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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:
Atalune · 21/10/2020 17:44

I’ve done this!! Poured gravy on a woman’s head!!! It was so bad.

She got her meal for free!

UnderCaffeinated · 21/10/2020 17:46

I don't think the OP is suggesting they should have done more, or suggesting that anything other than what she accepted was required in her situation. She was more asking if we could think of anything they COULD have offered more than this, as they kept asking what else they could do for her, implying they felt there was possibly more they wanted to do for her.

Midnight0 · 21/10/2020 17:49

I assume the manager and the waitress were mortified. Plus, nowadays, there are many many horrible customers who would use this as a chance to ruin the reputation of the establishment. They did everything they could short of giving you the waitresses top.

msflibble · 21/10/2020 17:50

Jesus guys, this was obvs supposed to be a fun post where people dropped in with ridiculous suggestions for things the restaurant could have done!
OP next time put "lighthearted" in the thread title otherwise people won't realise it's not supposed to be taken with deadly seriousness

Roselilly36 · 21/10/2020 17:54

Accidents happen OP. We had a similar incident last year, we didn’t stress over it, worse things happen. The restaurant was very apologetic, kept topping up my wine!

RonaCor · 21/10/2020 17:59

Did they only discount the meal? They could have not charged you and given you a voucher imo - that's a lot of liquid.

FoxtrotOscarPoppet · 21/10/2020 18:06

This happened to me. First time I met and had dinner with my now in-laws.

Waitress knocked a bottle of red wine all over my WHITE outfit. Luckily we were eating just around the corner from where we were staying so my OH ran back there to get me a change of clothes.

We were given free drinks for the meal, money off the meal and they took the dress to be dry cleaned. I felt so sorry for the waitress - she was mortified and in floods of tears.

We all make mistakes. The other staff probably won’t let the waitress live that down for a while and it sounds like the manager made an effort.

Lardlizard · 21/10/2020 18:07

The least they could do is not charge you for the bill !!

CoronaIsWatching · 21/10/2020 18:10

I would have asked for free cocktails and got trollied

Pumpkinstace · 21/10/2020 18:21

Once, years ago I was at a football match back when it terrancing and not seating. The cafe bit was at the top of the stand.

I bought a tea and a hot dog and as I turned around I lost my footing and stumbled. The onions and sauce on my hotdog leapt off the sausage and landed on the very top of a bald man's head who was stood a level or two below me.

Mortified I was.

Original poster
Rae36 · 21/10/2020 18:26

I can confirm that yes I am being light hearted, as are my kids. I didn't demand the shirt off anyone's back, I haven't written a bad review anywhere. I had a nice lunch squeezed into a slightly too small top with damp and sticky hair dried off a bit under the hand dryer and it's all fine.

I was partly baffled about the repeated questions about what they could do when I couldn't think of anything. The waitress was really upset, we didn't see her again. The manager was hugely apologetic. What more could they do? They took 50% off the whole bill, not just mine. I suspect I could have pushed for more but I didn't.

I was partly wondering what other people or restaurants might have done in this situation. I'm not talking a glass of water spilled on my arm, I was completely soaked, and really cold, and if I hadn't had anything to change into I think I would have had to go home. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that restaurants have a lost property box or staff uniforms somewhere they could maybe have offered, I don't know. Which is why I was wondering.

That's all, no drama or entitlement here, sorry.

OP posts:
Doodiesbear · 21/10/2020 18:39

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that restaurants have a lost property box or staff uniforms somewhere they could maybe have offered, I don't know. Which is why I was wondering.

