AIBU for expecting her not to pay with vouchers at a restaurant?

[NJE]

I'm meeting my friend the first weekend in February again. I haven't seen her for nearly three years as she was working abroad. We decided to go out for dinner and I ask her where she wants to go. She proposed an Italian restaurant because she can get vouchers on the internet for it. I feel slightly embarrassed by this but haven't said anything. Is it right to pay in a restaurant with a 50% voucher? She can easily afford it.

AIBU?

Why the bloody hell do you think the restaurant issues vouchers?

Ugh, idiotic attitude OP. If vouchers are there, use them. You're the mug for insisting on paying full price . Do you wander into the sales and insist on paying the original tag price because you can afford it? No.

Vouchers are a promotional tool used by the restaurant to entice customers and spread word of mouth

Plus there's the implication that you wouldn't have chosen to go there if it weren't for the voucher'

what's the problem with that? I don't understand.

but NJE the restaurant obviously wants the business if it is issuing vouchers.

When you go in, or when you book, you mention the vouchers so they know - or at least generally this is in the terms and conditions of the voucher.

When you ask for the bill you habd the voucher over, or leave it prominently on the table, and I bet most other tables will be handing vouchers over too.

Wow, look like Capt. Patronising there with my xpost

Really? They issue the voucher to entice people into the restaurant. The 50% is normally off food bill only. They make good money on the booze. And they hope you will spend more on the booze as you feel you've saved so much money!

Do you think they're going to spit in your food once they see the voucher?

If you really think that, why not take it up with the owners of the restaurant?

In fact, what would be the best etiquette, would be to demand to see the manager and sit him down with a list of all the reasons he's wrong to run his business like this and might attract the Wrong Sort.

Then you can come back and tell us all about it.

Yes. Entice into. Then get pissed on wine and then they get to generate some real profit

The small family run pub at the top of our lane wants people to use vouchers, thats why they issue them, thats why they're always full and that is why they issue them!

If they could fill the pub every night with people willing to pay top whack, they wouldn't issue vouchers.

YABU NJE but if you don't like using the vouchers, leave a stonkingly great tip.

In fact, I think the manager should demand to see every customers payslip before totting up the bill

Jesus Christ, some of the things on AIBU makes me laugh.

For God's sake Garlic - no need to blaspheme!

YAUVU. My DB and his Girlfriend are going out to Dinner tonight, and I happened to have a money off voucher for the Restaurant they're going to he nearly snatched it out of my hand as they can now go to the Cinema with the money they will save on the meal.

family run restaurant?

You're bonkers OP The reason for the vouchers - and they're very common, is that restaurants have a demand problem,they can only serve a certain number of customers, on some nights - fridays, saturdays, they can fill their restaurant so easily they they can charge more. On other days tuesdays, wednesdays, lots fewer people eat out, so they need to charge less.

Rather than have two sets of menus with all the complications and extra cost that causes, they have these trivial to get offers that they expect people to use. It's to enable them to price to serve the number of customers they need.

It's extremely unlikely that they're making a loss on the vouchers (although the overall proft of the business may rely on the busier days the marginal cost is still well worth them doing it)

If you can afford to eat there and pay full price and really feel it appropriate Use the voucher and either go the next night too, or invite someone else along.

people don't actually think like this do they?

I'm going for dinner tomorrow with two other MNers, precisely because one found a great discount voucher! Put that in your full price pipe and smoke it :o

Funniest OP in a long time

WTF?!

The voucher has already worked in the restaurant's favour. It has swung her decision on where to go.

Places that issue vouchers make shitloads off me, because I always end up spending more anyway and if the food is good we are more likely to return even if we don't have vouchers as it creates good feeling.

Madness to not want to use them, I just can't get my head around your problem.

If it weren't for the vouchers your friend wouldn't be eating there and paying full whack. She'd be eating somewhere else -- you said yourself she suggested this place specifically because of the vouchers. So by offering the vouchers the restaurant gets in the two of you who wouldn't normally have eaten there, plus lots of other people in the same situation. If they provide good enough food/service/atmosphere then some of those people will come back on another occasion and pay full price. Some of those will turn into regular customers. Also, a fair few of them will order extras not covered by the vouchers (e.g. extra wine) so there's additional profit even on the original visit.

They will (should) have gone through the figures very carefully. They are offering the vouchers as part of an objective marketing plan, not as some kind of huggy fluffy gesture.

When you pay "full price" (i.e. the amount the restaurant has chosen to charge you on that particular occasion) do you say "£3.50 for garlic bread? No, I shall pay £5 because I can afford it"? Or is it just when the amount the restaurant has chosen to charge on a particular occasion has the word "voucher" attached that you take that attitude?

I once got lunch at a Michelin starred restaurant for £12.50 (half price) using a voucher. Didn't occur to me to ask who owned them and whehter I should in fact be flinging it back in their face for insulting my financial ability to pay through the nose more.

Next time maybe.

YABVU. I never eat at restaurants unless I have booked a special offer via toptable or am able to use a voucher of some kind.

op if your that bothered why not offer to pay for the meal yourself at full price obviously
just noticed its a full moon brings out all kinds

Is this actually for real? Im quite sure that OP has written this because she knows this is the response she will get!! As a previous poster has said...... GET A GRIP!! unbelievable.... and very snooty!!

Funny