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Original poster

WWYD - Pay or not for meal we did an (unintentional) runner on

339 replies

SomedayBaby · 23/08/2016 20:17

We got back yesterday from ten days away in the UK. We spent Sunday night in a Premier Inn before driving back yesterday and went for breakfast in the adjoining pub (you know the one that's affiliated with the PI) before leaving.

Anyway, we've just been talking about the trip in general, the P Inn breakfast was mentioned and we've just realised we didn't actually pay for it. We think it was £19 (for two adults, kids eat free)...we strolled in and got shown to a table then upped and left when we were done Blush.

In our defence, this was the third hotel we'd stayed in on that trip and with the others breakfast was included, so it just didn't seem to occur to either of us to pay. The waitress happily waved us out as we left so it obviously didn't occur to her either!

Dh think's it would be silly to call them now...this P Inn is about 350 miles from where we live so popping in to pay isn't an option and dh thinks calling them over less than £20 is stupid and we should leave it. I feel really bad though and guilty and ridiculous Hmm...WWYD?

OP posts:
Bubbles1986 · 23/08/2016 21:01

I used to work at f&b. The worst occasions were where I had to pay £50 cash for a table who did a runner.

Another time some people paid £120 on card and I stuck the receipt in my bumbag (u wear them your whole shift, can have upward of £1500 in there total by then end as u arnt given an opportunity to cash up at any point before shift end). I lost their receipt and was told if I couldn't find it I had to pay. Ended up going through every bag in the dumpster that also had old food in (long time ago before everything got separated), finally found it after 2 hours with others helping me search. It was utterly humiliating.

scootinFun · 23/08/2016 21:03

Pay. It's the decent and right thing to do. Call them and let them know. Don't faff around with charity shops like a pp suggested - they've got nothing to do with the business. That could be someone's job on the line, or a dent in their income.

PuntasticUsername · 23/08/2016 21:05

Yes, you should pay for the food and drink you consumed. It's not a difficult concept Hmm

maggiethemagpie · 23/08/2016 21:07

It wouldn't be legal to take money out of waitresses contracted (hourly) pay , it would be breach of contract. It could be taken out of tip money though.

DimeNotDaim · 23/08/2016 21:07

I remember a few years ago chatting to a waitress in Frankie and Bennys.

She told us how she had been serving a large party, but accidently gave them the bill of a smaller party she was also serving. They took the bill up to the till, paid it and left. The mistake was only picked up when the smaller party asked for their bill. She then had to make up the shortfall from her wages.

Please ring to offer payment.

MumboNumber5 · 23/08/2016 21:08

I never had my pay docked for this as a waitress. Phone and ask what PI policy is and then pay (or not) depending ;)

JudyCoolibar · 23/08/2016 21:08

Check that you haven't paid when you paid for your room. Last time I stayed in a PI I booked the breakfast in advance, and when I went for breakfast they checked my room number. When I checked out they checked their records, confirmed I had paid, and waved me on my way. So there obviously is some sort of tie-up between the hotel's and restaurant's systems and the restaurant may well have got the bill added to the hotel bill.

But if it didn't, I agree with the majority that absolutely you should pay. I can't see any moral or legal reason for not doing so. If you want a practical reason, you could bear in mind that PI have now got your details and you may go on their blacklist and be unable to stay there again - also that list may be shared with other hotels and restaurants.

NotnearlyascalmasIlook · 23/08/2016 21:08

£19 is really good value for 4 people. Why wouldn't you want to put the situation right? I once went out for dinner with someone who didn't want to tell the restaurant waiters that they'd left off the bottle of wine on the bill. I've never really thought the same about her.

SeenoevilHearnoevilSpeaknoevil · 23/08/2016 21:08

I was a waitress for years and never once did I have to pay for a runner?! If my boss asked me to Id be telling him where to go!

YeOldMa · 23/08/2016 21:09

The thing with a PI breakfast is that it is help yourself to eat as much as you like and in those circumstances I can't imagine the waitress would have to pay anything out their wages. Did you give them your name when you booked into the restaurant? If so, you've probably had the meal taken off your card if they checked with the PI.

dowhatnow · 23/08/2016 21:09

I've paid in similar circumstances. I had a sleepless night worrying about it. Stupid I know.

