wibu or was the manager of this restaurant?

[Itisraining]

Recently went to local restaurant which we go to regularly so know the manager who has a reputation for being a bit tricky. The whole group ordered from the lighter bite menu. I ordered a macaroni cheese with garlic bread (which I have never ordered before). When we came to pay, I noticed I had been charged for the large portion from the main menu(£6.50 more expensive)
When I questioned it,
the manager said, "you didn't say you wanted the small one"
I said "I didn't say I wanted the larger one either and the other one says it comes with garlic ciabatta and I said the one with garlic bread"
Him, " they are both garlic bread, madame and you didn't say which one you wanted, did you not notice that it was the larger one?"
Me, (staying very polite) "No, I have never ordered it before and why did you assume, I wanted the big one when we all ordered from the lighter bite menu?"
You, "you are an adult"
Me, "But surely if there are 2 sizes, it is up to you to ascertain which one?"
Him, getting very exasperated and irritated, "you need to see this from my point of view, oh forget it, i'll charge for the smaller one, I can't be bothered to argue" He strops off.
Left feeling quite troubled. This is somewhere we give a lot of custom to. I now feel awkward about going back.

Was I wrong to question the order? For me it was clear that the one I ordered was the small one with garlic bread NOT the one which was labelled with ciabatta.

Nobody reads every line of the entire menu, just in case there might be confusion with the order. It's not an exam.

"Cauli, are you ready to order?"

"Not quite, I've chosen what I want to eat, but I need to ensure I've read every line of this size 10 font, packed out menu, just in case there might be a similar dish for twice the price and there is confusion..."

BUT, did you not notice that the portion was smaller (it -must- have been noticeably smaller to warrant such a difference in price. You said you haven't had the macaroni cheese before but surely looking at everyone else's plates yours would have stood out as much bigger?) and also that it didn't come with the garlic bread you expected? If it were me when the meal was put down in front of me I would have clarified what I had ordered and expected to receive just to save confusion at bill time.

Everyone else had paninis,so how would the op know any different.Thats how she didnt know.

YABU - this reminds me of the acquaintance I had dinner with the other month who got to the last few spoonfuls in her Mac and cheese and then claimed to the waiter she didn't like it and wouldn't pay. If you don't think the order is right or there is even the slightest doubt over size or the sides you have, speak up ASAP.

surely looking at everyone else's plates yours would have stood out as much bigger?

I made this point upthread but other posters thought that it would be impossible to say whether £13.50 worth of macaroni cheese plus ciabatta bread was of the same value as a sandwich.

I disagree. The OP's portion must have been huge for that price and the ciabatta instead of bog standard garlic bread should have been a giveaway.

I think it doesnt matter even if she did think she was getting the big one instead of the smaller one.

If there are two sizes on the menu, it is up to the person taking the order to clarify which one she was ordering. I believe that is how it would stand in a court of law.

In a business way, the guy should have just apoligised and charged for the smaller one straight away, why lose regular custom over a small mistake and a few pennies.

Nobody reads every line of the entire menu, just in case there might be confusion with the order. It's not an exam.

This is true. My aunt used to send me £20 on WHSmith gift cards for birthdays and xmas. But I don't buy anything there so I had a stockpile of about £100.

One day I decided to buy a lifetime's worth of wrapping paper just to use them up. They'd all been voided - that happens if you don't use them in a certain amount of time - and the greedy bastards at WHSmith had taken £100 of an old lady's pension money.

When I said that didn't seem very sporting, the manager kept repeating: 'It's in the small print.' Who reads the small print on a fucking birthday present?

I hate WHSmith. Though I accept that policy was not the manager's fault and probably accounted for his hunted look.

LottieL

Bloody Hell.

(And to think I've been paying for my food all of these years . . . )

Seriously though - I don't now how these schemes even occur to people, let alone where they get the brass neck to try them on. Do you have a Blacklist of Awkward Buggers? Or do most of them migrate around different places?

Limitedperiod

I agree with you - that is bloody mean. If they are going to have that policy it shouldn't be in small print, it should be in FUCKING HUGE FLUORESCENT LETTERS ACROSS THE FRONT!

I could understand it if it was one of these free vouchers they give occasionally, but there should be no restrictions on gift vouchers. They've got your bloody money, ffs.

(Did this experience influence your user name?)

To be honest, £7.50 worth of macaroni cheese could easily be a massive plateful. Obviously there are charges for the enjoyment of eating in a restaurant, but with £7.50 you could make a whole vat of it. So a large plate wouldn't raise any eyebrows.

Slightly shock at the posters who could make mac & cheese for pennies (missing point of post). It is our family favourite Sunday dinner and would cost at least £4 to make for 4.

That's right - 400 pennies.

But when you think, that works out at a quid a portion, and depending on the quality of the ingredients you can afford can be made for a bit less (quality costs). And most businesses will get charged less for the same quality ingredients than you or I would because they have trade suppliers.

