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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Perspective needed - AIBU to ask for the music to be turned down in a family resturant?

94 replies

lucyellensmumnamechange · 05/05/2012 12:58

Before we get started i need to make a confession - This was a "Hungry Horse" resturant so I was not expecting fine dining and a mellow ambiance.

I was however, at 7.30 on a Friday night, expecting to be able to have a conversation with my DP without having to bellow at each other and then give up because i couldn't make myself heard. It was quite unbelievable actually. Now don't get me wrong, im not a kill joy, and it was 80's cheese so at a bearable decibel level woudl have been just right. In fact, i have been there before when this music has been played just now quite SO loud and it put me in a good mood. Not last night.

I politely and nicely asked the waitress if we could just get the music turned down "just a tad" so that i didn't go stark staring mad. I watched her go over to the manager who was propping up the bar, saw some sniggering and she came back, "no sorry, its friday night and we hae a DJ on at 9pm so we can't turn it down" Hmm Must have been about 8 at this point, so hardly party time. She walked off smirking at the other bar maid. Then my DP asked for my DD's pudding and had to literally shout to make himself heard. She walked over to the bar - cue more smirking from 6ft brick shit house of manager.

By this time the music had fried my synapses so i asked to see the manager, who actually squared up to me! Shock I was shouting, he got right in my face and told me not to shout - "dont shout and point at me darling!" (im not joking) I WAS shouting because otherwise i coudlnt have made myself heard. He was really aggressive, invading my personal space and saying "what do you expect love, its friday night and we have a DJ now, you should have known" Not in the resturant though surely, and not so early, the DJ wasn't playing. Had this been after 9pm in a non food pub, fine. Now im no shrinking violet but had i been i would have been quite scared. I told him i no longer wished to discuss it and asked for the adress of head office. At this point he got right in my face and said "im going to get you to talk to someone else before i lose my temper" i mean, WTAF?? Then his wife comes out, and just made it worse - I said to her, i am not his darling or love (as i had repeatedly asked him not to call me this) and she kept saying, Come one love, its just a turn of phrase. Yes, under normal circumstances, but not shouted in my face, it was intimidating. I had to ask several times for head office address, which when i got home and checked the website became apparent was incomplete! Hmm

So, as far as im concerned this is cause for a serious complaint - not so much the fact that the music was stupidly loud (it really was, im not THAT old that i dont enjoy loudish music, but itwas at nightclub level), or even the fact that the waitress was rude (i'll forgive her that, she was young) But the fucking thug of a manager thinking it was OK to square up to a customer. Let alone a customer he was at least a foot taller than. DP just kept his head down (which was probably the best thing to do in the circumstances and he knows im not scared). The bloody manageress then directed her "apology" at my DP and kept saying "well im sorry he called you darling" like i was being precious - maybe i was, i dont know, but not when its shouted at me in sarcastic tones. The lady in the cake shop, the smiley faced plumber caling me luv and darling, fine, i quite like it, it makes me smile, but not some Thug of a bar manager.

On reflection i have seen this person being aggressive with customers in the past when they have complained, no apology, just excuses and pretty much a tone of "if you dont like it, fuck off" but has always been fine with us. He wont of course get the opportunity again.

My question is though was i unreasonable in the first place for wanting the music turned down or should have just sucked this up, on account i was in a lively pub (it wasnt lively though, it was jut the manager and his cronies at the bar!) or was i justified as the music in the resturant area was unacceptably loud so that we couldnt have a conversation.

OP posts:
WhaleOilBeefHookedIWill · 05/05/2012 13:23

Frankie and Bennys like Hungry Horse? Hardly

helloclitty · 05/05/2012 13:24

OP Go back and take one of those high pitched siren things that only the young can hear! You can sit there and get your own back on the sniggering staff Grin

itdoesnthurttohavemanners · 05/05/2012 13:24

The manager/staff sounds awful and there's no excuse for what he did - so yes, would definitely complain.

However, YABU for complaining in the first place! Clearly you can tell when you first arrive in a place if it meets your needs. If it wasn't what you were looking for, you should have eaten elsewhere imo. (OR if the music came on after you arrived, just learn your lesson and don't go again on a Friday night!)