VodkaValiumLattePlease · 23/08/2016 21:13

Seeno your boss would just take it out of your pay... So I doubt 'telling him where to go' would accomplish anything. I'm unsure whether it's legal or not but it happens

KatieScarlett · 23/08/2016 21:13

You have to pay or they'll put you in the purple list. All your future nights sleep will be in a creaky bed and the staff will whisper "stealer" under their breath as you walk past. Then Lenny Henry will shame you in the foyer.
Or they might just add it to your bill the next time you go.

Bubbles1986 · 23/08/2016 21:14

Maggie- in my instance that I paid it was taken from tips. I paid all my tips that day (£23 on a 12 hr shift when my base rate was £3.50 hr. I was 17) then the remainder out of my own pocket

LuisSuarezTeeth · 23/08/2016 21:15

Just ring and pay. It's the right thing to do.

AlpacaLypse · 23/08/2016 21:17

I wouldn't dream of taking the bill off the wages of any of my staff. However I'm a nice local business, not a multinational corporate. I've heard too many stories from my staff about how shit the big bastards are to not believe it :(
Get in touch OP, with a bit of luck they'll tell you not to worry about it, if not, it's still only £19 that you'd budgeted for anyway.

JudyCoolibar · 23/08/2016 21:18

The thing with a PI breakfast is that it is help yourself to eat as much as you like and in those circumstances I can't imagine the waitress would have to pay anything out their wages

Not necessarily. It was waiter service last time I stayed in one.

PovertyPain · 23/08/2016 21:35

If you think £20 is stupid, then it won't hurt to pay, will it? For all those posters that are advocating forgetting about it, why don't you all go out tomorrow and hand a stranger a £20 note? After all it isn't going to bother you, is it? If the OP had accidentally walked out of a shop with a bag worth £19 would you tell her to forget about it? Wether or not the waitress has to pay is not the point, though it makes it worse if she does, the point is, you were provided with a service and the decent, moral thing is to pay or it.

Letustryagain · 23/08/2016 21:38

Don't worry OP. We paid for your breakfast Smile.

We were due to stay overnight in a PI because we were going to a theme park for the day and as it turned out, we had to race home afterwards instead and didn't get our money back either for our room or our breakfast that we'd pre-paid for.

So they made money out of us. Smile

daftbesom · 23/08/2016 21:39

I would definitely ring up and pay - this is money that you owe them. To me it wouldn't be optional.

PersianCatLady · 23/08/2016 21:41

Presumably it's to stop staff not billing any family or friends that go in, and then pretending they did a runner afterwards?
But to charge a staff member not only the cost of the food but also the profit is wrong in my book.

I see what you are saying but I really don't think that any one would risk their job just for the sake of a bit of cheap food by doing this as a scam.

If I was a staff member that this happened to personally I would call the police and insist that it was logged as a crime.

I would not just accept paying for the food and that being the end of it.

Lesley1980 · 23/08/2016 21:45

A lot of the chains charge their staff for walk outs. Staff are responsible for their own tables. My brother worked for a chain when he was at uni & a walk out wiped out his weeks wage.

maddiemookins16mum · 23/08/2016 21:46

I wouldn't, did they not bring a bill or ask your room number? Are you sure you didn't click the option when booking your PI that included breakfast anyway (there is an option to do that).

PersianCatLady · 23/08/2016 21:46

It wouldn't be legal to take money out of waitresses contracted (hourly) pay
I think that it should maybe be possible to expect staff to pay for the cost of the food but the fact that they are expected to pay the full cost of it is terrible.

Minisoksmakehardwork · 23/08/2016 21:48

Seeing now 3 different f&b's stories, I really am glad we called and paid. Yes it was a pita for them (as someone said further down thread) as they wanted us to pay cash to make it easier for them. Possibly to reimburse the poor waiter who would no doubt have had docked wages (I can hope). But as it was an hour's drive for us and we genuinely weren't doing that way any time soon, we said it would have to be card payment.