Aretha Franklin Wasn't Afraid To Make This Bold Ordering Move At A Restaurant

Iconic singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin was known as the Queen of Soul and her legendary work lives on through tracks that are woven into the very fabric of American culture like "Respect," "Think", and "Chain of Fools." Many know that Franklin paved the way with music that defined a genre, but you may not know that she was also emphatic about specifying exactly what she wanted to eat, no matter the setting.

Franklin was known for ordering off menu when at restaurants and simply asking the chef for what might strike her fancy. In fact, as chef Adrienne Cheatham once shared in Epicurious, Franklin even asked for ranch dressing on a carrot salad while dining at Éric Ripert'sD famed New York restaurant Le Bernadin. While she didn't go so far as to order her favorite Southern dish (at least as far as we know), she did regularly ask for changes to garnishes and side dishes and liked her choice of fish served with a super crispy skin (perhaps a nod to her Memphis roots and affinity for crunchy chitlins).

While most anyone would have happily acquiesced to just about any request made by an uber celebrity like Aretha Franklin, her confident restaurant approach may just have us mere mortals taking note. If you'd like to order off menu, try doing so at an off time so as not to overwhelm your server and the kitchen, be flexible, and be willing to pay a surcharge for your changes. There is definitely a proper way to order off menu and it should go without saying that making your request politely and with respect will help you land the precise dish of your ordering dreams.

While fast food establishments often have so-called secret menus, this concept doesn't translate as seamlessly to fine dining, where timing and ingredient availability are constantly in flux. If you do have a special menu request at a high-end restaurant, you may need to order in advance, either by calling ahead, emailing, or even using the notes section in your favorite reservation app. Bottom line, next time you feel like going rogue when dining out for a special meal, channel your inner Aretha and "Think" before you just demand anything of your server once seated.