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Original poster

Soaked by spilled drinks in restaurant

111 replies

Rae36 · 21/10/2020 15:31

Out for lunch, put a nice top on, haven't been out in ages. Waitress dropped a tray with 3 1l jugs of water, pint of blackcurrant and soda, pint of lime and soda and 3 open cans of coke all down my back. I was completely drenched.

They were very apologetic, gave us money off, told me to bring in the dry cleaning bill, I changed into ds14's jumper, and apart from a damp bum and bra we had a nice lunch.

The manager kept coming over to ask how I was and what they could do to make it better for me. I couldn't think of anything they could do really, what could they have done? He asked 4 or 5 times and he was clearly desperate for me to come up with something they could do.

What could I have said? Thinking about it now I'm home and dry, could they have offered to dry my top for me (assuming they have laundry facilities for towels and tablecloths)? Could I have asked them to get me a dry top from somewhere? There was no obvious shop or anything around. Should one of the staff have offered me their jumper from the staffroom? We had the car but a taxi home if we'd been walking? My jacket had been hanging over the back of my chair so was also soaked. A hairdryer if one of the staff had one in the locker room? I guess they didn't or they would have offered. Use of the staffroom to wash the sticky coke off privately instead of at the public sink in the ladies might have been good. I didn't think of that at the time.

I did say I thought the tray was way too heavy, one of the jugs hit me on the shoulder and it was heavy. They agreed and apologised.

If you've been a waitress what would you have done to fix up a really wet customer? I couldn't think of anything to say. Now we are back home the kids are coming up with more and more ridiculous suggestions.

OP posts:

iluvgab · 21/10/2020 16:26

I don't understand what you are asking.
They gave you money off and said they'd pay the dry cleaning bill. You changed into your ds' jumper so they knew you had something to put on. If there had been no possibility of you changing into something from a family member they'd probably have found something for you to wear.

WhereverIGoddamnLike · 21/10/2020 16:26

Well I think almost everyone on this thread totally missed the tone of the OP. She doesnt come across and annoyed and shr isnt actually going to ask for anything.
She says quite clearly that the manager kept coming over and asking what they could do, and she is genuinely wondering what on earth she was meant to ask for because there really wasnt anything they could do, hence the silly suggestions like a jumper from a staff member.

The OP sounds like she was happy to get on with lunch, but the manager kept asking her what they could do and made a bigger deal than she did herself.

HowFastIsTooFast · 21/10/2020 16:27

If I'd been that manager I'd also have been there every 2 minutes apologising, he/she and the waitress must have been mortified.

OP I'd have told them the only thing that could possibly make up for it would be a free dinner tomorrow night, with Tom Hardy as my date.

tillytoodles1 · 21/10/2020 16:30

Just be thankful you weren't a bride, all dressed in Ivory taffeta and lace. The waiter at the wedding managed to pour red wine all over her during the sit down meal.

emilyfrost · 21/10/2020 16:31

In short, they did enough OP, and all your suggestions are, quite frankly, absolutely ridiculous and unworkable.

Thinking about it now I'm home and dry, could they have offered to dry my top for me (assuming they have laundry facilities for towels and tablecloths)?

No, they couldn’t. Even if they have laundry facilities it could have caused even more problems if they’d tried to used them on your top and made it worse.

Could I have asked them to get me a dry top from somewhere? There was no obvious shop or anything around.

No.

Should one of the staff have offered me their jumper from the staffroom?

Of course not. Why should the staff give their personal belongings to a customer over a mistake?

We had the car but a taxi home if we'd been walking? My jacket had been hanging over the back of my chair so was also soaked.

No. If you’d have been walking it wouldn’t have been far.

A hairdryer if one of the staff had one in the locker room?

No, again they could cause more damage.

Use of the staffroom to wash the sticky coke off privately instead of at the public sink in the ladies might have been good. I didn't think of that at the time.

Nope. Customers can not enter staff areas for insurance purposes, and it is entirely private with their own belongings in there.

CeibaTree · 21/10/2020 16:31

You should have asked for a bottle of champagne :) The manager probably kept coming over to make sure you weren't becoming angry about it after the initial shock had worn off.

Itchybush · 21/10/2020 16:32

I used to work in Gaucho and we had to silver serve slices of steak from those stupid wooden boards. One party of about 20 people were packed so tightly around the table that that I had to reach over their heads to serve the food. After going round the whole table I realised I'd dripped blood from the steak over the backs of 10 people 😩 The manager came over to apologise, they got 75% off their bill and after the 10th bottle of wine they had forgotten about it anyway.

Staffy1 · 21/10/2020 16:33

A table and free food every night for a year...and the manager's house. I think that's reasonable under the circumstances

RaspberryCoulis · 21/10/2020 16:34

I couldn't think of anything they could do really, what could they have done?