I wouldn't pay £13 for a bit of cheese and milk on a few forkfulls of pasta.

I would have said "I'll have macaroni cheese from the light bites menu" just in case there was a full size option. Not rocket science is it.

I am not sure why, given that you only paid for the cheaper meal, this has been such a huge ordeal for you that you have created two separate threads about it OP?

I can't imagine many of us would have given it a second thought once we left the restaurant. Do you often dwell on trivial things like this?

YANBU. I think it's a bit sneaky of the manager. If everyone was ordering light bites, then of course it is up to the waiting staff to check. It's also very typical of restaurants to try and up sell stuff. It's like places where they ask if you want the medium or large wine as if the small one doesn't exist as an option. And...who on earth would want to pay that amount for a mac and cheese!?

That's rather snide, happy

Some people are more sensitive than others and find things that others would consider minor to be very upsetting. (If this had been me, I would have brooded on it for days.)

Plus, OP wanted to know whether she was in the wrong - she thought not, but wanted to be sure - or at least know that there would be some people who would have had the same expectations as she did - i.e. that if no staff suggested there were two sizes of a dish, that there was only one and she had ordered it.

OP will know in future to either read ever word on all of the menus available (including the printer's name at the bottom), or to mention which menu she's ordering off.

Mind - having read Lottiel's posts, I can understand why the manager might have been a bit annoyed.

(Did this experience influence your user name?)

No, but it could have done 2kids2dogsnosense

CauliflowerSqueeze my macaroni cheese would be like Jesus feeding the 5,000. But you expect a bit of a mark up in a restaurant.

In my favourite restaurant they do chicken livers on toast as a starter for £7.50. Every time I order it I can't help thinking that I could get 8oz of liver for 99p and a small loaf of nice bread for 80p. But restaurants subsidise their more expensive ingredients with their cheaper ones and they are entitled to make a profit.

I'm not saying that you're disputing their right to make a profit, btw. I just noticed your macaroni cheese vat comment.

I posted on your other thread about this OP - is it really such a big deal in your life that it warranted even one, let alone two threads?

If, like 2kids says about herself, you are very sensitive overall and this is the sort of thing you would normally brood about for days, will that help you get some perspective? It must make life very difficult for you. Like happy I wouldn't have given it a second thought.

We know the awkward buggers by sight but we don't do anything about them - at the end of the day, and though they are a pain in the arse, they come in and spend money and it's the job of the establishment to provide the service that is being paid for politely and professionally. That's not to say we believe there tripe about undercooked steaks / bad meals and just smile and nod generally and make sympathetic noises when they raise their grievances. Ultimately knocking a little money off a bill won't cripple overheads, better for an easy life. A few have taken the piss one too many times and been barred however, but those are people who complain every single time, keep coming back, and are far too much fuss to bother with.

I mentioned this thread to my husband and he laughed, and told another treat that occurred on his last working day. A couple, regulars, came to the restaurant and asked for the table they always sit at whenever they come at different days and times each week. The table was already occupied so they were offered an alternative. They made a complaint that 'their' table was not open for them - despite not booking - and left, saying that they'd take their custom elsewhere in future. They've since been back, according to staff. You couldn't make it up

YABU

I went to a restaurant the other day and ordered the Orange Chicken - the waiter immediately asked if I wanted the lunch portion or the full size one. That's just normal service, to confirm which one. If they didn't ask it's their tough luck.

YANBU if everyone else ordered from the light bites menu, why would they presume you were different? I've been a waitress, I would always check if there are two of 1 thing on the menu in different sizes.

YANBU. I was a waitress for some years and would have clarified which portion you wanted if everyone else was ordering from the lunch menu. The manager clearly has an attitude problem, if I were you I'd give the place a wide berth from now on despite how convenient it is. Vote with your feet, there's no excuse for poor customer service.

YANBU

Not sure if this has been pointed out. The whole group ordered from the light bite menu so it was a light bite. Manager is being an arse. I say this in my position as a head chef of many years

Monkeymamma surely if they offer that menu then customers are entitled to order from it?!

I've only read the first 2 pages so I'm going against the grain but it was the restaurant's fault in my view. It was lunch time (usually people have a lighter meal then), you were all ordering off the lighter bites menu and if there are two dishes it is normal for the waiting staff to ask which one.

I do think you are being a bit unreasonable to still be going through it (and, yes, asking MN about it).

The manager did change the charge to the lighter version, even if he didn't admit any fault on their part.
Sorted, and the result you wanted.

However, I'm curious as to why you said the one with the garlic bread.
Was there more than one version of macaroni cheese in the light version?
Was that because you were asked which one? This would imply there were two versions, and maybe you should have asked what were the two versions or shown them on the menu.

Still, lessons learned on both parts, I hope.