At my visit to Applebee's Singapore recently, I ordered steak again. This time, I wanted it medium. When it arrived, everything else was perfect, except the doneness of the beef.
Instead of getting it done medium, I got it as well done. I'm guessing that the person who did the steak is a cook, not a chef. Labelling the person who cooked my steak, a chef, would have been a mistake. The chef would have been more sophisticated and attentive to the needs of his customers.
One of the people (a team lead, or a manager?) working at the restaurant asked if I wanted to replace the steak. I said no, and he apologized, even though it wasn't his fault. He told me that at my next visit, he would personally see to it that my next meal be done the way I liked it. And that's how I remembered Applebee's @ Cupertino. Excellent service throughout. In Singapore, it's excellent serving service. But not the cooking. The cook needs to pay more attention to the food.