I don't understand where this complaining culture in this country came from.

lucyellensmumnamechange · 05/05/2012 13:27

We are going to go upmarket and go to weatherspoons next time we go out!!! Grin at least they don't have any music. But thats the thing, i LIKE the music, just not at that level. Theres a fine line between fun and deafening. They could have easily kept it loud in the bar area and less so in the resturant. That would have kept everyone happy surely.

OP posts:
helloclitty · 05/05/2012 13:28

OP you think the Hungry Horse chain have area specific volume controls? It probably either on or off Grin

lucyellensmumnamechange · 05/05/2012 13:29

To those of you that think it was only the young staff doing the sniggering, most of it was doing it by the leery twat of a manger and he was older than I am!

I have been there plenty of times before when the music was on, thats the thing, i just think for some reason last night the voluem was cranked up, maybe by mistake or because the manager was on a bender, but I wont be going back. Ever

OP posts:
lucyellensmumnamechange · 05/05/2012 13:29

helloclitty - yeah, you're probably right :) Niave then

OP posts:
WhaleOilBeefHookedIWill · 05/05/2012 13:30

Yes please do- then complain about the amount of drunken oddballs in there spoiling the ambience. And please PLEASE video the moment you do

LadySybilDeChocolate · 05/05/2012 13:30

I hate Wetherspoons. There's one here which echoes horrendously so you can't hear yourself speak.

I've never been to a Hungry Horse. Is it like a Harvester?

notaniphoneownerjustabadtypist · 05/05/2012 13:30

Only skim read your OP (it was LONG) but a restaurant is not a nighclub so YANBU. Music should be at a volume that you can still have a conversation.
BUt why didn't you walk out when they refused to turn it down? I would have,.

lucyellensmumnamechange · 05/05/2012 13:32

Lady - weatherspoons is bloody dire isn't it. We have a bright shiny new one here, which for the time being is actually quite nice, but the food it shite so it matters not. I woudl say HH is somewhere between the two.

Why would i complain about drunken oddballs, i like drunken oddballs

OP posts:
Nyac · 05/05/2012 13:33

YANBU.

Write a letter of complaint to head office. They should know their staff (or is it a franchise?) are behaving like that.

Then don't go there again.

WhaleOilBeefHookedIWill · 05/05/2012 13:33

No a hungry horse is like the pub out of shameless complete with inedible shite food.
There was one in town a few years ago that got firebombed by one dissatisfied customer

lucyellensmumnamechange · 05/05/2012 13:34

Whale - don't put ideas in my head Grin

OP posts:
yakbutter · 05/05/2012 13:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhaleOilBeefHookedIWill · 05/05/2012 13:34

Me and my mate always pop to the Wetherspoons in the city centre as we know we won't stop laughing from the second we enter until we go back again months later

WhaleOilBeefHookedIWill · 05/05/2012 13:34

PMSLGrinGrinGrin

Kayano · 05/05/2012 13:35

I don't know how you shouting was just to make yourself heard

But when he shouted back it was intimidating?

Hmm
WorraLiberty · 05/05/2012 13:35

What was your DP doing while the manager was shouting in your face, invading your personal space and squaring up to you?

Changethatbulb · 05/05/2012 13:35

lucyellensmumnamechange no opinion from me but I Grin at your summary of your OP.

WorraLiberty · 05/05/2012 13:36

And you don't have to point your finger at someone to make yourself heard either....

lucyellensmumnamechange · 05/05/2012 13:36

That is a pretty adequate description though - think shameless. WAs a good job my mother wasn't there, she would have done her best Nana impression, but thats catherine tate. She would have probably nutted the manager and called him a cunt as she stepped over him on her way out Grin

OP posts:
LadySybilDeChocolate · 05/05/2012 13:38

I used to work for Weatherspoons, it's mostly frozen food which is fried or whacked into a microwave (like a lot of pub food). We don't eat out a lot, usually Pizza Express/Zizzi/French bistro. We tried La Tasca once but they forgot to put the order through so we waited an hour to eat. I wouldn't have minded (that much) but there was only one more table apart from us so the waitress should have realised that there was a problem.

lucyellensmumnamechange · 05/05/2012 13:38

Sitting at the table with my DP, out of eyeshot, as far as im aware i wasn't pointing, i gesticulate alot, much like i type alot. But do feel free to pick more holes in my OP Worra, you would get on well wiht my mum, based on yoru name

OP posts:
LadySybilDeChocolate · 05/05/2012 13:40

I doubt your DP would have heard you shouting at the manager anyway, Lucyellensmum. Grin