For the 1,000,000,000,000th time on this site - - - what did the manager say when you brought this situation to his or her attention? The time to negotiate compensation (a free meal is the same as money) is before you pay your bill and before you leave the restaurant. I'm assuming you and your guests ate the food even though the pasta portion was small, the cheese wasn't mixed in, the chicken was thin and hard and the ziti appeared to have been re-heated. Consumption of food equals acceptance. The waiter (or server as well call them these days) isn't responsible for the food itself - - they only serve what you ordered. These types of letters really make my teeth itch.