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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To have thought we should have been allowed another cup

393 replies

lakia · 01/06/2015 19:39

Was in a restaurant today with my parents they wanted a cream tea we saw on the notice board that it came with a big pot of tea and two generous sized scones with cream and jam.
My parents seeing the size of it decided to order the one between them it wasn't stated as either been for one or two people.
Anyway so we ordered paid and one cup was put on the tray and of course we asked if we could have another cup and the guy who happened to be the manager refused we was bit taken back by this and thought maybe he had misunderstood so again we said we want another cup to which he refused again.
We asked why and he said this is a cream tea for one person and I said its too much for my parents and they want to share he replied that he is a business and that if we want another cup then we have to buy a separate cup of tea I said that's ridiculous and he said no it isn't and he would not budge. He then said that its like him giving one cream tea to a load of people to share and its not good for his business.
Just interested in your thoughts.

OP posts:

ovumahead · 01/06/2015 21:36

Surely having happy customers that want to return is financially more sensible than being a miserable prick about a cup and them never returning?

And all this talk of business losses, what utter nonsense. It's that attitude that makes it seem like a charity! Ridiculous.

Gileswithachainsaw · 01/06/2015 21:36

If the scones are as bug as I think they are then that's far too much for one person especially an elderly person who let's face it have bird like appetites half the time. usually drinking small cups of tea as opposed to the massive mugs sold these days.

so its ok to buy one and throw half away yet not ok to allow someone else to finish it off?

they easily could have decided to another cup of tea each when they finished. so for the sake of an empty cup he lost three customers a good review or verbal recommendation and a possible sale if lunch or more drinks after.

Andylion · 01/06/2015 21:37

my parents did share the cup in the end.

Sorry, OP., that doesn't sound right at all. Could they not have just bought another cup?

Kvetch15 · 01/06/2015 21:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fastdaytears · 01/06/2015 21:37

I used to work in a bar with an all you can eat carvery, any number of trips allowed (no idea why anyone would eat any of it but that's another story) and we'd have families of 4 paying for one plate and going up in turns. They genuinely couldn't understand the issue.

WowProjectingMuch · 01/06/2015 21:37

TRIPADVISOR posters think you should pay for an extra tea. I don't think one poster thought otherwise.

ChocolateWombat · 01/06/2015 21:39

The business owner doesn't need to 'like' any of the customers or to want the small spenders to become repeat customers.
However they need to see the bigger picture. They need to recognise that some customers will spend more and others less, but all should be treated well and given a positive experience. They don't know if next time the customer will spend lots or bring a huge party there.

If the business owner is stressed by the minutiae of how many drinks have been bought and reacts to minor requests by customers in an unfriendly way, they are not in the right business.

The best cafes will offer a pleasant experience with friendly, gracious service. Anything less will mean customers are likely to go elsewhere. Yes, this customer could have spent an extra £2 on another tea, but was it worth losing their custom and possibly that of others who heard the unfriendly attitude? Wouldn't it be better for customers to see a gracious response?

guineawigs · 01/06/2015 21:48

That tripadvisor link is about Afternoon Tea (i.e. rolling buffet) not Cream Tea (i.e. finite number of scones).

SilverBirch2015 · 01/06/2015 21:50

You are absolutely righ chocolatewombat in any customer facing business, you do have to accept that, although customers are sometimes weird, demanding and overly self-entitled, they are the mainstay of your business.

If you can get jaded and cynical after a while, with some of their more unreasonable demands, that's the time to move on to another type of business/employment.

Only1scoop · 01/06/2015 21:50

Channel 5

Cream tea etiquette now

Only1scoop · 01/06/2015 21:50

They are just about to wheel it out....

whatever22 · 01/06/2015 21:56

we'd have families of 4 paying for one plate and going up in turns.

People paying for 1 thing and consuming 4 times as much is obviously wrong, but has nothing to do with this situation.

They paid for 1 cream tea, and only wanted 1. What difference does it make if one person eats it all (and the other has none) or they split it?

SilverBirch2015 · 01/06/2015 21:57

Ooh what did they say?

SilverBirch2015 · 01/06/2015 21:59

Channel 5 and etiquette are not often used together in the same sentence

Only1scoop · 01/06/2015 22:00

Quite and it was a vague take on cream tea in Manchester hotel with Jayne macdonald.

ilovesooty · 01/06/2015 22:01

I think they should have bought another cup.
Like others I'm interested in what the OP herself ordered, if anything.

LaChatte · 01/06/2015 22:01

The cream goes on first.

Only1scoop · 01/06/2015 22:02

I think they squeezed out the bag and asked for a 'hot water'

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 01/06/2015 22:03

I would have BOUGHT another cup of tea and not thought twice about it. Sorry OP, very stingey of you and how self-righteous you sound. Yes, he may have lost three customers but really, it's just one, isn't it?

You're not just paying for the cake and tea... staff, toilets, heating, lighting, all of these things. If you want a scenario where you can huddle around a cup of tea, McDonalds possibly wouldn't mind - although they might shove you out after a while- but you can do drive thru and sit in their car park forever.

expatinscotland · 01/06/2015 22:07

'my parents did share the cup in the end.'

That's just cheap. IMO.

Jux · 01/06/2015 22:12

Two scones for one person, always. If the cafe owner had given you the extra cup, he'd have lost the price of another drink, and he was already losing the cost of a second cream tea.

annatha · 01/06/2015 22:12

It's not as if you we're being stingy sharing one drink, you've already paid for a big pot of tea and the scones so giving you another cup isn't losing any money. I worked in a coffee shop and we would often split hot chocolates between two cups so kiddies could share. We'd even put whip cream and marshmallows on each cup so each kid had a mini hot chocolate when we could've just made the parent buy two. It's better for business to go the extra mile for customers then to lose them over a bloody mug. Do leave a review on trip advisor, even if he didn't intend for the cream tea to be for two he should make his menus clearer and learn some manners.

Catsize · 01/06/2015 22:18

They should have ordered additional tea. Surprised they had the gall to ask.

cuntycowfacemonkey · 01/06/2015 22:19

Honestly I would have just paid for a cup of tea and then shared the schones. I agree with expat it is a bit tight to share a cup

SilverBirch2015 · 01/06/2015 22:20

It sounds to me that the OP didn't order anything herself. If that was the case I think it probably explains why the owner got a bit arsey.

This reminds me of the time when I was a bit of a novice about ordering a cream tea. Was with my DS and we tried to explain we wanted a cream tea for 2, during the explanation I mentioned what we wanted was 4 scones (meaning 2 each). The waitress was obviously trained in the art of the customer is always right and brought us 8 scones . When I pointed out that we had obviously caused a bit of a muddle, the owner came and apologised and said we may as well keep them, as he couldn't now serve to someone else. He only charged us cream tea for 2. My teenage DS did his very best but we had to leave 3 behind . That's what good customer service is like, we've been back numerous times since.

This perhaps, helps explain why cream teas have become my expert subject.

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