If we'd kept all the lost property it'd have taken over the place 🤣 though in general in the places I've worked I may have been able to fashion you a fetching number designed with baby blankets, booties, several toys and a shit load of phone chargers. It'd have been original if nothing else. That or the serving cloths the waiting staff/chefs use?
Coats/jumpers are usually picked up again.
And all places I've worked staff wear their uniforms into work and home again, and they're generally bought by the staff too, with only things like aprons provided, even chefs who do usually get changed at work, they still take their whites home with them, and maybe would have had clothes there but as they're certainly not supposed to leave the kitchen areas in their whites I doubt any of them would have been happy to travel home in them especially at the moment.
I once got on the wrong end of a chef with a tub of bechamel sauce. I had to wear the t-shirt he was wearing under his whites for the rest of my shift. I don't recommend it...... 😵

emilyfrost · 21/10/2020 18:50

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that restaurants have a lost property box or staff uniforms somewhere they could maybe have offered

Why would a restaurant keep lost property? And do you have any idea how expensive uniform is? So no, they couldn’t have just given you some.

Original poster
Rae36 · 21/10/2020 18:53

Why would a restaurant keep lost property? And do you have any idea how expensive uniform is? So no, they couldn’t have just given you some

Well like I said, I don't know. Which is why I asked. Thanks for letting me know.

I used to work in a swimming pool with a lost property box, we occasionally gave someone a t-shirt from the box if they dropped theirs on the wet floor.

OP posts:
Nikhedonia · 21/10/2020 18:54

@orchidsonabudget

I was that waitress as a student Two bowls of pea and ham soup Over a white angora jumper ShockSad
Good! Angora is bloody evil Angry
MilkandWater · 21/10/2020 19:04

At a burger place in St Ives years ago, the waitress dropped a bottle of red wine on DH and drenched him. I think they gave us 50% off our meal (we were a large group) and didn’t charge for drinks, dry-cleaned DH’s shirt, and when the stain didn’t come out, were very apologetic and offered us a free meal for two at their sister-restaurant.

MilkandWater · 21/10/2020 19:10

I mean, we didn’t ask for any of this. We mostly sympathised with the waitress, as it was a small space, very busy and difficult to manoeuvre around in while carrying food and drinks.

HowFastIsTooFast · 21/10/2020 19:23

I worked in a bar / restaurant and we had loads of lost property, mostly jumpers / cardigans / jackets / umbrellas. We'd take them to the charity shop every 6 months or so.

MrsWhites · 21/10/2020 19:24

I think you should have insisted on going home and that the chef come along to serve you at home where you would be appropriately dry and warm!

In all seriousness I think I’d expect the meal for free after being drenched by that much, the tray was clearly too heavy. Maybe I’m entitled though!

CrazyToast · 21/10/2020 19:29

Now I understand why many people put lighthearted in their titles!

OP that made me chuckle, that was a lot of liquid!

I would've been tempted to see what else they wanted to give you, just for fun. Like a quadruple icecream sundae or a pile of burgers. 10 pints of cider.

kimmyst · 21/10/2020 19:32

@emilyfrost

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that restaurants have a lost property box or staff uniforms somewhere they could maybe have offered

Why would a restaurant keep lost property? And do you have any idea how expensive uniform is? So no, they couldn’t have just given you some.

Why are you so angry? Your previous reply was even worse! It's a light hearted thread, do you need it explaining any more than it already has been? Are you having a bad day? Get a nice bath and chill out.
Coldandwet123 · 21/10/2020 19:33

@Atalune

I’ve done this!! Poured gravy on a woman’s head!!! It was so bad.

She got her meal for free!

😂😂😂
emilyfrost · 21/10/2020 19:43

I used to work in a swimming pool with a lost property box, we occasionally gave someone a t-shirt from the box if they dropped theirs on the wet floor.

People take their clothes off in a swimming pool. People do not take more than their coats off in a restaurant.

IHaveBrilloHair · 21/10/2020 19:47

I usually do a strip tease on the table, perhaps its just the norm where I live.Smile

Marmunia1975 · 21/10/2020 19:54

Years ago a waiter dropped a tray drinks all over my now DH as well as my lasagna.The rest of the family ate their dinner and they made me a new lasagne which ended up frozen in the middle and was inedible. My poor dad at the time ended up paying full price. He was too nice to ask.

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