotline
  • 05
    Well there was a little argument in my hometowns Facebook page about said deli, and a bunch of people said it's the best Mac and cheese in the world. Well it's literally stoffers Mac and cheese... Is this kinda wrong or are people dumb not to realize? D
    via u/medlabcriseshotline
  • 06
    Objective-Work-3133. I worked at a restaurant that did this. They claim their food is "farm to table". They use the same distributor as 90% of all the other restaurants in the area, they don't know any farmers. Their "vegan" items are deep fried in
    via u/Objective-Work-3133
  • 07
    the same oil as chicken is all day. The list of lies they tell their customers goes on and on. I have no respect for those business owners.
    via u/Objective-Work-3133
  • 08
    GeminiAccountantLLC · There used to be a cafe/bakery near me that bought everything from Sam's club every morning. Then the owner would drizzle something over it so it wasn't as obvious. She sold the business for a nice profit and the new owners went out of business within a year.
    via u/GeminiAccountantLLC
  • 09
    meatsntreats Is it wrong? Yes. Are people dumb? Yes. There is a very popular bbq joint in the city I used to live in that serves Sam's Club rotisserie chicken and claims to smoke it themselves.
    via u/meatsntreats
  • 10
    FunkIPA Yes, it's ethically wrong. Is it legally wrong? Maybe you could argue it's false advertising; it's a fraud perpetrated against the customer, who's paying for something they aren't receiving.
    via u/FunkIPA
  • 11
    Beautiful_Jello3853 . I went to a place in NYC for tea and they claim homemade croissants .I could see into kitchen...she had a big box of Costco ones on the counter. Place was a legit joke.
    via u/Beautiful_Jello3853
  • 12
    Dry-Fortune-6724 · "Homemade" may or may not have any legal definition, depending where you are at. In the State of Oregon, "Homemade" is simply a Marketing ploy. Oregon recognizes "Cottage Food" as food made in a home (versus a commercial kitchen).
    via u/Dry-Fortune-6724
  • 13
    I suspect you believe that "Homemade" means the food was made in the commercial kitchen of the deli where you work. If the food that is brought in is made in a commercial kitchen elsewhere, how does that make it less "Homemade" than the foods you used to make in that commercial kitchen?
    via u/Dry-Fortune-6724
  • 14
    mindless_sissy409. Regulations require "food to be honestly presented". This is not that.
    via u/mindless_sissy409
  • 15
    Dry-Truth7726 This reminds me of an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. The "housemade cheese sauce" one which was just canned cheese sauce with shredded cheese mixed in.
    via u/Dry-Truth7726
  • 16
    jibaro1953 I think a very high percentage of restaurants misrepresent their menu offerings.
    via u/jibaro1953
  • 17
    inode 71 Ugh the term home - made used in a commercial setting is such a con job. No food made in a restaurant is "home made", by definition. Nor do I want it to be - I want professionals in a professional kitchen to cook that meal I'm
    via u/inode 71
  • 18
    paying for, not me-maw Betty cooking at home. If I want home cooking I stay home and eat.
    via u/inode 71
  • 19
    ExtremelyRetired. Fortunately, I happen to think Stouffer's is in fact the world's best mac and cheese. But yeah, I'm skeptical of pretty much all menu prose, and not just because I once worked in a beloved neighborhood café in
    via u/ExtremelyRetired
  • 20
    which all the quaint old "family recipes" came out of big plastic bags and were microwave- heated. The oven in that kitchen hadn't been on except to warm pies in years.
    via u/ExtremelyRetired

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customers restaurant food service kitchen food italian food homemade dining
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