I probably would have asked for a free bottle of wine or dessert. Or 50% off the bill or something.

Sittinbythesea · 21/10/2020 16:36

Clearly a lighthearted thread! I’m not sure you should have had to pay for lunch at all.

ancientgran · 21/10/2020 16:37

I like the helicopter idea. I was just thinking I'd love to go in a helicopter, I was watching a programme about Trump and he was getting into one and I thought I deserved a ride in a helicopter more than he did. Maybe I will put it on my "after covid list" the new alternative to a bucket list.

CustardySergeant · 21/10/2020 16:38

When you say they gave you money off, do you mean they just reduced the bill for your lunch? Surely there should have been nothing for you to pay after what happened, not simply a reduction.

TheEmpressOfUtterBastardry · 21/10/2020 16:39

"Apart from a damp bum we had a nice lunch". Plus you got a discount and offer to pay the dry cleaning bill.

What else do you actually expect? they bent over backwards to assist. What do you want to achieve here?

TheOrigRights · 21/10/2020 16:40

I would have said.

"What I would like is if you can please stop asking if there is anything you can do so I can enjoy my meal"

WhereverIGoddamnLike · 21/10/2020 16:40

@emilyfrost

I assume the hairdryer would have been to dry her hair, which would also have had some spilage on it.

The taxi suggestion is not unreasonable. If you soak a customers jacket and they are walking home, you pay for a taxi for them. I worked in a bookshop years ago and the faucet in the customer toilets went mad and sprayed a custmer all over her front. She was soaked. The manager booked her a taxi to get home on the company account. Totally reasonable.

The OP was obvisouly being lighthearted in her suggestions, given that she ended it with saying her kids are coming up with wacky ideas. You've taken her far too seriously and gone a bit over the top with your reply.

Feedingthebirds1 · 21/10/2020 16:40

@earthtopluto

I got the impression from this thread that the OP was being lighthearted with her suggestions and wanted funny ideas of what she could have asked them to do to compensate.. Not getting an entitled vibe at all.

Absolutely what I got too. She didn't make a fuss, but it was clear the manager wanted to do something more to make her feel better. But there wasn't anything more she wanted him to do. So now she's thinking aloud about daft or not daft things she could have asked for, in order to make the manager feel that he's done something more as he wanted to.

TheEmpressOfUtterBastardry · 21/10/2020 16:41

@TheOrigRights

I would have said.

"What I would like is if you can please stop asking if there is anything you can do so I can enjoy my meal"

Damned if they do and damned if they don't hey? the glorious life of waiting staff.

SpinningWheelOfFortune · 21/10/2020 16:41

Also got the impression that the OP was being lighthearted and it entitled in the slightest. Not sure I've I've read the same post as some people!

Pelleas · 21/10/2020 16:43

This happened to me once. I got an apology and nothing else - no money off my bill, no offer to pay for cleaning, not even a drink on the house. Stupidly, because the waitress was young and mortified, and I'm not very assertive, I practically ended up apologising to her! I didn't go back there again, though.

I'm the last person to start whining about compensation but some kind of token gesture would've been nice.

MrsGulDukat · 21/10/2020 16:43

I had this happen to me, and on my birthday too. They apologised but it was just an accident.

ChikiTIKI · 21/10/2020 16:44

I'm surprised they charged you at all to be honest. Sounds like you were absolutely drenched. Did they have to move you to a different table while they cleared up? I imagine they needed several mops or to even get a brush to move the water outside.

You took it well to stay. I would've gone home I think although I realise it's easier said than done if you have a hungry teenager with you. Hope your day improved after this!

WombatChocolate · 21/10/2020 16:45

I think the OP at least should have had a free meal in the circumstances.

However, it sounds like they took responsibility and tried to make amends and it also sounds like Op was pretty gracious in the circumstances....so everyone behaved well.

I think Op is just wondering if there might have been alternative reactions. In Covid times, physically there isn't much you can do for people in this circumstance. The apologies and money off (or bill abandoned altogether) are as much as is possible. Better to apologise a couple more times than needed, than not enough in this kind of circumstance.

No-ones response seems out of line so I think can rest assured that they and she behaved appropriately. She didn't throw a tandrrum (some would) and they didn't shirk responsibility (some would) so just one of those things rally.

Iamthedevilinthedetail · 21/10/2020 16:45

There was nothing else they could do. He was just being polite as in fact, they’d done all they could. I’d have offered you a free meal another time but I don’t think, on the night, anything else could be done.

Sobeyondthehills · 21/10/2020 16:46

A signed contract to make you a majority silent partner in the business and the managers soul.

starfish88 · 21/10/2020 16:46

When I went out for my work Christmas party a couple of years back while pregnant, someone spilled a pint over me and because I had bad morning (all day) sickness I followed it up by throwing up from the smell. Sadly it was another customer in my case so no helicopter for me.

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